18th Golden Melody Awards
The 18th Golden Melody Awards (Chinese: 第18屆金曲獎) ceremony for popular music category was held on June 16, 2007. The Azio TV broadcast the show live from the Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, which runs from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006.


18th Golden Raspberry Awards
The 18th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 22, 1998, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to recognize the worst the movie industry had to offer in 1997. This year, the film with the most nominations was Batman & Robin with 11, followed by Speed 2: Cruise Control with eight nominations, Anaconda with six nominations, The Postman with five nominations and Fire Down Below with four nominations. The film winning the most awards was The Postman, with all five categories for which it was nominated.


18th Golden Raspberry Awards
Brian Helgeland, co-screenwriter of the Razzie-winning The Postman, also received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for L.A. Confidential in 1998. Helgeland became the second person, after composer Alan Menken in 1993, to receive a Razzie and Oscar in the same year, a feat not repeated until actress Sandra Bullock in 2010.


18th Golden Raspberry Awards, Awards and nominations
Kevin Costner, Worst Picture, Worst Director and Worst Actor winner.


18th Golden Raspberry Awards, Awards and nominations
Dennis Rodman, Worst Supporting Actor and Worst New Star winner, Worst Screen Couple co-winner.


18th Goya Awards
The 18th Goya Awards took place at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos in Madrid, Spain on 31 January 2004.


18th Goya Awards
Take My Eyes (Te doy mis ojos) won 7 awards, including those for Best Film, Director, Actor (Tosar), Actress (Marull) and Supporting Actress (Peña).


18th Grey Cup
The 18th Grey Cup was played on December 6, 1930, before 3,914 fans at the Varsity Stadium at Toronto.


18th Grey Cup
The Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers defeated the Regina Roughriders 11 to 6. Regina scored the first touchdown for a western club in a Grey Cup game.


18th Guam Legislature
The 18th Guam Legislature was a meeting of the Guam Legislature. It convened in Hagatna, Guam on January 7, 1985 and ended on January 5, 1987, during the 3rd and 4th years of Ricardo J. Bordallo's 2nd Gubernatorial Term.


18th Guam Legislature
In the 1984 Guamanian general election, the Democratic Party of Guam won an eleven-to-ten (11-10) majority of seats in the Guam Legislature.


18th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment
The 18th Guards Assault Aviation Vitebsk twice Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov and the French Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor Regiment "Normandie-Niemen" (18-й гвардейский штурмовой авиационный полк; 18th Guards ShAP) was a military unit of the Soviet Air Forces. It is now part of the Russian Air Force.


18th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment
It was originally organised from the 6th Fighter Aviation Regiment between 28 February and 15 May 1942 as  in the Siberian Military District. It was given the status of a Guards unit in accordance with a Prikaz of the NKO, No. 70 оf 07.03.1942. It fought in the Great Patriotic War, winning fame in France as it incorporated the Normandie-Niemen Free French flyers, and in the Korean War, later entering the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. From March 1952 it was based at Galenki, Primorskiy Krai [44 05 49N, 131 48 12E] in the Russian Far East.


18th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment
Its most recent form dates from March 1993 when it was reorganised as a штурмовой (roughly, "Assault") a ground attack unit, Military Unit Number 21806, being previously equipped with the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27 "Flogger." During the 1990s and 2000s it was part of the 11th Air and Air Defence Forces Army.


18th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment
It was amalgamated with the 187th Assault Aviation Regiment into the 6983rd Guards Aviation Base in December 2009, but then reformed at Chernigovka, Primorsky Krai, still in the Far East, in 2013. In 2019 it was reported as including two squadrons of Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot."


18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
The 18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Military Unit Number 27777) was a formation of the Russian Ground Forces. The brigade was formed in late 2008 from the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division and stationed in two bases near Grozny. The brigade was involved in the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and was combined with two other brigades to reform the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division in late 2016.


18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, History
The brigade was formed in late 2008 from the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division as part of the Russian military reform and was relocated to Khankala, near Grozny in Chechnya. In 2013, several units of the brigade were relocated to Kalinovskaya. It inherited the honorifics "Yevpatoria Red Banner" from the division. The brigade was part of the 58th Army in the Southern Military District and included the 1st Mechanized Battalion "Vostok". Sergey Kuzovlev previously commanded the brigade.


18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, History
A battalion tactical group of the brigade was part of the troops in Crimea for the Russian military intervention in Ukraine during April 2014. The brigade's reconnaissance battalion contributed a reconnaissance team to the Russian military intervention in the War in Donbas from 14 July 2014. The brigade contributed a battalion tactical group from 11 August 2014. In February 2015 it was located in the Northern Operational Area. Between 1 and 2 February, a combined formation of the brigade and other Russian units were involved in combat near Debaltseve. After 13 February, the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade's tactical group was reformed into a combined unit with the brigade. In late 2016, the brigade was merged with the 8th Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade and 17th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade to reform the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division.


18th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division was formed originally as 133rd Rifle Division at Novosibirsk or Biysk in 1939. The division was part of 1st Shock Army on 1 December 1941 during the Battle of Moscow. It was redesignated as the 18th Guards Rifle Division in March 1942 with the 51, 53, 58 Guards Rifle Regiments and 52 Guards Artillery Regiment. The division fought in the East Prussian Offensive. The unit became 30th Guards Mechanised Division in 1945 as part of the 11th Guards Army. In 1965 it was renumbered as 18th Guards MRD. It seems to have been stationed in the Kaliningrad enclave with 11th Guards Army before entering Czechoslovakia in 1968, joining the Central Group of Forces.


18th Guards Motor Rifle Division
In 1991 the division was withdrawn back to Gusev in the Kaliningrad Oblast. The division was reorganised as a cadre strength formation, as part of the third-line reserves of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2002, it became the 79th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Russian: 79-я отдельная гвардейская мотострелковая бригада). The division itself was reformed in Kaliningrad in December 2020 as part of the 11th Army Corps.


18th Guldbagge Awards
The 18th Guldbagge Awards ceremony, presented by the Swedish Film Institute, honored the best Swedish films of 1981 and 1982, and took place on 10 October 1982. The Simple-Minded Murderer directed by Hans Alfredson was presented with the award for Best Film.


18th Helpmann Awards
The 18th Annual Helpmann Awards for live performance in Australia was held across two nights; the Curtain Raiser Ceremony on 15 July 2018 at the Sydney Town Hall and the Awards Ceremony on 16 July 2018 at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney. Nominations were announced on 18 June 2018.


18th Helpmann Awards
Major recipients included dance work Bennelong (six awards including Best New Australian Work and Best Dance Production), musicals Beautiful (five awards including Best Musical) and Muriel's Wedding (five awards including Best Original Score), opera Hamlet (four awards including Best Opera), and play The Children (three awards including Best Play).


18th Hollywood Film Awards
The 18th Hollywood Film Awards were held on November 14, 2014, and aired on CBS. The ceremony took place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.


18th Hong Kong Film Awards
The 18th Hong Kong Awards ceremony, honored the best films of 1998 and took place on 25 April 1999 at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The ceremony was hosted by Carol Cheng, Cheung Tat Ming, Vincent Kok, Chin Ka Lok and Jerry Lamb, during the ceremony awards are presented in 17 categories.


18th Hong Kong Film Awards, Awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().


18th IIFA Awards
The 2017 IIFA Awards, officially known as the 18th International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the International Indian Film Academy honouring the best Hindi films of 2016, occurred in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 14–15 July 2017. It is first time that the awards held there and also IIFA returned to United States after 2014 .


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment
The 18th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Service
Organized at Aurora, Ill., and mustered into State service May 19, and into U. S. service May 28, 1861. Moved to Bird's Point, Mo., June 24, and duty there till August 26. Moved to Mound City August 26, and duty there till October 5. Moved to Cairo, Ill., October 5, and duty there till February, 1862. Attached to District of Cairo, to October, 1861. 1st Brigade, District of Cairo, to February, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Cairo, February, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, District of West Tenn., March, 1862.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Service
1st Brigade, 1st Division, 1st District, West Tenn., and Army of the Tennessee, to July, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Jackson, Tenn., to September, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, District of Jackson, to November, 1862. District of Jackson, 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, to December, 1862. 1st Brigade, District of Jackson, 16th Army Corps, to March, 1868. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 16th Army Corps, to May, 1863. 2nd Brigade, Kimball's Provisional Division, 16th Army Corps, to July, 1863. 2nd Brigade, Kimball's Provisional Division, District of Eastern Ark., to August, 1863.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Service
1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Arkansas Expedition, to November, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Arkansas Expedition, to January, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 7th Army Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to April, 1864. Post Pine Bluff, Ark., 7th Army Corps, to May, 1864. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 7th Army Corps, to January, 1865. Pontoneers, 7th Army Corps, to May, 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 7th Army Corps, to August, 1865. Dept . of Arkansas, to December, 1865.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
This regiment originally rendezvoused at Anna, Union County, May 16, 1861, for the 9th Congressional District, under the "Ten Regiment Bill." On May 19 it was mustered into the state service for 30 days, by Ulysses S. Grant, then state mustering officer, and was on the 28th of the same month mustered into the U. S. service for three years.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
On June 24 it was moved to Bird's Point, Mo., where it remained, drilling, doing guard duty, working on fortifications, removing railroad buildings and track to keep the same from falling into the river, making new roads, etc., until Aug. 5, when it was moved into the swamp 8 miles west on the line of the Chicago & Fulton Railroad to guard it and protect workmen making repairs. On Nov. 3 it formed part of a force which was sent to Bloomfield, Mo., to rout Jeff. Thompson and his  band, which was accomplished.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
On Feb. 6, 1862, it was in the advance in Gen. Oglesby's brigade at the capture of Fort Henry and was one of  the first to enter the fort, but too late to meet the Confederates, who had flown. At Fort Donelson it occupied the right of Oglesby's brigade, on the right of the line of battle, and during the second day's fight lost 200 men in killed and wounded. 50 dying upon the field and 10 soon afterward.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
The regiment during the battle bravely and persistently maintained the position to which it was assigned in the early morning, and not until its ammunition was spent was the order to retire given. Its place that eventful morning was one commanding the road from the fort by which  the Confederates essayed to escape, which daring attempt, however, was most signally frustrated by Oglesby's dauntless brigade. The regiment became early engaged in the battle of Shiloh, where the fight was fast became early engaged in the battle of Shiloh, where the fight was fast and furious.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
At the commencement of the battle the regiment had for duty 435 officers and men. The loss on the 6th was 10 killed, 63 wounded and 2 missing, but none were injured on the second day. The 3 color bearers who carried the flag in the first day's conflict were all killed while supporting the banner. The regiment was with the Army of the Tennessee during the advance upon Corinth, serving in a brigade commanded by Col. Lawler, in McClernand's division.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
On Nov. 28, 1862, one-half the period for which the regiment was mustered into service having expired, a statement was made showing that the original strength of officers and men, with the addition of new recruits, aggregated 1,166, and the regiment had lost through all causes 456, leaving a total aggregate on the rolls of 710.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
On Dec. 20 the regiment, with other forces, was marched out towards Lexington and Trenton to intercept the Confederates in a raid then being made against Union troops guarding the railroads, etc., and on Dec. 31 Cos. E and H were engaged in a fight with the Confederates under Forrest near Lexington, driving the enemy with considerable loss.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
On April 1, 1863, the regiment (250 mounted men) was moved toward Bolivar, Whiteville and beyond on the hunt of guerrillas and other Confederates said to be infesting the neighborhood, and a brush was had with a party posted in the road, the enemy being driven towards Danceyville, the regiment capturing some prisoners and horses. On April 11 it was ordered to Summerville, Tenn., where it investigated the place and surrounding country, routing guerrillas and securing a few prisoners.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
On June 4 the aggregate of the regiment, rank and file, was 369 on hand for duty, not including the teamsters, men in hospital and those absent on other service, but on July 27 the aggregate strength of those present and absent was 553, many of them being sick in hospital.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Detailed History
On Aug. 31 the regiment was mustered and found to be so much reduced by sickness that less than 200 remained for duty, but on Sept. 11 those who were able advanced with the forces toward Little Rock, Ark., driving the enemy on both sides of the river and taking possession of the intrenchments and the city the same day. Soon after May 28, 1864, when the term of service of those originally mustered in expired, they were mustered out and the veterans and recruits were retained in the service until Dec. 16, 1865.


18th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Total strength and casualties
The regiment suffered 6 officers and 99 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 7 officers and 282 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 394 fatalities.


18th Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery
The 18th Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery, also known as Lilly's Hoosier Battery and Lilly's Battery, was a civil war regiment formed in Indiana during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed at the end of 1860 by 22-year-old Eli Lilly, an Indianapolis pharmacist. He had recruitment posters placed around the city and recruited primarily among his friends and classmates. The unit contained six ten-pound Parrott rifled guns, and was manned by 150 men. The unit mustered in Indianapolis where it was drilled during 1861. Lilly was elected captain of the unit in August 1862 when the unit was deployed to join the Lightning Brigade commanded by Col. John T. Wilder.


18th Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery
The unit first saw action in the Battle of Hoover's Gap, and was later in the Second Battle of Chattanooga and the Battle of Chickamauga. The unit was enlisted for three years, and most members left the unit in the end of 1863. Several members, including Lilly reenlisted when their term expired, but were assigned to new units.


18th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
The Imperial Japanese Army 18th Independent Mixed Brigade was an Independent Mixed Brigade formed November 7, 1939, in occupied China. It was assigned to the 11th Army. The unit was engaged in the Central Hupei Operation during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The brigade was re-organized as the 58th Division on 2 February 1942.


18th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army), Organization
The 18th Independent Mixed Brigade consisted of the following units.


18th Independent Spirit Awards
The 18th Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best in independent filmmaking for 2002, were announced on March 22, 2003. It was hosted by John Waters.


18th Independent Spirit Awards, Nominees and winners, Producers Award
Effie Brown – Real Women Have Curves and Stranger Inside


18th Indian Division
The 18th Indian Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service in the First World War. It took part in the Mesopotamian campaign and formed part of the occupation force for Iraq post-war. The division was not reformed for the Second World War.


18th Indian Division, History
The 18th Indian Division was formed in Mesopotamia on 24 December 1917, although the last of its brigades (55th) was not formed until January 1918. Many of the division's units transferred directly from India so time was needed for them to become acclimatized. It remained in Mesopotamia for the rest of the First World War, taking part in the action at Fat-ha Gorge on the Little Zab (23–26 October 1918) and the Battle of Sharqat (28–30 October 1918) under the command of I Corps.


18th Indian Division, History
At the end of the war, the 18th Division was chosen to form part of the occupation force for Iraq. It took part in the Iraq Rebellion in 1920 and was broken up in the following year.


18th Indian Division, Order of battle
The division commanded the following units, although not all of them served at the same time:


18th Indian Division, Commanders
The division was commanded from 7 January 1918 by Major-General H.D. Fanshawe and from 12 March 1919 by Major-General Theodore Fraser.


18th Indian Infantry Brigade
The 18th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in October, 1940 at Meerut in India and assigned to the 8th Indian Infantry Division. It was then detached for independent duties in Abadan in Persia. In June 1942 the 18th Brigade, having been rushed over to North Africa from Mosul, and was attached to the 10th Indian Infantry Division, had only two days to prepare defensive positions, was overrun by Erwin Rommel's tanks at Deir el Shein in front of the Ruweisat Ridge.


18th Indian Infantry Brigade
In the process, however, they gained valuable time for the rest of the British Eighth Army to organise the defences for what was to be known as the First Battle of El Alamein, halting Rommel's advance towards Egypt. The remnants of the Brigade were then sent to the 5th Indian Infantry Division and the 18th Brigade was officially disbanded in August 1942.


18th Indiana Infantry Regiment
The 18th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


18th Indiana Infantry Regiment, Total strength and casualties
The regiment lost 5 officers and 68 enlisted men killed in action or died of wounds and 1 officers and 130 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 204 fatalities.


18th Infantry (British Indian Army)
The 18th Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1795, when they were called the Calcutta Native Militia. Over the years they were known by a number of different name The Alipore Regiment in 1859, the 18th Bengal Native Infantry in 1861, the 18th (Alipore) Bengal Native Infantry in 1864, the 18th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in 1885, the 18th Musulman Rajput Infantry in 1902. Finally following the Kitchener reforms of the Indian Army the 18th Infantry.


18th Infantry (British Indian Army)
They took part in the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885 and World War I. During World War I they were part of the Derajat Brigade and took part in operations on the North West Frontier. After World War I the Indian government reformed the army again moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The 18th Infantry now became the 4th Battalion 9th Jat Regiment. In the reorganisation of 1922, this unit became the Regimental Centre located at Bareilly.


18th Infantry (British Indian Army)
The other active battalions of the Jat Regiment formed were from the erstwhile Bengal (Ist and 3rd battalions) and Bombay (2nd (Mooltan) battalion) armies. The Jat Regimental Centre, to-day, has an unbroken history since raised as the Calcutta Native Militia, to protect East India Company's assets, in 1795. After independence this  was one of the regiments allocated to the new Indian Army.


18th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 18th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service during the First and the Second World Wars.


18th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom), History, First World War
The 18th Brigade was formed from a mixture of regular and New Army battalions, and was part of the 6th Division. It saw action on the Western Front.


18th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom), History, Second World War
The brigade was originally designated as Cairo Area and 18th Infantry Brigade but ceased to exist when in May 1940 it was absorbed by HQ Cairo Sub-Area. On 20 July 1943 the 18th Brigade was reformed again from the redesignation of the 7th Motor Brigade as the 18th Lorried Infantry Brigade. It was part of the 1st Armoured Division and fought in the Italian Campaign with many other different formations, such as the 1st Infantry Division, who they served with in the Battle of Anzio. It was disbanded in Italy on 1 January 1945 due to an acute manpower shortage throughout the British Army at the time with all available replacements being sent to the 21st Army Group in the North West Europe Campaign.


18th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom), History, Second World War, Order of battle
From 20 July 1943 the 18th Lorried Infantry Brigade was constituted as follows:


18th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom), Bibliography
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18th Infantry Division "Messina"
The 18th Infantry Division "Messina" (Italian: 18ª Divisione fanteria "Messina") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Messina was formed on 24 May 1939 in Fano and named for the city of Messina. After the Armistice of Cassibile the division was dissolved by the German forces on 13 September 1943 in Croatia.


18th Infantry Division "Messina", Action, From formation to occupation of Montenegro
The division Messina did not participated in the Italian invasion to France, quartering in Ancona coast besides the Fabriano and Fossombrone valleys nearby until the end of 1940. 3 April 1941, it was ordered to Albania, on the positions north of Shkodër. It was expected to occupy Ulcinj Castle to shell the Yugoslavian positions. 12–13 April 1941, it resisted Yugoslavian attacks at Mount Korab. The Messina Division took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia as part of the Italian XVII (Armoured) Corps. The first crossing of Yugoslavian border occurred 15 April 1941, between Bar, Montenegro and Lake Skadar.


18th Infantry Division "Messina", Action, From formation to occupation of Montenegro
16 April 1941, after piercing through the Yugoslavian defences, it advanced to Bar. 17 April 1941, it surprised and captured both Cetinje and Kotor and much of the Royal Yugoslav Navy. The Messina division has reached Podgorica city 25 April 1941 and received the orders to stay as occupation force. Its area of responsibility was stretched over 100 km around Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Podgorica, Berane and Kotor.


18th Infantry Division "Messina", Action, Anti partisan operations
Fighting with the Partisans started almost immediately. During 1941, an intermittent fighting was erupting in Virpazar, Rijeka, Cekanje pass near Cetinje, Šavnik and Kotor.


18th Infantry Division "Messina", Action, Anti partisan operations, Operation Alba
The Messina division was transferred to the Croatian city of Metković in early August, 1942. It took part in Operation Alba which was an anti Partisan operation in Croatia carried out from 12 August to 2 September 1942, to destroy partisan groups in the Biokovo area 40 to 50 kilometres east of Split. Italian forces burned down 10 villages and killed and arrested several hundred people. Orders to move to the Neretva Delta were issued 8 September 1942.


18th Infantry Division "Messina", Action, Anti partisan operations, Operation Alfa
The Messina also took part in Operation Alfa between 5 and 10 October 1942. The objective was to retake the town of Prozor which had been overrun by a strong Partisan force. The operation was under the command of the Italian VI Corps, which achieved all its objectives in 6 days.


18th Infantry Division "Messina", Action, The Armistice
After the Italian Armistice of 8 September 1943, the Messina division received orders to disarm by German, Yugoslavian, and Croatian forces. In the resulting confusion, elements of the division (93rd Messina Infantry Regiment and 108th CCNN Legion (Blackshirts)) were able to board ships and arrived on the Apulia coast of Italia. Nonetheless, the division was officially dissolved 13 September 1943.


18th Infantry Division "Messina", C.R.O.W.C.A.S.S.
The names of 8 men attached to the Messina Division can be found in the CROWCASS List established by the Anglo-American Allies of the individuals wanted by Yugoslavia for war crimes:


18th Infantry Division (Belgium)
The 18th Infantry Division (18de Infanterie Divisie) was an infantry division of the Belgian Army that fought in the Battle of Belgium against the Wehrmacht during the Second World War.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
Like the 15th Division, part of the same IV Corps, the 18th was composed entirely of regiments of the older reserve. As such, it mostly lacked heavy weaponry such as AA guns and anti-tank artillery. Its infantry units were equipped with antiquated weapons of World War One vintage. Therefore the 18th was, at the start of the campaign, deployed alongside the canal of Schoten-Dessel as a covering force for the Albert Canal line.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
Even in this role, the entire division was deemed to strong, so that one infantry regiment (the 3rd Grenadiers) was transferred to the coast and another was used as reserve for the IV Corps. Some mobile units from other formations were attached to make it fit for a more mobile role.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
At the start of hostilities, the 18th was supposed to blow the bridges of the Schoten-Dessel Canal to slow down the German advance. But when the war started on may 10th, General Six got word that the French 7th Army would pass through its sector to assist the Dutch. Still, the bridges east of Turnhout were destroyed, much to the dismay of the French, who would arrive by the evening at the canal.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
Due to the arrival of the French, the 18th Division was ordered to stay longer at the canal than planned. As the 7th Army deployed, General Six was to co-ordinate his efforts with those of the French. At the same time, the first German scouts crossed the Dutch border into Belgium.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
First contact was made by the 3rd Carabiniers near Arendonk on the 12th. Meanwhile, General Six found out the bridges over the Albert Canal were blown up, effectively cutting his prepared lines of retreat. By the 13th the 3rd Carabiniers and supporting French units were engaged in a pitched battle at the Schoten-Dessel Canal. By nightfall, the order for a general retreat to the Antwerp position was given. One battalion of the 3rd did not receive the orders in time and was largely captured.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
After breakthrough at Sedan, orders came for a second retreat towards Ghent. There, it was to take position between Oostakker and Destelbergen, effectively covering the eastern approaches to the city. By that time, there were signs discipline was starting to fray.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
At the 21st, the 39th was engaged for the first time against German scouts. But the following day, as the Germans reached the English Channel, orders came for yet another retreat towards the Lys River.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
Again the weaker 18th was to play a covering role, taking position in Ghent itself. While the 3rd Carabiniers and the 39th took op position, the Germans send several negotiators under the cover of a white flag to demand the surrender of the city. Some even succeeded in planting a swastika flag on the Belfort. Egged on by unwilling city-dwellers and local police officers, several units of these regiments surrendered en masse, defying the orders of their superior officers. Only one battalion of each regiment conducted a retreat to the Lys river.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
Still, due to the breakthrough of the Germans at the Lys near Kortrijk, the weakened 18th was ordered into action at the former sector of the 9th Division near Ursel. Parts of that Division were withdrawn in an attempt to contain that breakthrough. As the 18th took up position next to the 7th Chasseurs, it quickly came under sustained artillery fire suggesting the Germans would soon attack their sector in force, too.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
On the 26th of may, that attack came indeed. By noon, the Germans gained a foothold on the Belgian side of the Lys canal and pressed on towards Maldegem. An attempt at counterattack by the remaining 39th was easily stopped in its tracks by the quick German advance. By the end of the day what was left of the Division pulled back to Maldegem where a last ditch defence of the town followed.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), World War Two
By the Belgian surrender on the 28th of May, at least 108 officers, NCO and enlisted were killed in action.


18th Infantry Division (Belgium), Structure 1940
Structure of the division at the eve of the Battle of Belgium:


18th Infantry Division (France)
The 18th Infantry Division (French: 18e Division d'Infanterie, 18e DI) was a French Army formation during World War I and World War II.


18th Infantry Division (France), World War 1
It commanded the 32nd, 66th and 77th Infantry Regiments for the entirety of the war, as well as the 135th Infantry regiment (until early 1917) and the 71st Territorial Infantry Regiment (from late 1918).


18th Infantry Division (France), World War 1
It was part of the French 9th Corps, during which it participated in the First Battle of the Marne, the First Battle of the Aisne, the First Battle of Ypres, the Second Battle of Artois and Third Battle of Artois, the Battle of Verdun, the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of the Lys, the Battle of Matz, the Fourth Battle of Champagne, the Second Battle of the Marne and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.


18th Infantry Division (France), World War 1
At various times, it was part of the French First Army, French Second Army, French Third Army, French Fourth Army, French Fifth Army, French Sixth Army, French Eighth Army, French Ninth Army and French Tenth Army.


18th Infantry Division (France), Battle Of France
During the Battle of France in May 1940 the division was made up of the following units:


18th Infantry Division (France), Battle Of France
It was a Series A reserve division which contained younger reservists.


18th Infantry Division (Greece)
The 18th Infantry Division (Greek: XVII Μεραρχία Πεζικού, XVIII ΜΠ; XVIII Merarchia Pezikou, XVIII MP) was an infantry division of the Hellenic Army that fought in the Battle of the Metaxas Line.


18th Infantry Division (Greece)
The division was formed in December 1940, under Major General Leonidas Stergiopoulos. It was subordinated to the Eastern Macedonia Army Section (TSAM) and faced the German attack on 6 April 1941 in the area of Mount Beles. The division was unable to halt the German attack, which outflanked TSAM and led to its surrender on 9 April.


18th Infantry Division (Poland)
The 18th Infantry Division (18. Dywizja Piechoty) was a division of the Polish Armed Forces. The division was originally part of  Polish Army during the interbellum period, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. Stationed in Łomża and commanded in 1939 by Colonel Stefan Kossecki, it was part of the Narew Independent Operational Group.


18th Infantry Division (Poland)
The division was re-established in its modern form in September 2018 and renamed to the 18th Mechanized Division as part of an expansion of the Polish Army, partially as a result of heightened security threats to Poland. The division will have achieved initial operating capacity by the end of 2019, with further strengthening of the formation to be completed by the mid-2020s.


18th Infantry Division (Poland), History
It was formed in 1919 from the units of the Blue Army.


18th Infantry Division (Poland), History, Interwar
Between 1919 and 1939, Łomża and neighboring towns were located very close to the border of Poland and German province of East Prussia. Defense of this area was regarded as crucial in any future conflict, so 18th Division was regarded as an elite unit. More than 50% of its soldiers were local conscripts from northern Mazovia and Podlasie, whose patriotism was highly appreciated.


18th Infantry Division (Poland), History, Invasion of Poland
The Division assembled on August 30, 1939, and the next day it occupied defense positions along the Narew river. Until September 3, it had a limited contact with the Wehrmacht. It was then ordered to take positions previously held by the Polish 41st Infantry Division. On September 7, it left Ostrołęka and was ordered to halt the advance of German 21st Infantry Division near Nowogrod. The efforts of Polish soldiers were mixed, but on the night of Sept 9-10, it attacked a German armored column, destroying several vehicles and tanks.


18th Infantry Division (Poland), History, Invasion of Poland
During the next days the Division was engaged in heavy fights with units of General Heinz Guderian's XIX Army Corps. After several bloody skirmishes, the Germans severely wounded Colonel Kossecki. Twenty volunteers, who wanted to take his body from the battleground, were killed by a German machine gun. Kossecki himself survived, but was captured by the Soviets and probably killed by them in the Katyn massacre. The division effectively ceased to exist.


18th Infantry Division (Poland), History, Invasion of Poland
In the night of September 13–14 the Germans massacred 200 Polish POWs, gathered in the courtyard in the barracks in Zambrów (the Zambrów massacre).


18th Infantry Division (Poland), 21st century
The reactivation of the Division was announced by the Polish Ministry of Defence in September 2018 as part of the effort to expand and modernize the Polish Army amidst heightened tension with Russia. Initially, the division will be two brigades strong, with the already formed 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade and the 21st Podhale Rifles (Mountain) Brigade making up its strength. The division will be further strengthened by the creation of a new brigade, the 19th Mechanized Brigade, which is in the process of being formed as of 2019.


18th Infantry Division (Poland), 21st century, Structure of the 18th Mechanized Division
The 18th Mechanised Division (nicknamed The Iron Division) is headquartered in Siedlce and is organised as follows:


18th Infantry Division (Russian Empire)
The 18th Infantry Division (Russian: 18-я пехотная дивизия, 18-ya Pekhotnaya Diviziya) was an infantry formation of the Russian Imperial Army during World War I and the Russian Civil War.


18th Infantry Division (Russian Empire)
It was formed in 1806 as the 10th Infantry Division. It was renumbered in several subsequent reorganizations, becoming the 15th in 1820, the 12th in 1833, and the 18th in 1835.


18th Infantry Division (Russian Empire)
By 1914 it was part of the 14th Army Corps at Lublin.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The 18th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army which fought briefly in the Malayan Campaign of the Second World War. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Germany as a European power and its occupation of Czechoslovakia, the British Army increased the number of divisions in the Territorial Army (TA) by duplicating existing units. The 18th Infantry Division was formed in September 1939 as a second-line duplicate of the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division, with men from Essex and the East Anglian counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
The division was based in Britain from 1939 to 1941, undergoing training and being moved around the country. This included an anti-invasion role in East Anglia, training in Scotland, and redeployment to the North West where the division also helped unload merchant ships during the Liverpool Blitz. Towards the end of 1941, the British government sought to reinforce the British Army in North Africa to demonstrate to the Dominions that the United Kingdom was doing its fair share of fighting in the Middle East and to prepare for Operation Crusader. The division left Britain during October bound for Egypt.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
By December, the convoy had reached South Africa and was preparing for the final stretch of its journey when news of the Japanese entry into the war was received. This resulted in most of the 18th Infantry Division being diverted to India to reinforce British forces facing the Japanese. The 53rd Brigade was sent to Singapore, from where it was deployed north to Johore and became embroiled in the Battle of Muar. After several short engagements with Japanese forces, the brigade was withdrawn to Singapore Island. Between 29 January and 5 February, the rest of the division arrived in Singapore having sailed from India. Shortly afterwards, the entire division participated in the Battle of Singapore.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
Initially deployed to northeastern Singapore Island, the division remained largely inactive while the Japanese attacked the north-west sector. Following the establishment of a Japanese beachhead, the division was broken up and deployed piecemeal in the battle. One battalion was assigned to a different formation and several units formed two battlegroups. After the initial engagements, the division was regrouped for a final stand in the city of Singapore and repulsed several Japanese attacks. The division, with the rest of the garrison, surrendered to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. It was not reconstituted. Over one-third of the division's personnel died in captivity, including divisional commander Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Background
During the 1930s, tensions increased between Germany and the United Kingdom and its allies. In late 1937 and throughout 1938, German demands for the annexation of Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia led to an international crisis. To avoid war, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in September and brokered the Munich Agreement. The agreement averted a war and allowed Germany to annexe the Sudetenland. Although Chamberlain had intended the agreement to lead to further peaceful resolution of issues, relations between both countries soon deteriorated. On 15 March 1939, Germany breached the terms of the agreement by invading and occupying the remaining Czech provinces of Bohemia and Moravia.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Background
On 29 March, British Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore-Belisha announced plans to increase the Territorial Army (TA), a reserve of the regular army made up of part-time volunteers, from 130,000 to 340,000 men and double the number of TA divisions. The plan was for existing units to recruit over their establishments, aided by an increase in pay for Territorials, the removal of restrictions on promotion which had hindered recruiting, the construction of better-quality barracks, and an increase in supper rations. The units would then form second-line divisions from cadres which could be increased.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Background
The 18th Infantry Division was a second-line unit, a duplicate of the first-line 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division. In April, limited conscription was introduced. This resulted in 34,500 twenty-year-old militiamen being conscripted into the regular army, initially to be trained for six months before deployment to the forming second-line units. Despite the intention for the army to grow, the programme was complicated by a lack of central guidance on the expansion and duplication processes and a lack of facilities, equipment and instructors.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
It was envisioned that the duplicating and recruiting processes would take no more than six months. Although some TA divisions had made little progress by the time the Second World War began, others completed this work within weeks. The 18th Infantry Division became active on 30 September 1939; prior to this its units had formed, and were administered by the parent 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division. The 18th Division was composed of the 53rd, 54th and 55th Infantry Brigades, and divisional support troops.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
The division was formed with men from the county of Essex and the East Anglian counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. According to the Imperial War Museums, its insignia (windmill sails) denotes "the association of the Division with East Anglia". The 53rd Brigade consisted of the 5th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment (5RNR), 6th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment (6RNR), and the 2nd Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment (2CR). The 54th Brigade controlled the 4th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment (4RNR), 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (4SR), and the 5th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (5SR). The 55th Brigade was made up of the 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (5BHR), 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment (1CR), and the 1/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (1/5SF). The division's first general officer commanding (GOC) was Major-General Thomas Dalby, who had been brought out of retirement.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
Major-General Bernard Paget assumed command on 30 November 1939, replacing the again-retiring Dalby. The division was initially assigned to Eastern Command, and was based in Norfolk by early 1940. The opening months of the war allowed little time to train, and the division guarded airfields and other key points. By summer, it was under the command of II Corps and was spread throughout Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. On 20 April, Paget left the division temporarily and was replaced by Brigadier Edward Backhouse (commander of 54th Brigade).


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
Paget was deployed to Norway, where he commanded Sickleforce (the 15th and 148th Infantry Brigades) after their landing at Åndalsnes during the Norwegian Campaign. When the campaign failed, Paget returned briefly to the division on 14 May 1940; thirteen days later, he became Chief of Staff, Home Forces and was temporarily replaced by Brigadier Geoffrey Franklyn.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
The TA's war deployment envisioned its piecemeal use, as equipment became available, to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) already dispatched to Europe. The TA divisions would the join regular army divisions as the divisions completed their training and received their equipment, with the final divisions deployed a year after the war began. The division did not leave Britain at that time, since the BEF was withdrawn from France during the May–June 1940 Dunkirk evacuation. The evacuation had resulted in the abandonment of much of the BEF's equipment, leaving troops in Britain sparsely equipped.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
Priority for new equipment was given to a handful of formations that would respond to any German landings, leaving the 18th Division with little of what was required. An infantry division should have been equipped with seventy-two 25-pounder field guns; on 31 May 1940, the 18th Division was equipped with four First World War-vintage 18-pounder field guns and eight 4.5-inch howitzers of similar age. The division had no anti-tank guns (compared with the usual 48), and only 47 of the required 307 Boys anti-tank rifles.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
During the summer of 1940, the 18th Infantry Division had several changes of command. Major-General Thomas Eastwood took command on 1 June before leaving to become chief of staff of the Second BEF under the command of Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke. Major-General Lionel Finch, previously Director of Recruiting and Organization and Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces, took command on 9 June before his replacement by Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith (who had commanded the 1st Guards Brigade during the Battle of France) on 14 July. He remained with the division for the remainder of its existence.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
Although the division was then assigned to an anti-invasion role in East Anglia, a number of training exercises were held in other parts of England as well as in Scotland, and Wales. In the autumn of 1940, it moved permanently to Scotland. Divisional headquarters was established at Melrose, with the troops spread across the Scottish Borders from Dumfries to Duns. Further divisional exercises were conducted, facing contingents of exiled Belgians, Czechs, Norwegians, and Poles. Unfounded rumours began to circulate that the division would soon be deployed overseas.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Formation and home defence
It was assigned to Western Command and moved to North West England and the West Midlands in April 1941, replacing the 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division. The division was spread out between Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, with divisional headquarters at Ribbesford House near Bewdley. During the Liverpool Blitz, several hundred men were deployed to the city for several weeks to help unload cargo ships. This deployment saw the division's first casualties of the war, due to German bombing. On 18 July, Brooke (now Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces) inspected elements of the division which were based in Crewe.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, Transfer to Middle East
Winston Churchill, who has succeeded Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, had grown concerned in 1940 about the expansion of British supply services in Egypt under Middle East Command compared to the number of fighting men, and pushed for the dispatch of additional fighting formations. This had been a source of friction with General Archibald Wavell and his replacement, General Claude Auchinleck, who wanted rear-area personnel and replacements for fighting formations rather than new divisions.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, Transfer to Middle East
Churchill was adamant that additional complete British fighting formations be dispatched, not replacements or logistical troops, "to give the Dominions no cause to feel that the bulk of the fighting was done by their troops". On 1 September 1941, Churchill contacted neutral U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and requested shipping for two infantry divisions from Britain to the Middle East. Roosevelt responded that shipping could be provided for only one division, sailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 18th Infantry Division left Liverpool aboard the heavily escorted convoy CT.5 on 28 October, bound for Nova Scotia.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, Transfer to Middle East
Three days later, an American-escorted convoy left Halifax with six cargo ships provided to the British as part of the Lend-Lease programme. The convoys met in mid-ocean on 2 November, and exchanged escort groups; the British ships and Lend-Lease cargo ships headed for the United Kingdom, and the (now American-escorted) convoy CT.5 continued to Nova Scotia. The division arrived in Halifax on 7 November, and transferred to the waiting American ships of convoy WS.12X over the next few days. The British ships returned home, and convoy WS.12X departed Halifax on 10 November for the Middle East.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, Diversion to Far East
During the night of 7/8 December 1941, one hour before its attack on Pearl Harbor, the Empire of Japan began the invasion of Malaya. Four hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Hong Kong began. Although the immediate British response was to order a number of units to be diverted to the Far East, none based in the Middle East were withdrawn for the moment. Since the convoy containing the 18th Infantry Division had only reached the Cape of Good Hope when Japan entered the war, it was diverted to the Far East on 9 December.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, Diversion to Far East
Instead of reinforcing Operation Crusader as planned, the division was sent to India. Lionel Wigmore, the Australian historian of the Malayan campaign, wrote that the diversion indicated that "... the security of Singapore and maintenance of Indian Ocean communications were second in importance only to the security of the United Kingdom ..."


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, Diversion to Far East
Most of the division arrived in Bombay on 27 December. The 53rd Infantry Brigade stopped for a week at Mombasa, Kenya and was diverted on 23 December to Malaya. The brigade, travelling on the USS Mount Vernon with the 135th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery and the 287th Field Company, Royal Engineers, arrived at Singapore on 13 January 1941 without its artillery or transport. Although the rest of the division was under War Office control, the 53rd Brigade was temporarily detached and assigned to Malaya Command. Their equipment, scheduled to arrive on a later convoy, was made up from local sources.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, Diversion to Far East
It was hoped that the brigade could be put into the line immediately (relieving the 22nd Australian Brigade) but its men were considered unfit for immediate action after eleven weeks at sea. By the time the brigade arrived, the Japanese had forced Allied forces to retreat south. On 11 January, Kuala Lumpur, the capital of British Malaya, fell; Japanese forces reached Johor, the southernmost state of Malaya, soon afterwards.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
On 17 January, despite reservations about the state of the brigade's fitness, a brigade group based on the 53rd Brigade (under the command of Brigadier Cecil Duke) had arrived in the Ayer Hitam area of Johor and elements were attached to the 11th Indian Infantry Division in III Indian Corps to reinforce the defences from Batu Pahat to Yong Peng. 6RNR was deployed around 10 miles (16 km) to the west to defend a tactically important defile and causeway between Bukit Pelandok (south of the pass) and Bukit Belah (to the north).


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
2CR relieved the garrison at Batu Pahat, around 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Ayer Hitam. Both battalions were also assigned to patrolling the roads against Japanese infiltration. Japanese patrols were soon encountered by 2CR southwest of Batu Pahat, and 6RNR (near Bukit Pelandok) was attacked from the air. 5RNR was allocated to Westforce (an ad hoc multi-national force assembled under the command of Australian Major-General Gordon Bennett) to relieve the 2/19th Australian Battalion at Jemaluang. Several Australian officers were to remain behind and aid 5RNR in taking over their positions and one said:


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
They were a fine body of men but almost dazed by the position in which they found themselves. Their training had been for open warfare and not the very close warfare of the Malayan countryside. They demonstrated the unreality of their approach to the situation by lighting up all the buildings in the area, [and] stringing their transport along highly vulnerable and prominent crossroads....


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
The battalion had not completed its move, when on 19 January the troops were ordered to Ayer Hitam. The defile had become a crucial position in the British attempt to delay the Japanese advance and prevent them from cutting off the 45th Indian Infantry Brigade. 6RNR was to be reinforced by the depleted 3rd Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment (3/16PR) and the untried 2nd Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (2LR) from the 9th Indian Division as the 45th Indian Infantry Brigade retired through the 53rd Infantry Brigade positions to an area west of Yong Peng and Westforce withdrew to Labis.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
At 13:30 on 19 January, elements of the Japanese I Battalion, 5th Guards Infantry Regiment, Imperial Guards Division surprised a 6RNR company in Bukit Pelandok and occupied the lower slopes of Bukit Belah, commanding the Bakri road. Another 6RNR company managed to hold on at the northern slope of Bukit Belah and later took over the peak, unknown to battalion headquarters. At 05:00 on 20 January, 3/16PR was to counter-attack and recapture Bukit Belah and the northern ridge by dawn on 20 January and then 6RNR was to attack the Japanese in Bukit Pelandok covered by fire from Bukit Belah.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
The Punjabi attack began at 04:00, but they were mistaken for a Japanese unit by 6RNR company on the summit of Bukit Belah, who opened fire. The Indians managed to reach the peak, but before it could be consolidated, a Japanese attack forced the British and Indian troops off the ridge with many losses, including the Punjabis' commander. The attack on Bukit Pelandok was repulsed and the British and Indian troops were moved to between the defile and causeway with the left flank covered by 2LR.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
The delayed brigade counter-attack was ordered for dawn on 21 January, spearheaded by 2LR, but 6RNR and 3/16PR were incapable of attacking so soon and 2LR had only just arrived; the attack was postponed again, but with orders to begin as soon as possible. At 20:00, Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, GOC Malaya Command, decided that the Japanese capture of the Pelandok defile seriously endangered Westforce's line of communications.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
He ordered Bennett to continue to withdraw south of Labis to a line from Paloh to the Sungei Gerchang bridge on the road to Labis, and to detach a brigade as soon as possible to dig in at the Yong Peng road junction. As the 27th Australian Brigade covered Yong Peng, Percival put all troops on the Muar–Yong Peng road back under the command of Westforce at 12:30.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
The counter-attack by the 53rd Brigade never occurred; at 10:30 on 21 January, Major-General Billy Key (GOC 11th Indian Division) visited the brigade and learned that half his orders had not been transmitted, that the brigade had not planned an attack, and that 2LR had been sent to dig in at the east end of the causeway. An attack could be arranged for 14:00, but more confusion occurred, and the start time was moved to 15:30.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
The Japanese positions gave a view of the ground east of the ridge, making surprise impossible to achieve, and more time was needed to arrange artillery support and concentrate 2LR. The attack was postponed again to 18:00 and then to the morning of 22 January. The artillery took so long to register that there was another postponement to 09:00, but 2LR, who had assembled under cover of night, were spotted by Japanese reconnaissance aircraft and bombed and strafed. With no prospect of surprise, and doubtful that the attack could succeed, Duke cancelled the operation and redeployed the three battalions to guard the causeway and the ground from there to the defile.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
At 06:30 on 22 January, 5RNR and a battalion from Batu Pahat reopened the Batu Pahat–Ayer Hitam road at Milestone 72 and a supply convoy got through to the brigade. Later, the Japanese again blocked the road. Key ordered 5RNR to reopen the road along with an attack by the 15th Indian Infantry Brigade on 23 January, but this attack failed and 5RNR was recalled.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
At a conference at Yong Peng, also on 23 January, Percival announced a new plan to defend a line from Jemalaung Kluang to Ayer Hitam and Batu Pahat, the 53rd Brigade reverting to the command of the 11th Division. The brigade was to retire on 23 January through the positions of the 27th Australian Brigade at Yong Peng to Ayer Hitam, when the transfer of command would occur. 5RNR was driven by bus to Pontian Kechil, ready to travel with an ammunition convoy to Batu Pahat, next morning.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
The brigade began to retire from Bukit Pelandok at noon, but the Japanese attacked with tank support and the causeway bridges were blown too soon for all the British to cross. In the chaos the brigade managed to disengage, but with many casualties. With the other battalions assigned to specific duties, the 53rd Brigade was reduced to the 6RNR and 3/16PR and moved south to Benut via Skudai. The brigade was engaged in a series of isolated fights with the Japanese along the road from Benut to Senggarang as they tried to move north to reinforce Batu Pahat.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Overseas service, 53rd Brigade: Malaya
Only isolated elements were able to reach Senggarang, to which the 15th Indian Infantry Brigade, including 2CR and 5RNR, had retired. During the evening, the 15th Indian Brigade was ordered to break out, across country as the roads had been blocked by strong Japanese positions, and retreat south. During the night of 29/30 January, the 53rd Brigade was ordered to withdraw to Singapore Island; the brigade had suffered about 500 casualties.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
"The battle of Malaya has come to an end and the battle of Singapore has started.... Our task is to hold this fortress until help can come—as assuredly it will come. This we are determined to do. In carrying out this task we want the help of every man and woman in the fortress. There is work for all to do. Any enemy who sets foot in our fortress must be dealt with immediately. The enemy within our gates must be ruthlessly weeded out. There must be no more loose talk and rumour mongering. Our duty is clear. With firm resolve and fixed determination we shall win through."


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
On 20 January, Wavell visited Singapore to discuss the defence of the island with Percival. During this conference, it was decided that once the 18th Infantry Division had arrived in full force, it would be allocated to the sector on the island believed to be where the Japanese would land, as it would be the strongest formation available with fresh troops. Percival believed that this would be the northeast part of the island; Wavell disagreed stating it would be the northwest section of the island (where the Australians were to be deployed). However, he did not force the issue and allowed Percival to deploy his forces as he wished. Wigmore commented that Wavell conceded the point "on the ground that [Percival] was the commander responsible for results and had long studied the problem."


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
The majority of the 18th Infantry Division arrived in Singapore on 29 January, followed by the final elements (the machine-gun and reconnaissance battalions) on 5 February. Once the main body had landed, the 53rd Brigade returned to the division. The 18th was assigned to III Indian Corps and deployed in strength along the northeast section of the coastline. Their objective, as with all other frontline forces, was to prevent the Japanese from landing or if a landing did occur, to stop the Japanese on the beaches and launch counter-attacks to destroy their beachheads.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
On 5 February, Japanese forces made obvious movements on the mainland opposite the 18th Division and bombarded the 18th Division positions for several days. The same day, aircraft bombed the Empress of Asia; one of the four vessels that was bringing the remainder of the division to Singapore. Following the attack, Percival and Bennett reviewed Allied dispositions and expressed concern that they would not be able to defend the island without reinforcements.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
Three days later, at 22:30 on 8 February, the Japanese began their assault on Singapore Island, landing on the northwest coast against Australian opposition. The 18th Division was ordered to remain where it had been posted in case of a second landing, and took no part in the initial fighting. After two days of fighting, Churchill cabled Wavell, "The 18th Division has a chance to make its name in history. Commanders and senior officers should die with their troops. The honour of the British Empire and of the British Army is at stake.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
I rely on you to show no mercy to weakness in any form." The character of Churchill's message was then relayed via Wavell to the troops. During the day, by which time Percival had drawn up a provisional plan to withdraw to a smaller perimeter around the city of Singapore, the division was committed piecemeal in the effort to stem the Japanese advance. The 5BHR was taken from the division and assigned to the 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
Two ad hoc formations: Tomforce, from the  divisional reconnaissance battalion, 4RNR, 1/5SF and a battery of the 85th Anti-Tank Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Lechmere Thomas; and Massy Force from 1CR, 4SR, the Indian 5th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment (5/11SR), and various other units including artillery and 18 light tanks, under the command of Brigadier Tim Massy-Beresford (commander of the 55th Brigade). The rest of the division remained in its sector.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
"It is certain that our troops on Singapore Island heavily outnumber any Japanese, who have crossed the straits. We must destroy them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out in the Bataan Peninsula against far heavier odds. The Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans. The Chinese with an almost complete lack of modern equipment have held the Japanese for four and a half years. It will be disgraceful if we yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
There must be no thought of sparing the troops or civil population and no mercy must be shown to weakness in any shape or form. Commanders and senior officers must lead their troops and if necessary die with them. There must be no question or thought of surrender. Every unit must fight it out to the end and in close contact with the enemy.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
Please see that the above is brought to the notice of all senior officers and by them to the troops. I look to you and your men to fight to the end to prove that the fighting spirit that won our Empire still exists to enable us to defend it."


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
– Special Order of the Day, 10 Feb 1942, by Archibald Wavell.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
On 11 February, Tomforce, having moved to reinforce the Australians, launched a counter-attack on the captured village of Bukit Timah. The reconnaissance battalion was ordered to advance up the main road to the village, with 4RNR to their right and the 1/5SF (reinforced with elements of the 2/29th Australian Battalion, who had been temporarily attached to Tomforce) to their left. The reconnaissance battalion encountered strong Japanese resistance as they tried to enter the village near the railway station and could proceed no further.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
On their flank, the 1/5SF and the Australians advanced to within 400 yards (370 m) of the village, before being forced back. 4RNR took control of an area of high ground overlooking the village, but could advance no further due to a strong Japanese presence in the area. Meanwhile, Massy Force had assembled on the eastern side of MacRitchie Reservoir and was ordered to defend Bukit Tinggi, west of the reservoir, but Japanese forces arrived first.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
During the afternoon, Massy Force moved to the northern end of Bukit Timah Race Course and linked up with Tomforce who had pulled back following their failed attack on Bukit Timah. Late in the day, Massy Force absorbed Tomforce and the latter ceased to exist. It was later established that the Japanese 5th and 18th Divisions had occupied the area.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
The following day, with half the island under Japanese control, fighting intensified. The Japanese 5th Infantry Division, supported by tanks, attacked along the entire front, including the position held by Massy Force. Elements of Massy Force were pushed back and a Japanese tank attack penetrated deep into the British positions, before they were repulsed. Following the attack, Massy Force was withdrawn 3,000 yards (1.7 mi; 2.7 km) to a position along the Adam and Farrer roads. During the day, the rest of the 18th Infantry Division was ordered to move from their coastal positions. The 53rd Brigade and the 2/30th Australian Battalion covered the withdrawal of the 8th and 28th Indian Infantry Brigades, while the remnants of the division (along with the 11th Indian Division) were ordered to take up positions covering the Peirce and MacRitchie reservoirs.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
On 13 February, the division had moved into the final defensive perimeter established around Singapore. This position lacked any fortifications and it was clear all hope of victory had gone. The division was deployed with Brigadier Backhouse's 54th Brigade on the left astride the road to Bukit Timah (north-west of the city), to their right was the 53rd Brigade positioned north of the Chinese cemetery and Massy-Beresford's 55th Brigade (on the right flank) was north of the city from Thomson Road to the Adam Park Estate.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Battle of Singapore
The Japanese attacked at numerous points along the final defensive perimeter, including several assaults on the Adam Park Estate. The 1CR fought off several attacks, including bayonet charges, inflicting over 600 casualties for the loss of 165 men. On 14 February, further attacks penetrated between the 53rd and 55th Brigades. Reinforcements from the 11th Indian Division were dispatched, repelled the Japanese attack and sealed the gap.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Surrender, captivity and assessment
Despite the Japanese attacks, the defensive line held; with food, water and ammunition running out, Percival decided on 15 February that counter-attacks would be fruitless. To spare the civilian population of the city further hardship, the decision was made to surrender the Allied garrison. The order to surrender surprised the men; some fled, fearing that the Japanese would not take prisoners and others had to be pressured into laying down their arms. Some, such as Harold Atcherley (an intelligence officer with the division) were ordered off the island, but Atcherley failed to escape. On 15 February, the division ceased to exist and its men entered Japanese captivity. The division was never reconstituted in the United Kingdom. During the next three years, over one-third of the men died in Japanese captivity; Beckwith-Smith succumbed to diphtheria on 11 November 1942.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Surrender, captivity and assessment
In the aftermath, the division was a political bargaining chip in a series of telegrams between Churchill and Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin which discussed the possibility of diverting Australian troops to Burma rather than returning home. On 20 February, Churchill sent a telegram,


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Surrender, captivity and assessment
... your message of January 23, in which you said that the evacuation of Singapore would be "an inexcusable betrayal". Agreeably with your point of view, we therefore put the 18th Division ... into Singapore instead of diverting them to Burma, and ordered them to fight it out to the end. They were lost at Singapore and did not save it, whereas they could almost certainly have saved Rangoon. I take full responsibility with my colleagues on the Defence Committee for this decision; but you also bear a heavy share on account of your telegram.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Surrender, captivity and assessment
Two days later, Curtin retorted: "In regard to your statement that the 18th Division was diverted from Burma to Singapore because of our message, it is pointed out that the date of the latter was January 23, whereas in your telegram of January 14 you informed me that one brigade of this division was due on January 13 and the remainder on January 27".


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Surrender, captivity and assessment
According to historian Brian Padair Farrell, Wavell's decision to allow the 18th Infantry Division to be deployed to Singapore was "the least blameworthy of the decisions that he made which had negative consequences—especially for the men of the 18th Division who suffered the terrible years of captivity under barbaric Japanese control". Farrell noted that "Wavell's job was to hold Singapore" and "no other commander in his place would have chosen differently". Gerhard Weinberg wrote that "the constant splitting of divisions ... and the piecemeal tossing of reinforcements into battle all contributed to defeat". This was echoed by Captain Henry Phillips, a former member of the division, who wrote that the division "had been prodigally thrown to the winds", was ill-trained for the situation, and received no intelligence about how the Japanese were armed, dressed, or equipped;


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Singapore, Surrender, captivity and assessment
... [ T]he division was not permitted to fight as a division ... battalions were divorced from brigades and companies from battalions. Unnecessary difficulties of administration were created and the chain of command disrupted." Phillips called the battle an "unredeemed disaster", and asked for the "misapplication of the 18th Division" to be scrutinised by a public inquiry "to throw more light on the current of events contingent upon so important and so tragic an event in our military history.


18th Infantry Division (United Kingdom), Order of battle
53rd Infantry Brigade (30 September 1939 to 23 November 1941, then 30 January 1942 up to divisional surrender)


18th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The German 18th Infantry Division was formed on 1 October 1934 as Infanterieführer III in Liegnitz and renamed 18. Infanterie-Division on 15 October 1935. Mobilized in August 1939 it participated in the Invasion of Poland and in 1940 in the Battle of France. After the French campaign the division was motorized and redesignated 18th Motorized Infantry Division on 1 November 1940 serving on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war. In June 1943 the division was redesignated 18th Panzergrenadier Division.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army)
The IJA Eighteenth Infantry Regiment (第18連隊, 歩兵第十八聯隊) Hohei Dai-Ju-hachi Rentai was an infantry regiment in the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Its call sign and unit code was Thunder-3219 (雷3219, Kaminari-San-Ni-Ichi-Kyu). The unit was formed in 1884 and based in the city of Toyohashi as a branch of the Nagoya Garrison. Throughout its history, the majority of its soldiers came from the Mikawa region, or eastern Aichi prefecture.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army)
The regiment first deployed for the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894. In 1904, it deployed again for the Russo-Japanese War where it fought in several major battles. Between 1928 and 1936, the regiment was deployed to China where it engaged in two military operations in China, though it spent most of the time on garrison and occupation duty.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army)
With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in the summer of 1937, the regiment participated in the Battle of Shanghai and then participated in the major campaigns of central China. In 1944, the 18th Regiment was sent to the Pacific theater as part of the 29th Division. On the way to Saipan, the transport ship that was carrying the regiment, the Sakito Maru, was torpedoed and sunk. Over half the regiment drowned, but survivors were rescued and delivered to Saipan.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army)
Some stragglers had to be left behind, but the majority of the regiment was sent to Guam and prepared to repel the American invasion. Members of the 18th Regiment participated in both the Battle of Saipan and the Battle of Guam. In both battles, nearly all soldiers of the 18th Regiment were killed in action. A few soldiers survived the massed banzai charges and attempted to evade capture by hiding in the jungles, but as an organization the regiment became defunct and the ranks were not replenished.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army)
After the battle on Saipan, one officer of the regiment, Captain Sakae Ōba, distinguished himself when he took command of some soldiers and assumed responsibility for the civilians who had survived the battle. Ōba and his men surrendered in December 1945, three months after the official end of World War II.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Early history
The three battalions of the 18th Infantry Regiment were established in Nagoya, Japan, and granted their colors on 15 August 1884. By 1886 the regiment had transferred its headquarters to Toyohashi city, and thereafter the majority of its recruits came from that city and the surrounding Mikawa region of eastern Aichi Prefecture. In May 1888, the IJA 3rd Division was organized and the 18th Infantry Regiment was placed in its command.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Early history
The regiment deployed for the first time in 1894 to participate in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895). In 1904, the regiment deployed again for the Russo-Japanese War. The regiment saw combat at the Battles of Nanshan, Te-Li-Ssu, Tashihchiao, Shaho, Panlongshan, and other places.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Early history
In 1907 the regiment was transferred from the 3rd Division to the IJA 15th Division. In 1925, the 15th Division was disbanded by order of War Minister Ugaki Kazushige, and the regiment was returned to the 3rd Division.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Early history
In May 1928, the regiment deployed for the Jinan Incident, and afterward served as the garrison for Tianjin, China. In February 1933 the regiment participated in Operation Nekka. As a result of this early clash between Chinese and Japanese forces, Inner Mongolia was placed in the Japanese controlled state of Manchukuo. In 1934, the regiment was on garrison duty in Manchukuo. The regiment returned to Toyohashi, Japan in 1936.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Second Sino-Japanese War
With the outbreak of war following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the 18th Regiment was ordered to mobilize in August 1937. The regiment landed and participated in the Battle of Shanghai, then continued on to assist with the Battle of Nanjing. In early December, the regiment crossed the Yangtze at a point about halfway between Shanghai and Nanjing, launching an attack from Jiangyin on the south bank to Jingjiang on the opposite bank. The regiment occupied the two towns until 9 March 1938.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Second Sino-Japanese War
In May 1938, the regiment participated in the Battle of Xuzhou. Later that year, the regiment participated in the Hankou Operation as part of the larger Battle of Wuhan. In 1939, it fought the Battle of the Xiang River, the First Battle of Changsha, as well as smaller actions in the area. In 1940, the 18th Regiment participated in the Ichang Operation and the Han River Operation, both in Hubei Province.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Second Sino-Japanese War
In July 1942, command of the 18th Regiment was transferred from the 3rd Division to the IJA 29th Division. The regiment was then ordered to serve as the garrison force at Haicheng, at the time in Mukden Province, now part of Liaoning Province. By early 1944, much of northern China was nominally secure, and many units were being transferred to various islands in the Pacific in order to support the strained and hyperextended line of defensive positions. By February 1944, the 29th Division, which consisted of the 18th, the 38th, and the 50th Infantry Regiments, was ordered to mobilize and prepare for operations in the Pacific.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater
From Manchuria, the 18th Infantry Regiment and its sister regiments travelled to Korea, where they embarked on four transport vessels at Pusan. The convoy was escorted by three Yugumo-class destroyers of Destroyer Division 31:  Asashimo, Kishinami, and  Okinami, and were first sent to the Japanese-held island of Saipan. On 29 February 1944 the transport ship carrying the regiment, the Sakito Maru, was hit by a torpedo fired from the USS Trout (SS-202), an American submarine, just northeast of Saipan. The transport sunk, taking with it 2,200 of the 3,500 men on board, which included the regimental commander, Colonel Monma Kentaro. Also lost on the transport were several tanks and most of the regiment's equipment. The convoy's three escort destroyers dropped depth charges, sank the Trout, and then rescued the survivors of the sunken transport. About 1,800 troops of the regiment were delivered to Saipan.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Saipan
After re-organization, two battalions of the under-equipped 18th Regiment were transported to Guam in May 1944; however, about 600 troops of the 1st Battalion had to be left behind on Saipan. These troops, under Captain Masao Kubo, joined the island's garrison, though nearly all would be killed during the Battle of Saipan in June and July 1944. In the aftermath of the battle, Capt. Sakae Ōba distinguished himself by taking command of a number of soldiers and sailors who had survived the battle, as well as Japanese civilians who looked to him for guidance and protection. The group numbered about 300, and took shelter in caves or small villages in the jungle. They evaded capture by the U.S. Marines that were hunting for them, conducted harassment raids, and survived until they finally agreed to surrender on 1 December 1945.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam
In March 1944, the 29th Division commander, Lieutenant General Takeshi Takashina, landed on Guam and assumed overall command of all military units for the island's defense. In preparation for the imminent invasion of Guam by Allied forces, the main body of the 18th Regiment was situated on a mountain, with each company deployed to cover possible landing points in support of the island's defensive strategy. On 21 July 1944 the American landing operation commenced. Despite fierce resistance, United States Army and Marine forces gained two beachheads by nightfall, straddling the Orote Peninsula on the west coast of the island, while the defenders either counterattacked or continued to fire on American positions with machine guns, artillery, and mortars.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam
On 24 July, the command headquarters of the Japanese forces on Guam received word from Tokyo to "Defend Guam at all costs". General Takashina devised a plan of attack to dislodge the 3rd Marine Division, which occupied the high ground at Asan, north of the Orote Peninsula. Takashina's attack would be coordinated with a breakout attempt of Japanese forces trapped on the peninsula. The 18th Regiment, which had been reorganized into three battalions, was to be one of the main units to assault the American position.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam
Two battalions would attack the 21st Marine Regiment and the other battalion was to attack the flank of the 9th Marines. The objective was to exploit an 800-yard gap between the two regiments, break through the American lines, and attain the high ground. Other units would attack the Marines or head to the beaches with demolition charges to destroy any ammunition or supply caches left by American forces.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam
On the night of 25 July, the colors of the 18th Infantry Regiment were ritually burned, by authorization of the division commander, in anticipation of the regiment's complete destruction.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam, First Battalion
Just after midnight, the 1st Battalion, 18th Regiment, attacked the center of the 22nd Marines. Veterans of the battle later reported that while many of the Japanese soldiers carried rifles and their officers led with swords, some of the Japanese carried knives, pitchforks, or their bayonets mounted to long sticks and used as spears. Charging across open ground, they were hit by American artillery, mortars, and machine gun fire until they retreated into a mangrove swamp. Artillery continued to bombard the swamps, discouraging further attack from that approach.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam, Second Battalion
The Japanese main attack was launched at about 0300, 26 July. The assault of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Regiment, under Major Maruyama Chusa, struck the center of the 21st Marines, and was the scene of some of the most desperate hand-to-hand combat of the entire night. The battalion charged through machine gun and artillery fire in an effort to reach the Marines. In an effort to break through the lines, Maruyama's men fought their way into a draw that led down to the beach.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam, Second Battalion
The Marines had prepared for that possibility, and once in the draw the Japanese faced several Sherman tanks. Lacking any sort of anti-tank weaponry, the Japanese troops were unable to damage a single tank, and flowing over and past them, continued on down the draw. Those troops who were unable to reach the draw regrouped and charged another point in the Marine line and fought hand-to-hand until their numbers became depleted.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam, Third Battalion
The 3rd Battalion of the 18th Regiment, led by Major Yukioka Setsuo, was able to exploit a gap between the lines of the 9th and the 21st Marines, and drove hard toward the Marines' regimental Command Post (CP) near the beach. The Japanese came close to overrunning the CP, but Yukioka's attack was blunted by desperate fighting during the Marines' counterattack supported by artillery and mortars. One element of the 3rd Battalion encountered and attacked the 3rd Marine Division Headquarters area.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam, Third Battalion
The Japanese were prevented from overrunning the position only when every available Marine, including cooks, clerks, doctors, and some of the wounded, joined the fighting, before two companies of combat engineers arrived to support the defenders. The engineers counterattacked, and by dawn the Japanese troops were dead or scattered; many fled up the Nidual River valley.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam, Third Battalion
The Engineers pursued, and over the course of the day reported witnessing many of the Japanese committing suicide by an unprecedented method: when a Japanese soldier had given up on escape, and capture seemed imminent, he pulled the pin of his grenade, placed it on top of his head, then held his helmet down over the grenade and waited for the inevitable.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Pacific Theater, Guam, Third Battalion
By the morning of 26 July, it was apparent that the attack to dislodge the American position had failed, as had the breakout attempt at Orote Peninsula. It was also apparent to General Takashina that victory at Guam would be impossible, due to enormous losses in personnel, leadership, weapons, and morale. Takashina decided that all remaining troops should escape to the interior of the island, in order to regroup, and carry on a guerrilla campaign to inflict as much damage as possible on the American forces. During the previous night's fighting, most of the men of the 18th Regiment had been killed in action, along with their commanding officer, Colonel Hikoshiro Ohashi. By the end of 26 July 1944, the 18th Infantry Regiment had ceased to be a functioning unit.


18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army), Memorialization
The main memorial for the 18th Infantry Regiment is located in Toyohashi City Park. There are also monuments on the islands of Saipan and Guam, paid for by the regimental veterans' association.


18th Infantry Regiment (Poland)
18th Infantry Regiment (Polish language: 18 Pulk Piechoty, 18 pp) was an infantry regiment of the Polish Army. It existed from late 1918 until September 1939. Garrisoned in Skierniewice, the unit belonged to the 26th Infantry Division from Skierniewice.


18th Infantry Regiment (Poland)
During the Polish-Soviet War, the regiment was stationed in Łomża. In the summer of 1921, it was transferred to Konin, and then to Skierniewice, remaining there until 1939. Its first commandant was Colonel Marian Herbert, the last one was Colonel Wiktor Adam Majewski.


18th Infantry Regiment (Poland)
Regimental flag, funded by the residents of the counties of Koło, Konin and Slupca, was handed by Jozef Pilsudski, on July 10, 1921. The badge was approved in 1926.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 18th Infantry Regiment ("Vanguards") is an Army Infantry regiment. The 18th Infantry Regiment currently exists with one active battalion under the U.S. Army Regimental System and has no regimental headquarters.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), History, Civil War
Perryville, KY; Stones River, TN; Chickamauga, GA; Chattanooga, TN; Campaign for Atlanta.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), History, Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm
December 1990, Elements of 3–18, and 4–18 Brigade deployed from NATO in Europe to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield, engaging into Iraq and Kuwait for Desert Storm and Provide Comfort. Units were inactivated shortly after Jun 1991.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), History, Global War on Terror
Lieutenant-Colonel, commander of the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment in Tikrit, paid $US500 to a driver to get his car repaired; paid "benevolent" money to the family of a victim of violence; paid people to clean streets; bought soccer kits for a team and repaired a swimming pool. Other officers have given money to ice-cream vendors, chicken farmers and hardware suppliers to get their businesses going. "I'm trying to give them something to do rather than take shots at someone," said Colonel Sinclair, who said he gets $US50,000 every three or four weeks to distribute. "It's not bribery. It's priming the pump. And it works well." The cash incentive scheme comes as some top officers are questioning whether the practice of keeping their troops highly visible in Iraq is doing more harm than good.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), History, Victory Day
On 9 May 2010, a detachment led by Captain Matthew Strand from the 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment represented the United States in Russia's Victory Day parade across Red Square and the request of Russian Minister of Defence Anatoly Serdyukov in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. They were joined by British, French, and Polish troops as well as detachments from the CIS member states. Labeled by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as the "Anti- Hitler Coalition," it marked the first time in history that American and NATO troops joined the Russian Military in the 9 May parade.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), History, Victory Day
A member of the contingent from Kemah, Texas, Russian-born 1st Lieutenant Ilya Ivanov, is a descendant of Major Alexander Peteryaev, a platoon leader in the Soviet Red Army. The Head of the Military University of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Colonel General Valery Marchenkov later awarded to soldiers for their participation in the parade.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), Lineage, ANNEX
Assigned to the 1st Division XIV Army Corps under Major General George H. Thomas, Participated at the Battle of Chickamauga, GA as part of the Third (Regular) Brigade and was instrumental in preventing the destruction of the Union Army under Major General William Rosecrans at Chickamauga, GA Sep 1863. Participated in the operations at Chattanooga, GA and the following Atlanta Campaign assigned to the Third Brigade. Served under Brig. General John H. King and Brig. Gen. Absalom Baird's First Division and MG John M Palmer until the Attack at Utoy Creek.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), Lineage, ANNEX
The 18th US Infantry distinguished itself in its performance, along with the 15th US Infantry, in a combat water crossing at North Utoy Creek, securing the position for the 1st Division under Brigadier General Johnston 3 Aug 1864 and participated in the preliminary and main attacks on 6 August 1864. Involved in cutting the rail lines south of Atlanta at Rough and Ready Station (Forest Park GA 30 Aug 1864). After the Capture of Atlanta, the regiment and the rest of the Army of the Cumberland moved back in pursuit of Hood's Confederate Army into Tennessee. Involved in the Battle of Nashville and the destruction of the Confederate Army of Tennessee on 15–16 December 1864. The unit crest shows the symbol of the XIV Corps, the Acorn, adopted by Gen. George H. Thomas, "The Rock of Chickamauga."


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), Lineage, ANNEX
On 17 March 2008, 1–18 Infantry was inactivated in Schweinfurt, Germany, to be relocated to Fort Riley, Kansas. On 28 March, the 18th Infantry Regimental colors were un-cased at Fort Riley, and the unit that was the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment re-flagged to 1–18 Infantry (Combined Arms Battalion). The 28 March re-flagging at Fort Riley was part of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division's re-flagging to the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, bringing all 1st Infantry Division brigades but 3rd BCT, 1 ID to Fort Riley.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), Lineage, ANNEX
On 15 July 2009, 2–18 Infantry stood up in Baumholder, Germany as part of the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The unit was stood up to replace 1–6 Infantry (Regulars), part 2nd Brigade of the 1st Armored Division.


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), Commanders
Source of commanders: 18th Infantry Regiment AssociationNames marked by an @ indicate actual commanders in the absence of the colonel; an asterisk (*) = Commanders of the 18th Battle Group; 1–18 = 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry; 2–18 = 2d Battalion, 18th Infantry; and so forth. (1) following a name indicates future commander of 1st Infantry Division


18th Infantry Regiment (United States), Commanders
[ Need list of 3rd Battalion commanders][Need list of 4th Battalion commanders in Germany]


18th Intelligence Squadron
The 18th Intelligence Squadron was a space intelligence organization of the United States Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.


18th Intelligence Squadron
The squadron inactivated during September 2020 and then reactivated as the US Space Force's 73rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron which is assigned to Space Delta 7.


18th Intelligence Squadron, History, World War II
The squadron was originally activated as the 5th Photographic Laboratory Section on 20 October 1943 at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma. While training at Esler Field, Louisiana, it was redesignated as the 5th Photographic Technical Unit on 30 November 1944 and as the 18th Photographic Technical Unit on 29 January 1945.


18th Intelligence Squadron, History, World War II
The 18th moved overseas in the spring of 1945, arriving in Nancy/Azelot Airfield, France, little more than a month before V-E Day, on 22 March 1945. It was inactivated on 27 December 1945 at Bad Kissingen Airfield, Germany. In these early years, the unit served in the United States, France, and Germany.


18th Intelligence Squadron, History, Strategic Air Command
The 68th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron was activated on 10 October 1951 at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio as an original element of the 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, which was located at Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana, and began to equip with Boeing B-29 Superfortresses borrowed from other units. However, before the end of the year, Strategic Air Command decided to change the 68th Wing mission to bombardment and the squadron was inactivated on 10 December 1951.


18th Intelligence Squadron, History, Redesignation and intelligence operations
On 16 October 1984, the 18th Photographic Technical Unit and the 68th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron were consolidated as the 18th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron, but the consolidated unit remained inactive. It was redesignated the 18th Intelligence Squadron on 3 September 1993 and activated on 7 September 1993 at Falcon Air Force Base, Colorado, drawing its personnel and equipment from a detachment of a United States Air Force Security Service unit, which was discontinued.


18th Intelligence Squadron, History, Redesignation and intelligence operations
The squadron's Detachment 1 was organized at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico in June 1995, and moved to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio during the summer of 2000. Detachment 1 was the Air Intelligence Agency's only transportable system conducting radio frequency phenomenology studies. Detachment 1 was discontinued on 8 June 2010 and merged with the 18th Intelligence Squadron, which moved from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California to Wright-Patterson. Assigned personnel provide data in support of Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, and United States Strategic Command missions as well as information critical to the National Security Agency and other national-level organizations.


18th Intelligence Squadron, History, Redesignation and intelligence operations
The squadron provided intelligence for the planning, development, and execution of space control operations. The squadron consisted of a headquarters element at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and two geographically separated detachments: Detachment 2, Osan Air Base, Korea; and Detachment 4, RAF Feltwell, United Kingdom.


18th Intelligence Squadron, History, Redesignation and intelligence operations
The 18th was assigned to the 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, of Twenty-Fifth Air Force of Air Combat Command. Through fixed and mobile sites, it provided scientific and technical collection to National Security Agency, Air Force Materiel Command, and the 21st Space Wing, Passive Space Surveillance mission. Where available, it also provided limited analysis to the entities.


18th Intelligence Squadron, History, Redesignation and intelligence operations
The squadron INactivated during September 2020 and then reactivated as the US Space Force's 73rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron which assigned to Space Delta 7.