3rd Armored Brigade - Royal Armored Corps.

in April 1940 the 3rd Armored Brigade was formed from the 1st Heavy Armoured Brigade. At least two of the tank regiments were sent to France (3rd and 5th RTR) in May 1940 and the Brigade was then shipped to Egypt in November 1940. In February 1941, the Brigade, under command of 2nd Armored Division, relieved the 7th Armored Division in Libya after Operation Compass. The Brigade was low on tanks, many of which had been withdrawn for an expeditionary force (1st AB) to Greece. Desert training was also lacking, but General Wavell felt the Italians would not be able to regain offensive operations before May 1941, giving him time to reinforce the 3rd AB. Enter Irwin Rommel and the Duetche Afrika Korp.
Rommel sent his armored cars out to probe the British forces opposing him and the weakened state was clearly apparent. In late March 1941, he attacked, The British forces were routed and by the end of April Rommel had pushed the British back into Egypt with the exception of 30,000 men besieged at Tobruk. The 3rd Armored Brigade had been devastated during this phase losing most of its tanks and men with only a handful making it into the Tobruk perimeter. The Brigade was disbanded in January 1942.

OOB: 1939, 1st Heavy Armoured Brigade
2nd RTR, 1939- 8/1940 -1941 to 4th AB
3rd RTR, 1939- 5/1940 BEF, 10/1940- 1/1941 to 1st AB (Greece)
5th RTR, 1939- 4/1941 to 22nd AB
1st King's Dragoon Guards (recce), 2/1941- 3/1941 to X Corps
3rd King's Own Hussars RTR, 2/1941- 4/1941 (on loan from 7th AB)
6th RTR, 2/1941- 4/1941 to 7th AB