18th Machine Gun Artillery Division

The 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division is a division (military) of the Russian Ground Forces.

It was first formed as the 184th Red Banner Rifle Division (184-я Краснознамëнная стрелковая дивизия, abbreviated: 184-я сд) which was a Soviet Red Army division during World War II (till 1940 – 2nd Division of Lithuania). It was with 29th Rifle Corps of 11th Army on June 22, 1941, as part of the Baltic Military District. Most of the soldiers rebelled and joined the cause of the Lithuanian Activist Front. Some of its remnants went to make up the Second Formation of the 16th Rifle Division. Its Second Formation was activated in October 1941, a redesignation of the 4th NKVD Rifle Division, which had been active in the Crimea since September 1941. The Division fought as part of the 62nd Army during the Battle of Stalingrad under Colonel Koida from July 17 to September 15, 1942.

Among most notable division members was Roza Shanina. On July 12, 1944 the division liberated Trakai jointly with the 45th Rifle Corps. During the counter-offensive in Eastern Prussia the division hoisted the flag of the Soviet Union on the Soviet state border. It was then transferred to the Far East and fought as part of 45th Rifle Corps, 5th Army, during the invasion of Manchuria.

During the war the division was part of the 2nd Guards Corps (39th Army), 3rd Tank Army, 5th Army, 62nd Army.

On June 8, 1946 on the basis of the 184th Rifle Division and the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Brigade, the 18th Machine-Gun Artillery Division was created in Primorski Krai, comprising the 38, 40, and 49th Machine-Gun Artillery Regiments.

It was reformed from the 129th Motor Rifle Training Division in 1978.

But the division at this number was already deployed in the end of 1970s on Kuriles.