7th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) 7th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) The 7th Armoured Brigade was an armoured brigade formation of the British Army. The brigade is also known as the 'Desert Rats', a nickname formerly held by the 7th Armoured Division, of which the brigade formed a part of during the Second World War until late 1941. 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
7th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht) to the west and 7th Panzer Division to the east, flanked by the SS Division Totenkopf. The following day the British launched a counterattack, deploying two infantry battalions supported by heavily armoured Matilda Mk I and Matilda II tanks in the Battle of Arras. The German 37 mm anti-tank gun proved ineffective against the heavily armoured Matildas. The 25th Panzer Regiment and a battery of anti-aircraft guns were called in to support, and the British withdrew. On 24 May, Hitler issued a halt order. The reason for this decision is still a matter of debate. He may have overestimated the