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WWII On This Day: September 9

What happened on September 9 during World War II? This date brings together 10 events from 1939 and 1943, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1939
Polish forces during the Battle of the Bzura in September 1939.
Polish forces during the Battle of the Bzura in September 1939. Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe · Public domain Source
Invasion of Poland 1939

The Polish armies counterattack across the Bzura

Army Poznań under Tadeusz Kutrzeba, joined by major elements of Army Pomorze, attacked the exposed flank of German Eighth Army south of the Bzura on 9 September. The first days brought genuine Polish gains. German infantry formations gave ground, prisoners were taken and towns including Łęczyca changed hands. German headquarters redirected formations and air strength to contain a battle threatening the flank of the Warsaw advance. German concentration around the Bzura gradually closed the Polish armies against the Vistula and Kampinos Forest. Thousands broke through toward Warsaw and Modlin, while…

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1943
Red Army troops crossing the Dnieper on the Kyiv axis in 1943.
Yefim Kopyt · Russian archival photograph · Public domain
The Dnieper Crossings

Stavka rewards rapid river forcing

A Stavka directive set unusually high awards for troops who forced major rivers and secured footholds on the far bank. The order reflected the operational priority: Soviet fronts were expected to cross large water obstacles rapidly rather than allow retreating German forces time to organize them as stable defensive lines. The later figure of 2,438 Heroes of the Soviet Union associated with the Dnieper crossings became one of the campaign's defining statistics, although the awards covered many units and actions along a very large river front.

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British troops unloading from landing ship LST 383 on the Salerno coast on 9 September 1943.
Imperial War Museums NA 6630 · British official photograph · Public domain (UK Government)
The Italian Armistice and the Landings at Salerno

German forces move to disarm the Italian army

German commands began to seize Italian barracks, roads and communication centres during the night following the armistice broadcast. Fighting broke out where Italian soldiers resisted, including approaches to Rome. The Italian high command lacked a unified plan for defence against German troops already in Italy. The royal party and Badoglio’s ministers prepared to escape toward the Adriatic as German control expanded.

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The Italian Armistice and the Landings at Salerno

U.S. VI Corps lands on the southern Salerno beaches

Assault units of Fifth Army’s U.S. VI Corps reached beaches near Paestum before dawn on 9 September. German 16th Panzer Division defenders fought from the coastal ground and attacked troops seeking exits from the beach. The Americans had to establish their inland positions before enemy armour concentrated. Landing craft brought artillery, vehicles and supply loads through a beach still vulnerable to direct and indirect fire.

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British 128th Infantry Brigade unloads men and vehicles from LST 383 at Salerno on 9 September 1943.
British 128th Infantry Brigade unloads men and vehicles from LST 383 at Salerno on 9 September 1943. Imperial War Museums NA 6630 / Imperial War Museums · British official photography · Public domain (UK Government) Source
The Italian Armistice and the Landings at Salerno

British X Corps fights toward Salerno and the northern exits

British X Corps landed north of the Sele on 9 September, sending units toward the port of Salerno and the hill roads leading toward Naples. German defenders contested the approaches as the 46th and 56th Divisions assembled. The Northern and Southern Attack Forces worked under the Fifth Army plan but landed on opposite sides of the Sele River. Connecting these sectors and keeping the inland roads open became the early operational test.

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British warships fire toward German positions from the Gulf of Salerno during the September 1943 fighting; IWM groups the record with the 9 September landings.
British warships fire toward German positions from the Gulf of Salerno during the September 1943 fighting; IWM groups the record with the 9 September landings. Lt L. C. Priest / Royal Navy / Imperial War Museums · British official photography · Public domain (UK Government) Source
The Italian Armistice and the Landings at Salerno

British warships bombard German positions covering Salerno

British warships fired on German positions inland of the Salerno beaches as X Corps and VI Corps sought to move through their landing areas on the morning of 9 September 1943. The supporting fleet brought guns that could rapidly engage strongpoints identified by observers ashore. Naval fire helped the assault divisions as they moved into the river plain.

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Italian harbour craft help unload Allied vessels at Taranto during Operation Slapstick, launched on 9 September 1943.
Italian harbour craft help unload Allied vessels at Taranto during Operation Slapstick, launched on 9 September 1943. Lt L. C. Priest / Royal Navy / Imperial War Museums · British official photography · Public domain (UK Government) Source
The Italian Armistice and the Landings at Salerno

The British 1st Airborne Division enters Taranto by ship

The British 1st Airborne Division arrived at Taranto aboard Royal Navy vessels on 9 September under Operation Slapstick. Italian harbour craft helped unload ships as British troops occupied the port. German formations withdrew from the area toward inland routes. The port gave the Allies a supply point on the peninsula’s eastern shore, but the 1st Airborne Division lacked much of the transport needed for a rapid inland pursuit.

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An American-operated Spitfire force-landed on a beach near Paestum during the Salerno invasion. Its loss is associated with 9 September 1943; the photograph is catalogued more broadly as September 1943.
An American-operated Spitfire force-landed on a beach near Paestum during the Salerno invasion. Its loss is associated with 9 September 1943; the photograph is catalogued more broadly as September 1943. U.S. Coast Guard / NARA 26-G-1992 · Public domain Source
The Italian Armistice and the Landings at Salerno

Allied fighter aircraft cover the Paestum landings

Allied fighter pilots operated at the limits of their effective range from Sicilian bases while the invasion forces defended their new foothold near Paestum. German aircraft attacked landing craft and troops on the coastal approaches. An American-operated Spitfire was forced down near the beaches on 9 September. The surviving Coast Guard photograph documents the aircraft standing on the beach after its loss; the catalogue dates the photograph to September 1943.

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The Italian Armistice and the Landings at Salerno

German guided bombs sink the Italian battleship Roma

The Italian fleet sailed after the armistice announcement to comply with Allied surrender instructions. German aircraft struck the ships northwest of Sardinia on 9 September with radio-guided bombs; the battleship Roma exploded and sank with heavy loss of life. The attack marked the new conflict between Italy and Germany and demonstrated the vulnerability of major warships to guided aerial weapons. The same weapon would threaten Allied naval support at Salerno.

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USS Philadelphia and a small minesweeper make smoke to screen the landing area off Salerno, circa 9 September 1943; the archive describes the day as approximate.
USS Philadelphia and a small minesweeper make smoke to screen the landing area off Salerno, circa 9 September 1943; the archive describes the day as approximate. U.S. Army Signal Corps C-288 / NARA · Public domain Source
The Italian Armistice and the Landings at Salerno

Escort vessels lay smoke over the Salerno transport area

Warships and smaller vessels laid smoke screens to conceal invasion shipping off Salerno from German aircraft. The cruiser USS Philadelphia was photographed with a motor minesweeper laying smoke during the assault period. Protecting the anchorage kept troops, fuel and guns arriving while the German army contested the coastal roads. The surviving archival caption dates the scene to approximately 9 September.

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