9th Armored Division

Shoulder badge, original WWII, cut edge model, of the 9th Armored Division, green back. 

It was formed on July 15, 1942 and participated in particular in Operation Fortitude. It landed in Normandy at the end of September 1944, and arrived at the front on October 23, 1944, on patrol in a calm sector along the German-Luxembourg border. . When the Germans launched their winter offensive in the Belgian Ardennes on December 16, 1944, the 9th, with no real combat experience, suddenly found itself engaged in intense fighting. The Division had severe skirmishes at Saint-Vith, Echternach, and Bastogne, with its units fighting in very remote areas. Its position at Bastogne kept the Germans out of the city long enough to allow the 101st Airborne to prepare for the city's defense. After a period of rest in January 1945, the Division prepared to cross the Rur River as part of Operation Lumberjack (Rhine Crossing). The offensive was launched on February 28, 1945 and the 9th crossed the Rur at Heimbach, then sent patrols to the town of Remagen. On March 7, 1945, elements of the 9th found the Ludendorff Bridge which was still standing. When German demolition charges failed to destroy the bridge, they crossed, disarmed it and removed the remaining charges, which could have exploded at any time. The Division exploited the bridgehead, heading south and east across the River Lahn towards Limburg, where thousands of Allied prisoners were liberated from Stalag XIIA. The Division headed towards Frankfurt then turned to assist in the encirclement of the Ruhr Pocket. In April, it continued east, encircling Leipzig and securing a line along the Mulde River. The Division was moved south to Czechoslovakia during the end of the war in Europe, which ended on May 9, 1945. The division was demobilized October 13, 1945.