The 18th Infantry Division () was a

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

formation during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

World War I

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). It was part of the French 9th Corps, during which it participated in the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

, the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne () was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated after the First Battle of the ...

, the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (, , – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the First Battle of Flanders, in which German A ...

, the

Second Battle of Artois The Second Battle of Artois (, ) from 9 May to 18 June 1915, took place on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the First World War. A German-held Salient (military), salient from Reims to Amiens had been formed in 1914 which me ...

and

Third Battle of Artois The Third Battle of Artois (25 September – 4 November 1915, also the Loos–Artois Offensive) was fought by the French Tenth Army against the German 6th Army on the Western Front of the First World War. The battle included the Battle of Lo ...

, the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

, the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

, 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. At various times, it was part of the

French First Army The First Army () was a field army of France that fought during World War I and World War II. It was also active during the Cold War. World War I On mobilization in August 1914, General Auguste Dubail was put in the charge of the First Army, ...

French Second Army The Second Army () was a field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II. The Army became famous for fighting the Battle of Verdun in 1916 under Generals Philippe Pétain and Robert Nivelle Robert Georges Nivelle (15 October 1 ...

, French Third Army,

French Fourth Army The Fourth Army (), nicknamed the "Army of Fontainebleau", was a unit of the French Army, which fought during World War I and World War II. It was one of five armies created and placed on a war footing by the '' Grand Quartier Général'' when P ...

French Fifth Army The Fifth Army () was a fighting force that participated in World War I. On 29 August the 5th Army under Lanrezac won a partial victory at the battle of Guise, delaying the German attack. However, Lanrezac became dispirited and was replaced by ...

French Sixth Army The Sixth Army () was a field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II. World War I The Sixth Army was formed 26 August 1914, composed of troops from various disparate French armies: two active army corps, the ( 4th and 7th res ...

French Eighth Army The Eighth Army () was a Field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II. During World War I, there were two 8th armies. The first was the former ''Détachement d'armée de Belgique'' (Army Detachment in Belgium) which existed ...

, French Ninth Army and

French Tenth Army The Tenth Army () was a Field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II. World War I The Tenth Army, first called ''détachement d'armée Maud'huy'', was formed on 1 October 1914 during the Race to the Sea. It gained a victory ...

Battle of France, World War II

During the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

in May 1940 the division was made up of the following units: *66th Infantry Regiment *77th Infantry Regiment *125th Infantry Regiment *30th Reconnaissance Battalion *19th Artillery Regiment *219th Artillery Regiment It was a Series A reserve division which contained younger

reservist A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person ca ...

References

Infantry Division, 18 Infantry Division, 18 Infantry divisions of France {{World-War-II-stub