The 18th Armoured Regiment disembarked at
Taranto on 22 October 1943 and gradually travelled north towards the
Sangro River, which it duly crossed on 3 December. The advance had been slow due to mine fields and delaying ambushes by the Germans. Pleasants, the regiment's commanding officer, was slightly wounded by artillery fire and Major Hugh Green briefly took over. He was mortally wounded by artillery fire on 3 December at the village of Melone, to the north of the Sangro River. Two days later the regiment, with Pleasants back in command, mounted an attack on the German positions at Melone but this failed and seven tanks became stuck. The crews remained with the tanks until they were recovered at the beginning of 1944.
Orsogna In the following weeks, the regiment supported first the 6th, and then the 5th Brigades in their attacks on
Orsogna, as part of the
Moro River Campaign. The tanks struggled to break into Orsogna and although the infantry made some gains, the German defences were too strong and the attack soon faded into a stalemate, with a number of back and forth actions as winter set in. These movements saw many of the regiment's tanks become stuck in the sodden ground. Offensive operations around Orsogna ceased in late December and the New Zealanders withdrew from the area on 13 January 1944. Following its withdrawal from the area around Orsogna, the 2nd New Zealand Division was one of a number of divisions that were transferred from the Eighth Army to the
Fifth Army, then engaged on the western side of the
Apennines. This was part of an overall strategy to breach the
Gustav Line and break an otherwise deadlocked Italian front. Together with the
4th Indian Division and supporting British and American artillery, the division formed the
New Zealand Corps with Freyberg, now a lieutenant general, in command. The corps moved to
Cassino, the defenders of which had resisted Allied forces for several weeks, on 12 February 1944 to replace the American
II Corps.
Cassino As at Orsogna, the 18th Armoured Regiment was to play a supporting role in the forthcoming
attack on Cassino, with the infantry of the 5th and 6th Brigades bearing the brunt of the battle. When the attack began on 15 March, the regiment was initially held as a reserve, ready to exploit any breakthrough by the infantry but this did not eventuate. The infantry struggled to make progress in the face of determined resistance. The regiment's tanks were first used at Cassino as artillery support for two weeks, each squadron being rotated in three-day stints to a position overlooking the town. Then in mid-April, one squadron was detached to remain on the Cassino front while the other two squadrons were withdrawn for training. The regiment remained fragmented into May, for once training was completed, another squadron was detached and sent into Cassino itself to man tanks which had been effectively set up as pillboxes. By the end of May, the regiment was reunited and at full strength. It was briefly detached from the 2nd New Zealand Division and, placed under the direction of the 8th Indian Division, participated in operations north of the Liri Valley. Returning to the control of the 2nd New Zealand Division, it supported the infantry brigades as the New Zealanders advanced to Florence, duly entering the city in August. After this, the division was transferred to the
I Canadian Corps, then on the Adriatic Coast, and advanced up to Rimini. On 19 and 20 October, the 4th Armoured Brigade was involved in its first and only action as a brigade in an attack towards the
Savio River, with the 18th Armoured Regiment on the right flank. This was primarily a tank action, in contrast to previous battles in which the armour supported the infantry. The attack was a success and pushed the Germans across the Savio, although their progress had been slower than expected because of poor weather and muddy conditions. After the crossing of the Savio, the 2nd New Zealand Division was withdrawn from the front for rest and refit. During this period, the regiment received upgunned Shermans; these new tanks were known as the
Firefly. After a month, the New Zealanders returned to the front at Romagna and they advanced to the
Lamone River in anticipation of a crossing but instead supported the British
46th Division in its attack across the river on 3 December. During this operation, the tanks of the 18th Regiment fired 6,200 shells in a single day. It then attacked towards the
Senio River, supporting infantry from the 5th Brigade. The division was positioned along the Senio River for three months, over the worst of the winter period. The regiment spent most of this time behind the lines at
Forlì and
Faenza, or on short spells on the Senio frontlines. Relieved by a Polish unit in March 1945, the regiment returned to the front lines in early April after a period of rest. It made a
series of advances against the retreating German rearguard and on 2 May, the 2nd New Zealand Division entered
Trieste. While most of the German garrison quickly surrendered, it was necessary to deal with some diehard elements who refused to surrender to either the New Zealanders or the
Yugoslav partisans also present in the city. The partisans were reluctant to allow Germans to surrender to the New Zealanders, and the regiment remained in Trieste for several weeks until the large numbers of Yugoslav partisans withdrew. Not required for service in the Pacific theatre of operations, the regiment was disbanded in December 1945. During the war, the 18th Battalion and its successor, the 18th Armoured Regiment, lost nearly 320 officers and men either killed in action or who later died of their wounds. Of the exactly 350 personnel made prisoners of war, a further 21 men died while in captivity. ==Honours==