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This Fort Riley Friday we take a look at another of the markers and monuments that dot Cavalry Parade Field, once the center of Fort Riley.
Just south of the Global War on Terrorism monument are two monuments that help tell the story of Fort Riley's role in WWII. One is dedicated to the 9th Armored Division, activated on July 15, 1942 here at Fort Riley seven months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After some time for training the 9th Armored Division landed in Normandy in the Fall of 1944.
The 9th Division saw severe action in December that year. At Bastogne, they held off the Germans long enough for the 101st Airborne Division to dig in for defense of the city. Then in March 1945, the 9th Division arrived at the Ludendorff Bridge (aka the Bridge at Remagen) surprised to see it still standing. By capturing the bridge they became the first Allied troops to cross the Rhine River. After they disarmed failed German explosive charges designed to bring the bridge down, six U.S. Divisions were able to cross the damaged bridge before it collapsed a few days later. The 9th Armored Division returned to the U.S. October 10, 1945 and inactivated three days later. We'll look at the 9th Armored Division's companion monument on the next Fort Riley Friday.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 02.13.2023 10:28 |
| Photo ID: | 7631147 |
| VIRIN: | 170922-A-YH536-001 |
| Resolution: | 1080x1080 |
| Size: | 150.87 KB |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 88 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, 9th Armored Division Monument [Image 6 of 6], by Scott A Rhodes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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