7th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) 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 Armoured 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. The Second World War broke out in September 1939, with both Britain and France declaring war on Germany after the German Army invaded Poland. Italy launched an invasion of British-controlled Egypt shortly after entering the war on Germany's side in
4th Armoured Division (France, 1964) 4th Armoured Division (France, 1964) The 4th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the French Army formed between 1964 and 1970. It should not be confused with the 4e Division cuirassée, a French armored division that saw service in the 1940 campaign. Initially the 4th Armoured Division had its headquarters at Verdun, and on 1 June 1968, the 3rd Engineer Regiment (3e régiment du genie) at Mézières came under the division's command. After the small-divisions reorganisation of 1977, in which three-brigade divisions were reduced to about five manoeuvre battalions each, its headquarters moved to Nancy (4 RCS). Also on