1914.

Belgium-Marne.

1. At the outbreak of the war the 18th Division (of the 9th Army Corps, with the 17th Division) formed a part of the 1st Army (Von Kluck). Entraining at Aix la Chapelle August 8–10, it was before Liege on the 13th, went into action at Tirlemont on the 18th, at Mons on the 23d, entered France on the 25th, crossed the Marne at Chateau Thierry on September 3, and took part in the battle of the Marne on September 6 and 7, at Esternay and Courgivaux.

Aisne.

2. After the retreat it took up its position north of the Aisne, where it remained for more than a year in various parts of the sector.

1915.

In March, 1915, the 84th Infantry Regiment was taken from the 18th Division to help in the formation of the 54th Division.

Aisne.

1. Until October, 1915, the 18th Division occupied the sectors of the Aisne. On June 3 the 86th Fusiliers attacked at Quennevieres, suffering enormous losses. (Between June 18 and July 3 its 5th Company received at least 115 men as replacements; the 8th Company, 120.)

Champagne.

2. From October, 1915, until June, 1916, the 18th Division was in Champagne (Souain area).

1916.

1. On February 25, 1916, the 31st Infantry Regiment suffered heavy losses south of St. Marie a Py; its 11th Company was entirely destroyed or captured.

Somme.

2. From July to September, 1916, the 18th Division was in action along the Somme (south of the Somme). At Belloy, on September 4, the 4th Company of the 86th Fusiliers was destroyed with the exception of 23 men.

Artois.

3. From October until the beginning of December the division was in the Arras area (east).

4. It left Artois about December 12 to take over a sector along the Somme (Grandcourt).

1917.

Somme.

1. About February 18, 1917, the 18th Division was withdrawn from the front, then sent back into line at the beginning of March, at Puisieux-Gommecourt (Somme).

Artois.

2. At the end of March it was transferred to Artois, north of the Scarpe, and went into action at Roeux and Fampoux, from April 10 to April 23.

3. Relieved at the end of April, it went back into line about May 8, in the area south of Arras, and from that date until the end of August occupied sectors in the vicinity of Cambrai (Villers-Plouich, Havrincourt, Marcoing).

Flanders.

4. On August 27 the 18th Division was relieved from the Cambrai front (Ribecourt-Marcoing sector) and entrained for Flanders, where it was made an army reserve in the Ruddervoorde (northeast of Thourout). It was there reorganized with replacements coming from troops of the 9th Corps District stationed in Russia (taken from the 426th Infantry Regiment, the 31st Landwehr Regiment, and the 3d Ersatz Reserve Regiment).

5. It went into the sector Mangelaere about September 16 and underwent the Franco-British attack of October 9, which caused it rather serious losses.

Russia.

6. The 18th Division was relieved about October 14 and transferred to Russia, where it made a rather short stay in the Vilna area.

Alsace.

7. It was back in Upper Alsace about the end of November, in the region of Mulhouse, at the beginning of February, 1918.

RECRUITING.

The 18th Division is recruited from Schleswig-Holstein (Prussians and Danes). A certain proportion of Poles from Silesia appeared in the replacements of 1917 (especially in the 31st Infantry Regiment).

VALUE—1917 ESTIMATE.

The 18th Division has always passed as being a good division. However, in the course of the Franco-British attack of October 9, 1917, none of its elements carried out the counterattacks described by their leaders; however, in order to form a correct judgment of this, one must take account of the intensity of the bombardment, the state of the terrain, and the weakness of the effectives in line at that moment.

1918.

Cambrai.

1. The 18th Division left Alsace, entraining at Mulhouse, about the 12th of February, and traveled via Thionville and Sedan to Bertry, where it detrained after a journey of 2½ days. It relieved the 107th Division near Gonnelieu (south of Cambrai) the 16th. It was withdrawn the beginning of March, and had a few days’ training near Ligny en Cambresis.

2. It left here on the 17th and marched to Malincourt, where it stayed three days.

St. Quentin.

3. It reenforced the battle front near Hargicourt (north of St. Quentin) on March 21. The next day the division commander was killed. The division was withdrawn about the 26th.

Somme.

4. During the night of March 29–30 the division relieved the 1st Division near Sailly le Sec (south of Albert). Here again heavy losses were suffered. The division received a draft of 500 men, mostly returned wounded. It is not clear just what happened during this period and as late as about the 18th of May, when the division was withdrawn, but it seems as though its regiments and the regiments of the 50th Reserve Division and the 199th Division inter-relieved each other.

Tournai.

5. The division went to the Tournai region, where it rested, was completely reconstituted, and trained.

Soissons.

6. On August 1 it reenforced the battle front near Launoy (southwest of Soissons), after having left Tournai July 21 and having detrained at La Fere the following day. Toward the end of its tour in line (it was withdrawn during the night of Oct. 12–13), it retreated along the line Froidmont-Eppes.

7. The division was transported by truck and relieved the 22d Reserve Division near Bernoville (northeast of St. Quentin) on October 15. On the 17th it withdrew to Grougis, and then to the Sambre Canal. During these operations it lost more than 500 prisoners. It was withdrawn about the 28th.

8. On November 4 the division reenforced the front near Hannapes (north of Guise) and withdrew, with the remainder of the line, through Iron, the Nouvion region, Boulogne sur Helpe, and Etroeung. It was still in line on the 11th.

VALUE—1918 ESTIMATE.

The 18th Division is rated as being first class. Since the spring, however, it has not been used to any great extent where heavy fighting was in progress, and it may well be it has deteriorated. It is known that part of the 6th Company of the 86th Regiment refused to go into line on October 25 until it was threatened with being shot.