The Ninth Army (french: IXe Armée) was a field army of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The Ninth Army, first named "détachement d'armée Foch", was formed for the first time on 29 August 1914, to fill the gap between the Fourth and Fifth Army. It played an important role in the

first Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

. The Ninth Army was disbanded on 5 October 1914, when Foch became commander of Army Group North. The Ninth Army was recreated on 6 July 1918 under command of Antoine de Mitry to fight in the

Second Battle of the Marne The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by s ...

. In 1940, it was initially the only part of the French army that faced the Germans directly as they came unexpectedly through the Ardennes during the early stages of the Fall of France. It included the 41st Army Corps, of two fortress divisions.

Commanders

World War I

* General

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Ar ...

(29 August 1914 – 5 October 1914) * General

Antoine de Mitry Antoine de Mitry ( Leménil-Mitry, 20 September 1857 – 18 August 1924) was a French army general during World War I,. He entered the Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1875, and afterwards joined the cavalry. A colonel in 1910, he comm ...

(6 July 1918 – 7 August 1918)

World War II

* General

André Corap André Georges Corap (, 15 January 1878 – 15 August 1953) was a General in the French Army who fought in World War II. He commanded the 9th Army during the battle of France in 1940. Early life Corap was born in Pont Audemer, Normandy. His fat ...

(2 September 1939 – 19 May 1940) * General

Henri Giraud Henri Honoré Giraud (18 January 1879 – 11 March 1949) was a French general and a leader of the Free French Forces during the Second World War until he was forced to retire in 1944. Born to an Alsatian family in Paris, Giraud graduated from ...

(19 May 1940)

References

Field armies of France in World War I 09 Military units and formations of France in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 {{france-mil-unit-stub

Commanders

World War I

World War II

See also

References