18th Mechanized Division (Poland)

The 18th "Żelazna" Mechanised Division (18. Dywizja Piechoty) is 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.

The division was established in its modern form in September 2018 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-2020's.

History
It was formed in 1919 from the units of the Blue Army.

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.

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.

During the next days the Division was engaged in heavy fights with units of General Heinz Guderian's XIX Panzer 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 killed by them probably in 1940 (see: Katyn Massacre). The division effectively ceased to exist.

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).

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.

Structure
The 18th Mechanised Division (nicknamed The Iron Division) is headquartered in Siedlce and is structured as follows:
 * 18th Staff Battalion in Siedlce
 * 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade "Tadeusz Kościuszko" in Wesoła
 * Command Battalion in Wesoła
 * Tank Battalion in Wesoła with Leopard 2A5 main battle tanks
 * 1st Mechanised Battalion in Chełm with BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicles
 * 3rd Mechanised Battalion in Zamość with BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicles
 * Self-propelled Artillery Group in Chełm with 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm self-propelled howitzers
 * Anti-aircraft Group in Siedlce with ZUR-23-2 kg "Jodek-G" anti-aircraft systems and Grom surface-to-air missiles
 * Reconnaissance Company in Siedlce with BRDM-2 vehicles
 * Engineer Company in Siedlce
 * Logistic Battalion in Wesoła
 * 21st Podhale Rifles (Mountain) Brigade "Brig. Gen. Mieczysław Boruta-Spiechowicz" in Rzeszów
 * 21st Command Battalion in Rzeszów
 * 1st Tank Battalion in Żurawica with T-72M1 main battle tanks
 * 1st Podhale Rifles Battalion in Rzeszow with BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicles
 * 5th Podhale Rifles Battalion in Przemyśl with BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicles
 * 22nd Carpathian Mountains Infantry Battalion in Kłodzko with BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicles
 * 14th Self-propelled Artillery Group in Jarosław with 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers
 * 21st Anti-aircraft Group in Jarosław with Hibneryt anti-aircraft systems and Grom surface-to-air missiles
 * 16th Engineer Battalion in Nisko
 * 21st Logistic Battalion in Rzeszów

In September 2019 the 19th Mechanized Brigade will be activated in Lublin and join the division.