THE DESERT RATS OF NORTH AFRICA

______While many people remember the name of the famous Afrika Korps of World War II, far fewer remember one of the most colorful and courageous units of the British Army, one that goes on long after the final defeat of the DAK. The Desert Rat emblem is the proud symbol of the 7th Armoured Brigade.
______During the campaign that flowed and ebbed across the North African desert, the Desert Rats fought time and time again against Rommel's elite Afrika Korps and its not-so-elite Italian contingent. The 7th Armoured Division, as it was known then, gave as good as it got and finally began giving a little BETTER than it got. The Afrika Korps went into captivity while the victorious Desert Rats went on to fight in Italy.

______The symbol of the kangaroo rat was bestowed on the 7th Armoured Brigade in 1959 following the disbandment of the division. The brigade served as part of the British Army of the Rhine during the Cold War, facing incredible odds as the Soviet juggernaut on the other side of the Iron Curtain outnumbered NATO's tanks, sometimes by three to one. Superior training and technology were the key to defeating the Soviets and were embodied by the Desert Rats.
______During the First Gulf War the Desert Rats were again called to fight in the desert, this time in Arabia and Iraq. They smashed through the Iraqis and proved the worth of their Challenger II tanks.
______Following a stint of peacekeeping in the Balkans, the Desert Rats are again writing history in the ongoing battles of Gulf War II. Once again, the 7th Armoured is living up to the reputation hard-won in the battles of North Africa in the fight against Saddam's fascist regime.

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