9th Armored Division - Medernach
Details:
This monument can be found in a small park area, with a tiled pathway leading to the base.
Monument
A 12ft (3.7m) cement stele with commemorative plaques on four sides of the monument. The plaques honor the 9th Armored Division "Phantom" and the three Combat Commands of the division that fought in the Ardennes, CCA, CCB and CCR. A separate plaque shows a map of the region including troop placements during the battle.
Monument Text:
Text on the front facing plaque reads:
"U.S. 9TH ARMORED DIVISION
COMMANDER: MAJOR GENERAL JOHN W. LEONARD
IN DEFENSE OF:
LUXEMBOURG: OCT 20-DEC 26, 1944
BELGIUM: DEC 16, 1944-JAN 4, 1945
THE DIVISION'S THREE COMBAT COMMANDS FOUGHT THE ARDENNES BATTLE AS INDEPENDENT, WIDELY SEPARATED UNITS ATTACHED TO OTHER DIVISIONS AND CORPS ON THE NORTH, CENTER, AND SOUTH OF THE GERMAN ATTACK, AS SHOWN ON THE ADJACENT PLAQUES
HASTILY ORGANIZED FORCES COMPOSED OF COOKS, CLERKS, MECHANICS, AND OTHERS FROM THE HEADQUARTERS OF DIVISIONAL UNITS DEFENDED THE BERG-MERSCH AREA FROM DEC 16 TO 23, AND THEN ESTABLISHED A COUNTER-RECONNAISSANCE SCREEN EXTENDING 50 KILOMETERS NORTHWEST FROM NEUFCHATEAU, BELGIUM.
THE DIVISION LATER WON FAME AS THE FIRST ALLIED FORCE TO CROSS THE RHINE BY ITS DARING SEIZURE OF THE BRIDGE AT REMAGEN ON MARCH 7, 1945. IT THEN CAPTURED LIMBURG, GIESSEN, WARBURG, ENCIRCLED LEIPZIG AND ENDED ITS COMBAT NEAR KARLSBAD, CZECHOSLOVAKIA ON MAY 8, 1945
CAMPAIGNS: ARDENNES - RHINELAND - CENTRAL EUROPE
PRESENTED BY THE 9TH ARMORED DIVISION ASSOCIATION, CERCLE D'ETUDE SUR LA BATAILLE DES ARDENNES, AND THE CITIZENS OF MEDERNACH, IN MEMORY OF THOSE OF THE DIVISION WHO DIED IN BATTLE DURING WORLD WAR II.
DEDICATED: MARCH 3, 1985"
Text on the plaque for CCA reads:
"COMBAT COMMAND "A"
BY STOPPING THE GERMAN ATTACK OF DEC 16, 1944 AT THE ERMSDORF-WALDBILLIG LINE, CC "A" SAVED THE FARMS AND TOWNS IN THE MEDERNACH -LAROCHETTE AREA AND GAINED THAT VITAL TIME AND SPACE NEEDED TO LAUNCH THE AMERICAN ATTACK TO RELIEVE BESIEGED BASTOGNE.
RELIEVED ON DEC 26, CC "A" MARCHED ALL THAT NIGHT TO NEUFCHATEAU, BROKE THROUGH AND DISPERSED GERMAN FORCES BLOCKING THE HIGHWAY TO BASTOGNE AND THEN CONTINUED ATTACKING WEST OF BASTOGNE UNTIL RELIEVED ON JAN 4, 1945.
FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM AND GALLANTRY IN COMBAT IN LUXEMBOURG FROM 16 TO 22 DECEMBER, 1944 CCA WAS AWARDED THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION ON JUNE 12, 2001"
Text on the plaque for CCB reads:
"COMBAT COMMAND "B"
REACHING ST. VITH ON DEC 17, AFTER A FORCED MARCH FROM FAYMONVILLE, CC "B" REPULSED GERMAN ATTACKS FROM THE NORTHEAST AND THE SOUTHEAST. AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF OTHER U.S. FORCES IT SKILLFULLY AND VALIANTLY DEFENDED THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF THE ST. VITH REDOUBT UNTIL ORDERED TO WERBOMONT, ARRIVING ON DEC 25.
BY DELAYING THE GERMAN ADVANCE DURING THE CRITICAL EARLY DAYS OF THE ARDENNES OFFENSIVE, CC "B" CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE FAILURE OF THE GERMAN ATTACK IN THE NORTHERN SECTOR, FOR WHICH IT WAS CITED IN THE ORDER OF THE DAY OF THE BELGIAN ARMY.
FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM AND GALLANTRY IN COMBAT IN BELGIUM FROM 17 TO 23 DECEMBER, 1944 CCB WAS AWARDED THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION ON JUNE 12, 2001."
Text on the plaque to CCR reads:
"COMBAT COMMAND "R"
FROM DEC 16 TO 19, CC "R" DEFENDED ROADBLOCKS ON THE TROISVIERGES-BASTOGNE HIGHWAY AGAINST GERMAN PANZER AND INFANTRY DIVISIONS. SURROUNDED AND DECIMATED NEAR LONGVILLY, ITS SURVIVORS REACHED BASTOGNE WHERE, AS THE NUCLEUS OF FAMED "TEAM SNAFU". THEY JOINED IN ITS DEFENSE UNTIL RELIEVED ON DEC 31.
BY DELAYING THE GERMAN ADVANCE DURING THE CRITICAL EARLY DAYS OF THE ARDENNES OFFENSIVE, CC "R" GAINED THE TIME NEEDED FOR OTHER U.S. UNITS TO CONCENTRATE AT, AND HOLD, BASTOGNE, FOR WHICH IT WAS AWARDED THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION (ARMY) AND THE BELGIAN CROIX DE GUERRE WITH PALM."
