The 9th Medium Regiment was a Royal Artillery unit, formed in the British Army during World War II. First raised in 1940 as infantry of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), it was converted to the medium artillery role in 1942 and fought in the campaign in North West Europe. It was disbanded after the war.

8th Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)

In July 1940, as part of the rapid expansion of the British Army after the Dunkirk evacuation, a new 8th Battalion of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) was formed at Bodmin in Cornwall from a cadre provided by the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. (A previous 8th (Service) Bn of the Buffs had been formed during World War I as part of 'Kitchener's Army'.)Frederick, p. 205.

After initial training, the battalion joined a home defence formation, 209th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), when it was formed by No 9 Infantry Training Group in South West Area on 13 October 1940. The brigade joined Devon and Cornwall County Division when that became operational on 28 February 1941.Joslen, pp. 108, 372. As the name implies, the division served in coast defence in South West England.Collier, Map 20. On 27 September 1942 the battalion transferred to 219th Independent Infantry Brigade attached to 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, but at the end of November that brigade was broken up, and its infantry battalions converted to medium regiments of the Royal Artillery.Joslen, p. 382.

9th Medium Regiment, RA

On 1 December 1942 8th Buffs officially became 9th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery with Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) and 81 and 82 Medium Batteries, each battery consisting of eight guns divided into two troops. At the time the RA's medium regiments were re-equipping with new 5.5-inch guns.Ellis, Normandy, Appendix IV.Farndale, Annex M.Farndale, p. 4.Frederick, pp. 722, 730.9th Medium Rgt at RA 1939–45. The cadre of experienced gunners for the regiment was supplied by 53rd (London) Medium Rgt.53rd (London).

The new regiment was initially stationed at Boston, Lincolnshire, then from April 1943 at Grantham. It was assigned to 9th Army Group Royal Artillery (9th AGRA) after that was formed on 1 May. (An AGRA was a brigade-sized group of medium and heavy artillery operating at Corps level.) 9th Medium Rgt attended a practice camp at Redesdale Training Area with 9th AGRA in late May and early June. The AGRA then concentrated in the Northampton area for training, culminating in a series of night marches to Sennybridge Training Area for Exercise Scamper in October. Up to this time, 9th AGRA with its inexperienced regiments had been affiliated to II Corps in Home Forces, but in October 1943 it was assigned to 21st Army Group, which was preparing for the Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord), and moved to Felixstowe. 9th AGRA moved around England as training intensified, with 9th Medium Rgt at Hove in November 1943, then at Bingley in West Yorkshire in April 1944. By 5 June 1944 the regiment was at New Milton in Hampshire, awaiting transport to Normandy.9th AGRA at RA 1939–45.9th AGRA.

Normandy

On 6 July, 9th AGRA was ordered to move next day to London Docks for embarkation. 9th Medium Rgt sailed from South West India Dock under the command of Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel R.S. Wade and landed at Arromanches on 12–15 July. On 17 July 9th and 11th Medium Rgts were sent to Putot-en-Bessin to come under XII Corps, where they fired 9th AGRA's first rounds in support of 43rd (Wessex) and 53rd (Welsh) Divisions' continuing attacks against Évrecy, Maltot and Hill 112 following Operation Jupiter. The regiments were soon firing almost 24 hours a day.

On 28 July 9th AGRA was ordered to move across to the eastern flank of the Normandy beachhead and come under the command of II Canadian Corps. It supported the Canadian attacks south of Caen with fire tasks on enemy strongpoints, counter-battery (CB) and counter-mortar (CM) fire, harassing fire (HF) and defensive fire (DF) tasks. On 8 August the Canadians launched the second phase of Operation Totalize to break out from the beachhead. During the afternoon 9th AGRA HQ was bombed in error by aircraft of the US Eighth Air Force, and control of the group was temporarily transferred to RHQ of 9th Medium Rgt. By 11 August the regiment was at Cintheaux, firing on Quesney Wood, which was holding up II Canadian Corps, but on 14 August the corps launched a new assault (Operation Tractable) and by 16 August the leading troops reached the outskirts of Falaise. 9th Medium Rgt moved up to positions near Sassy on 18 August, firing at targets trapped in the Falaise pocket. By 22 August the whole AGRA was advancing along the corps axis past Vimoutiers as the German defences collapsed. Three days later the guns were pulled out and harboured at Saint-Julien-le-Faucon as the pursuit to the River Seine continued.Buckley, pp. 169–77.Ellis, Normandy, pp. 420–5, 431–2, 441–2, 446–8.Stacey, pp. 222–5, 230–1, 238–43, 248–51.

Channel ports

9th AGRA now came under First Canadian Army and moved up to the coast for the attack on Le Havre (Operation Astonia) by I British Corps. 9th AGRA was responsible for CB tasks, beginning at 17.15 on 10 September, and by the time the garrison surrendered on 12 September 75 per cent of its guns had been silenced. The AGRA then moved to Boulogne for Operation Wellhit by II Canadian Corps, which took from 17 to 22 September. On 29 September the AGRA supported a smaller operation by 9th Canadian Bde against the Cap Gris-Nez batteries as part of operations against Calais (Operation Undergo), with 9th Medium Rgt at Audembert. Calais surrendered on 30 September.Buckley, pp 193–4.Ellis, Germany, pp. 13–6.Stacey, pp. 331–6, 338–43, 352–4.

Scheldt In early October, 9th AGRA moved across Belgium to join the Battle of the Scheldt. On 7 October its guns fired in support of 7th Canadian Bde establishing a bridgehead over the Leopold Canal (Operation Switchback), then on 9 October helped 9th Canadian Bde over the Savojaards Plaat. As the operations proceeded 9th Medium Rgt moved forward to bring more enemy territory within range. On 23 October the group moved to Lamswaarde from where it was possible to fire over the River Scheldt. But to open the vital Port of Antwerp for Allied shipping it was necessary to secure the islands of South Beveland and Walcheren. While the rest of 9th AGRA prepared to support an amphibious assault by 52nd (Lowland) Division, 9th Medium Rgt continued to assist the Canadians, but the day before the attack it was relieved and joined the support for the landing. 156th Brigade's attack on 26 October met with initial success but at 20.45 9th Medium Rgt's forward observation officer (FOO) reported that a counter-attack had brought the Germans so close to his position that he could no longer use the radio because they could hear him. By 00.30 on 27 October, however, the position was much better. On 28 September 9th AGRA's CB officer with 156th Bde brought down the group's firepower on enemy Flak 88 guns that were troubling the brigade HQ. By 29 October, when 156th Bde and 2nd Canadian Division linked up, 9th Medium Rgt was out of range. 9th AGRA then moved up to IJzendijke to support 155th Bde of 52nd (L) Division in its landing at Flushing (Operation Infatuate) on 1 November. For the next six days the medium guns fired concentrations on call, together with CB and HF tasks throughout the day. The medium guns found the enemy guns in concrete casemates too hard to destroy, while accuracy suffered from the guns being at different heights in the sand dunes. After some medium shells were reported falling short, the commanding officer of 9th Medium Rgt ordered 200 yards to be added to all predicted (ie unobserved) targets. By 6 November the leading troops had entered Middelburg and 9th Medium Rgt was once more out of range.Ellis, Germany, pp. 111–23.Stacey, pp. 393–408, 416–22.

Low countries On 7 November the whole of 9th AGRA moved just over to Budel to join XII Corps. After reconnaissance, the guns were deployed around Weert ready for Operation Mallard to begin at 16.00 on 14 November. This was carried out by XII Corps to clear the enemy from the west bank of the River Maas and by 17 November there was only a small pocket left at Roermond. On the morning of 20 November all the guns of 9th AGRA fired their first rounds across the river onto German soil. On 30 November 9th AGRA went to Bilzen to join XXX Corps and then on 8 December moved to Munstergeleen, where the spread of the gun positions was such that 9th Medium Rgt was placed temporarily under the tactical command of 5th AGRA. XXX Corps was preparing for Operation Shears to breach the Siegfried Line, but this was cancelled when the Germans counter-attacked in the Ardennes (the Battle of the Bulge); instead the medium and heavy guns carried out a CB programme against all known enemy gun positions along the corps front. 9th AGRA remained in defensive mode under XII Corps during December while XXX Corps was diverted south to help block the German advance. At this time 9th Medium Rgt was deployed just inside the German frontier at Grotenrath near Geilenkirchen. The guns fired at targets of opportunity, such as small German counter-attacks that probed the front.Buckley, pp. 239–40, 259–61.Ellis, Germany, pp. 160, 179, 184.Essame, pp. 184–92.Horrocks, pp. 236–41.

In the new year XII Corps carried out Operation Blackcock to clear the Roer Triangle between Roermond and Geilenkirchen. 9th Medium Rgt was redeployed to Schinveld for this operation. The start was postponed by bad weather, but it went ahead on 16 January 1945 with sequential attacks by 7th Armoured, 43rd (Wessex) and 52nd (Lowland) Divisions; 9th AGRA fired in support of all three divisions, firing concentrations on enemy defences and gun areas. Progress was slow because of strong resistance and the appalling weather (though some air observation post (AOP) flights were possible), but the triangle was virtually clear by 26 January, and by the end of the month there were no German troops west of the River Roer.Buckley, pp. 265–8.Ellis, Germany, pp. 241–7.Essame, pp. 195–201.Lindsay & Johnstone, pp. 108–23.

Rhineland