http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/18.htm
March 18th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM: London: Walt Disney’s new film Pinocchio opens to a warm reception from the critics.
London: A new organisation is formed to liaise between the British and French colonial authorities.
Destroyer HMS Highlander commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
NETHERLANDS: Submarine HNLMS O-24 launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-202 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
ITALY: Brennaro: Hitler and Mussolini met today on the railway station on the Austrian border, and set the world speculating on the possibility of a peace plan. Contrary to the speculation, within two hours of discussion, Hitler extracted a promise that Italy would, eventually, come into the war.
Mussolini was the first to arrive, in his armoured train, 30 minutes later Hitler’s train steamed in to a fanfare of trumpets and two national anthems, followed by the Deutschlandlied and the Horst Wessel song. The two dictators exchanged fascist salutes and walked the length of the platform to Mussolini’s saloon car for talks over a small table behind drawn blinds. They were joined later by their foreign ministers, Count Ciano and von Ribbentrop. It is understood that Ciano is strongly opposed to Italian intervention. The atmosphere at the talks was described as cordial.
U.S.A.: Destroyers USS Edison and Ericsson laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 200 March 18, 1940
Mussolini and Hitler meet in the Brenner Pass at the Austrian-Italian border to reaffirm their pact of Steel. Mussolini makes vague promises to enter the war on the side of Germany “at an opportune moment”, believing that Hitler is overoptimistic in his plans for dominance in Europe. Things will move faster than he thinks.
The British and French public and newspapers clamour for explanations for the failure to help Finland in the Winter War. The French government of Édouard Daladier comes under particular criticism for the lack of action in Finland, as well as Poland and on the German border.
German bombers of KG26 bomb and strafe Dutch trawler Protinus off the Dutch coast, near Ijmuiden (the captain and first mate are killed). 10 crewmembers abandon ship in a lifeboat but 2 more die at sea. After 6 days in the open boat, the remaining 8 crew will be rescued by British submarine HMS Unity and landed on the East coast of Scotland.