4th Armoured Brigade
4th Armoured Brigade is one of three UK Armoured Brigades based in Germany - the others are 7th and 20th Armoured Brigades. They are all under the command of 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division based in Herford, Germany. The Brigade symbol is a black rat (jerboa), a legacy of operations in North Africa during WW2.
When the "Mobile Division (Egypt)" was formed after the Munich crisis in the autumn of 1938, it consisted of a light Brigade, the old Cairo Cavalry Brigade, a Heavy Armoured Group and a pivot Group. The Heavy Armoured Group consisted of the 1st and 6th Royal Tank Regiment. In January 1940, Mobile Division (Egypt) was renamed 7th Armoured Division and the Light Armoured Group became 4th Armoured Brigade. The Brigade was at the time in Main Barracks at Abbassia, having returned from the desert near Mersa Matruch at the end of November 1939, when it was clear that Italy was not at that time going to declare war.
Soon after it's birth, the Brigade was re-organised and consisted of 6th RTR and 7th Hussars. On the night of 10/11 June 1940 war against Italy was declared. The Brigade's first action was the attack on Fort Capuzza.
At eight o'clock on the morning of May 5th 1945, 4th Armoured Brigade with varying units under command finished five years of fighting during which it had seldom been out of the line. It had fought in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, ending up in Bergdof between Geesthacht and Hamburg.
The sign of the Black Desert Rat was introduced early in 1940.
4th and 7th Armoured Brigade were proud of their freedom and mobility in 7th Armoured Division. All soldiers in the Division were proud to think of themselves as Desert Rats after the hardy, highly mobile Jerboa.
The Brigade was disbanded in March 1948 and reformed in Munster in 1981.
The Brigade served in the Gulf War on Operation GRANBY from 12 December 1990 to 12 April 1991.
On January 15th 1993, the Brigade Headquarters moved to Osnabrück as part of Options for Change.
In November 1993 the Brigade Headquarters and 1 Coldstream Guards deployed to Bosnia as part of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force, initially tasked with humanitarian relief.
The Brigade deployed to Bosnia for a second Operation GRAPPLE tour in October 1995. In December 1995 it changed role to become the first Operation RESOLUTE Brigade Headquarters under the Implementation Force in Bosnia. In April 1996 the Brigade returned from Bosnia.
In February 1999 the Brigade deployed to Macedonia on Operation AGRICOLA 1, and on the signing of the Military Agreement it was the first British brigade to move into Kosovo on June 12th 1999. It stayed there until relieved in August of the same year.
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