7th Armoured Brigade ( United Kingdom ) The 7th Armoured Brigade is a formation of the British Army . The brigade is also known as the ' Desert Rats ' , a nickname formerly held by the 7th Armoured Division . History . The brigade was raised from garrison troops stationed in North Africa in 1938 . It was initially known as the Light Armoured Brigade which was part of the Mobile Division in Egypt . When the Mobile Division became 7th Armoured Division , the Light Armoured Brigade became the 7th Armoured Brigade in February 1940 . The 7th Armoured Division had a red jerboa ( a nocturnal rodent indigenous to North Africa ) as its emblem and became known as ' The Desert Rats ' . The 7th Brigade , meanwhile , had a green jerboa as its emblem . The 7th Brigade became known as the ' Green Rats ' or the ' Jungle Rats ' after it moved to Burma in 1942 . Second World War . The Second World War broke out in September 1939 , Britain and France declaring war on Germany after its invasion of Poland . Italy launched an invasion of British - controlled Egypt shortly after entering the war on Germany ' s side in June 1940 . The brigade fought in many of the major battles in North Africa , including Operation " Crusader " in November , fighting at Sidi Rezegh to try to relieve the Commonwealth forces in the port of Tobruk , besieged by Axis forces . It moved to Burma in early 1942 just as the Japanese were pushing the Allies back . The brigade took part in the fighting retreat to India , successfully completed in May just before the monsoons would have cut them off . The 7th Armoured returned to the Middle East in 1943 , based in Iraq and later Egypt . With Axis forces defeated in North Africa , the brigade ' s time was a quiet one until it moved to Italy in 1944 where it remained for the duration of the war ; fighting as part of the I Canadian Corps . Post Second World War . Reformation . Shortly after the end of the Second World War , the 7th Armoured Brigade was disbanded and the 22nd Armoured Brigade was re - designated as the 7th Armoured Brigade , based in Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR ) . After the 7th Armoured Division was disbanded in 1958 the 7th Armoured Brigade adopted its insignia and nickname , perpetuating the history of the famed division . It formed part of 1st ( UK ) Armoured Division when this was formed in 1976 . After being briefly converted to " Task Force Alpha " in the late 1970s , the brigade was reinstated in 1981 . Kuwait and Iraq . The 7th Armoured Brigade returned to the desert when it arrived in Saudi Arabia in October 1990 as part of Operation " Granby " , intended to protect Saudi Arabia from invasion by Saddam Hussain ' s Iraq . The brigade , commanded by Brigadier Patrick Cordingley , later took part in the Coalition of the Gulf War ground campaign to liberate Iraqi - occupied Kuwait on 24 February 1991 that began after a sustained air campaign . The Desert Rats , along with the rest of 1st Armoured Division , carried out a left - hook manoeuvre that swung round the Iraqi Republican Guard . The brigade advanced deep into Iraqi territory , encountering some armour of the Republican Guard . The ground campaign formally ended on 28 February with the liberation of Kuwait achieved . Balkans . The brigade deployed to Bosnia in May 1994 as part of the NATO IFOR peacekeeping organisation there . The brigade returned for another tour - of - duty in April 1997 , joining IFOR ' s NATO replacement known as SFOR . After the Kosovo War in 1999 , the 7th Armoured Brigade returned to the Balkans for a tour - of - duty in Kosovo in 2000 , based in the capital Pristina . Iraq . Just before Operation " Telic " began ( Britain ' s contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq ) , the brigade , commanded by Brigadier Graham Binns , moved to Kuwait where it undertook extensive training and was ' desertised ' for service in the Middle East . The brigade , consisting of 112 Challenger 2 tank s , 140 Warriors and 32 AS - 90 155 mm self - propelled howitzers , entered Iraq on 21 March . The main objective of the Desert Rats was to advance towards Iraq ' s second largest city , Basra , and help encircle and isolate it . The brigade , led by the 1st Fusiliers Battlegroup , made a rapid advance towards the city and soon reached its outskirts , securing Basra Airport and the critical bridges across the Shatt al - Arab . The advance by the brigade met sporadic though fierce resistance , with The Queen ' s Royal Irish Hussars , including an engagement between 14 Challenger 2s of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and 14 Iraqi tanks , all of the Iraqi tanks being destroyed ; it was the largest tank engagement by the British Army since WWII . Initially the Brigade was faced by very spirited but un - coordinated attacks from Basra and in the town of Az Zubayr . These attacks were initially orchestrated by members of the Iraqi secret police , who used violence and threats against family members to coerce men to attack the Desert Rats and other elements of 1st Armoured Division . As their influence waned , so did the frequency and ferocity of the Iraqi attacks . The 1st Armoured Division , including 7th Brigade , then undertook a number of raids into the city against specific targets , but in a plan that was very patient bided their time on the outskirts of Basra . On 6 April the Desert Rats , led by Challenger 2s of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards , Queen ' s Royal Lancers and 2nd Royal Tank Regiment with Warriors of the 1st Fusiliers , Irish Guards and Black Watch pushed into the city on 6 April and stayed . They met sporadic resistance from Iraqi soldiers and irregulars known as Fedayeen . Basra was , for the most part , now controlled by 1st Division though further engagements did take place . The war was officially declared over on 1 May . The Desert Rats remained in Iraq after the war , acting as peacekeepers and helping to rebuild the country while based in the British sector in the south of Iraq . The brigade began to leave in late June , being replaced by 19th Mechanised Brigade . Reorganization . On 5 March 2013 , British Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond announced that that the 7th Armoured Brigade would have its Challenger 2 tanks and heavy armoured battalions removed over the next decade . The Brigade itself will be re - designated as the 7th Infantry Brigade , but retains its famed ' Desert Rats ' insignia . It will form part of the Adaptable Force under Army 2020 . The decision was met with regret by former 7th Armoured Brigade commander Patrick Cordingley , who said that the " changes would still dismay veterans and the general public " . Brigade composition . Brigade units . Attached units : Brigade Commanders . Recent commanders have included :