The Conquering 9th: The Ninth U.S. Army in World War II

by Nathan N. Prefer

This WWII regimental history traces an unsung U.S. Army from its important role in the liberation of Europe through the postwar lives of its leaders.The Ninth Army was formed in May of 1944 under the command of General William Hood Simpson. By late August, it was ready to join the crusade in Europe. Known by its radio call sign “Conquer,” this brave army landed at Utah Beach, France, and joined General Patton’s Battle for Brest, finally capturing Brittany’s largest port in late September.The Ninth Army went on to become the only American army to fight under British Field Marshal Montgomery’s command, crossing the Rhine and playing a role in the Battle of the Bulge. The Ninth was involved in the reduction of the Wesel Pocket, Operation Varsity, the airborne drop across the Rhine, the reduction of the Ruhr Pocket, and then the “Race to Berlin.” The Ninth reached the Elbe River before it was stopped not by the enemy, but by high command. Following the end of hostilities, the army was dissolved. This new history of the Ninth covers all levels of the army’s activities from the responsibilities and duties of the higher echelon, the commanders through to combat stories of the units under its command and Medal of Honor actions.

Genres: World War II

451 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2020

About the author

Nathan N. Prefer’s lifelong study of the Second World War has resulted in three prior military studies including MacArthur’s New Guinea Campaign; Patton’s Ghost Corps; and Vinegar Joe’s War. His interest in the Tinian Campaign began when he served in the US Marine Corps Reserve as part of the 4th Marine Division. Now retired with graduate degrees in Military History, Prefer’s next work will concern the US Army’s campaign on Leyte in the Philippines. He currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida.

Reviews

[Robert Neil Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Conquering 9th, Nathan Prefer presents an analytical narrative history of an American field army in World War II. In this case, the Ninth, it is an army strangely neglected by historians, argues Prefer. Perhaps this was because they were late arrivals to the war, but as Prefer makes clear, the Ninth certainly played its part in conquering Germany.
Unit histories, large and small, are shaped like biographies and this is no exception. Prefer describes the accelerated US mobilization for WWII with the Ninth officially born in May 1944. They moved to England then Normandy to reinforce operations after D-Day. In September, they took part in the Battle for Brittany. They also had to tidy up afterwards, an activity you don’t usually read about in books like this. The Ninth was soon saddled up again to continue the fight, despite logistical problems, this time much further north into the area of Maastricht. Once in position, they took part in Operation Queen, where minefields posed a significant threat and German resistance proved very strong. Operation Clipper followed to eliminate the Geilenkirchen salient in conjunction with the British. Besides the Germans, weather and roads proved most problematic. The Ninth also took many casualties, which were becoming harder to replace.
By December 1944, the Ninth was almost ready to cross the Roer, then the Germans attacked in the Ardennes, putting the Ninth on the defensive. With that resolved, the Ninth pushed ahead across the Roer in January with Operation Grenade. Then the race to the Rhine was on as German resistance began to crumble. In March 1945, the Ninth eliminated the Wesel Pocket. As they advanced, the Ninth also had to secure the new rear areas, which they also did effectively. Operation Flashpoint took the Ninth across the Rhine against little serious opposition. Prefer includes a chapter on Operation Varsity, the last great airborne assault of the war. That opened the Ruhr to attack, and the Ninth duly obliged, finishing with the capture of Dortmund. On the Ninth pushed against mostly ad-hoc enemy units with a sprinkling of harder troops. Their last major attack was to capture Magdeburg. The Ninth was deactivated in October 1945 after a short but distinguished career.
Prefer’s The Conquering 9th provides an illuminating insight into all aspects of the Ninth US Army from its introduction to deactivation. He ranges across the operational spectrum from army level planning to the soldier facing the enemy, integrating logistical considerations, commander biographies, and battle narratives. Prefer’s detailed narrative of events sometimes bogs down, and I had the sense he was trying to stuff the cushion a bit too full. Nevertheless, his combat descriptions are tightly written and provide the necessary flavour to keep his book moving. The result is an absorbing story that will appeal to any WWII reader, particularly those with an interest in the US army in Europe from D-Day onwards.

[William Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read! Eisenhower, Bradley and Patton dominate the US European Theater of the Second World War. Of course Montgomery dominates the British contribution! First and Third Army get a lot of credit deserving so in the victory over Nazi Germany and the Sixth, Seventh, Fifteenth and Ninth Armies get second billing. This book is a recounting of the yeoman service of the Ninth Army in the conflict. Lieutenant General William H. Simpson commanded the Ninth Army from its original designation as the Fourth Army through to the end of the European conflict followed by designation to go to the Pacific Theater which was cancelled when Japan surrendered. Simpson by all reckoning was an excellent commander. He was thorough, a team player, a front line commander giving his staff and commanders latitude to do their best. The author, Nathan N. Prefer, gives credit for the excellent staff work to Brigadier General James E. Moore, the Ninth's Chief of Staff. The Corps Commanders also get a lot of credit for the success of the Conquering Ninth! The book details the battles that the Ninth fought and relates numerous accounts of heroism by individual soldiers of the Ninth. During the Battle of the Bulge, the Ninth Army was transferred from General Bradly's Twelfth Army Group to Field Marshall Montgomery's Twenty-First Army Group. Simpson and Montgomery god along well - Simpson was about the only American General who worked well with Montgomery. The Divisions that fought under the Ninth and their commanders are also credited for the success of the Ninth. I'm partial to the Second Armored Division. It was the first unit in which I served in the US Army. Major General Earnest Harmon claimed the Ninth was the best Army he fought under. Another specific mention in the book is about logistics. My 28 years in the US Army was spent in logistics. Towards the end of the war in Europe the Ninth was stretched from the Netherlands into Germany and transportation of supplies and evacuation of wounded and prisoners strained the truck companies. As the author points out, "The situation required that every truck was running day and night to meet the Army's needs. Maintenance was ignored, and drivers had fewer and fewer rest periods. Yet the army maintained its supply level and never hesitated due to shortages" (Prefer, p, 316). As an aside, about 75% of the truck drivers were Black. The Ninth Army was designated to transfer to the Pacific Theater and General Simpson and some of his staff were in the US getting briefed on the situation in the Pacific and their future role their when Japan surrendered. It says a lot about the professionalism and caliber of Simpson and his staff that they were ready to go. If you are interested in WWII and military history, this is a great read!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written historiography of the US 9th Army from its initial attacks on Brest and other Atlantic ports all the way to the Elbe River in Germany. The book also details its role in the the major operations on the north side of the Huertgen Forest and Battle of the Bulge. Finally the text is completed with detailed accounts of 1945 operations such as Operation Plunder.

This author does a good job pointing out the hard fighting from 1944-1945. The book spares little frills and is almost a straight retelling of the campaigns. There is not much analysis and reads very much like an official history. The author does dabble into commentary but not much.

The short comings of this novel to me were the maps and a few grammatical errors. I found the maps difficult to interpret and not always pertinent to the section of the book the text was discussing such as the "Counterattack on the Elbe" map late in the text. I felt additional maps would have helped too.

It took me a while to get use to the detailed listing of each corps, battalion, regiment, company, etc. but I ended up appreciating this and the authors point to not over-do the detail.

Overall, I am glad I read this book and took my time with it. I learned incredible amounts and there were even a few laughs late in the book over the stories told. I leave this with (4) stars, the rank of the late General William Hood Simpson ("Big Simp").