The Ninth Army (french: IXe Armée) was a field army of the
French Army
History
Early history
The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
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.
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
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...
. 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 (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 (19 May 1940)
See also
*
List of French armies in WWI
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
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