Arm shield 18th Metauro Infantry Division wide edge, 1st Officer's type

The division continued the traditions of the "Messina" Brigade, established on 7 June 1883
 with the 93rd "Messina" Infantry Regiment stationed in the Villarey Barracks in Ancona and
 with the 94th "Messina" Infantry Regiment in Lecce. In application of the new order of 1926,
 which provided for an organization based on three regiments for the infantry brigades, the 
157th Infantry Regiment "Lions of Liguria" was added to the "Messina", in the meantime renamed 
the XVIII Infantry Brigade. The brigade and the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment formed the 
"Ancona Territorial Military Division (18th)", which in 1934 became a large operational unit
 with the name of "Metauro Infantry Division (18th)"; the nickname "Metauro" was also extended
 to the brigade, now based on the 93rd and 157th Infantry Regiment [1].

During the period of the war in Ethiopia, from October 1935 until the following November 
the "Metauro" Division was mobilized and deployed in Italian Libya as a precautionary measure
 against possible Anglo-French attacks; during this period a "Metauro II Infantry Division (118ª)"
 was formed to which the 94th Infantry Regiment (left at home) and 62nd Infantry Regiment 
(sold by the "Po" Division) were assigned to a new "Metauro II Infantry Brigade" ", but with the 
return of the" Metauro "this second unit was dissolved [1].

On May 24, 1939, following the program of transformation of the staff of the Royal Army, the 
"Metauro" Brigade was dissolved and the 18th "Messina" Infantry Division was formed in its place, 
with two infantry regiments (the 93rd and the 94th Regiment of the old "Messina" Brigade) and one 
of field artillery (the 2nd Regiment) according to the "binary" arrangement typical of the Italian
 infantry divisions of the time [1].