9th Army (Wehrmacht)
|
9. Armee 9th Army |
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|---|---|
| Active | 15 May 1940 – 1 May 1945 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
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| Branch | Army |
| Type | Field army |
| Engagements | World War II |
The 9th Army (German: 9. Armee) was a World War II field army. It was activated on 15 May 1940 with General Johannes Blaskowitz in command.
The 9th Army first saw service along the Siegfried Line when it was involved in the invasion of France. It was kept as a strategic reserve and saw little fighting.
By 1941, the Army was heavily strengthened and was deployed with Army Group Center for the invasion of the Soviet Union. In the initial phase of Operation Barbarossa the 9th Army formed the southern pincer of a massive encirclement of Soviet troops deployed at Białystok with the German 4th Army forming the northern pincer. It continued its advance where it launched another pincer movement of Soviet troops at Smolensk. Even though successful in encircling Soviet troops, due to the large distances it had to cover, many Soviet troops escaped the pockets. Hitler then sent the Panzer forces from Army Group Center to the northern and southern fronts to inflict severe economic damage to the Soviet Union. The 9th Army remained static from late July 1941 until October 1941 when Hitler finally decided to launch his long-awaited attack on Moscow.
In front of Moscow were two elaborate defensive lines: the first was 250 km long in front of Vyazma and the second on Mozhaysk. The 9th Army struck from the north, out-flanking the Vyazma defensive line and, along with the 3rd and 4th Panzer Armies, encircling Soviet forces at Vyazma. This would prove to be the last major encirclement operation launched by the 9th Army.
The 9th Army was placed on the northern flank as the German 2nd, 3rd and 4th Panzer and 4th Army would spearhead the offensive on Moscow. However the attack failed due to the cold weather, deteriorating supply situation and stubborn Soviet resistance. The Germans suffered severe losses in men and large parts of the 9th Army's troops were reallocated to the other depleted German Armies.
The 9th Army remained in defensive positions in 1942, dug in 200 miles outside of Moscow as the Germans concentrated their offensive in Southern Russia. As the tide of the battle turned in Southern Russia, the Soviets launched Operation Mars, a major offensive against Army Group Center. The well dug in positions of Army Group Center defeated the Soviet offensive with heavy casualties.
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