18th (Croatian) Eastern Bosnian Brigade
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The 18th (Croatian) Eastern Bosnian Brigade was a World War 2 military unit of the Yugoslav Partisans. It was formed in October 1943 in the Husino village (in today's Bosnia and Herzegovina) after the capitulation of Italy forced the Germans to move a large part of their forces to the Adriatic coast (in order to disarm the Italian army before the Partisans did). This allowed the Partisans to liberate the lightly guarded city of Tuzla and hold it for 40 days before the Germans retook it in operation Ferkel.
Those forty days allowed Partisans to mobilize over 5,000 citizens of Tuzla and neighboring villages from which a total of three brigades would be formed and become the 27th Eastern Bosnian Division.
First to join the 18th Brigade were coal miners from Kreka, Bukinja, and Moluh, villagers from Spreča river valley and Majevica, mostly Croats. Furthermore, around 80 former Croatian Home Guard officers, NCO's, soldiers and Gendarmes joined the brigade and defected to Partisan side during the capture of Tuzla, totaling 600 men in three battalions, many unarmed.
The Brigade's first casualty was not suffered in combat, Stjepan Presečen from the 2nd Battalion died from a heart attack during the march to Bresko. The Brigade spent the next few weeks training and gathering weapons with occasional skirmishes with Chetnik forces. Some twenty men deserted brigade during the first week of its existence, forcing the staff to work on discipline and moral.[1]
