The 25th Army Tank Brigade was an

armoured Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

that was active before and during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It served with the

British First Army The First Army was a formation of the British Army that existed during the First and Second World Wars. The First Army included Indian and Portuguese forces during the First World War and American and French units during the Second World War. F ...

and the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces ...

during the battles in North Africa and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

The unit was formed on 3 September 1939 as a 2nd Line Territorial Army Tank Brigade, but had very few tanks. On 28 May 1940, it was converted to the 2nd Motor Machine Gun Brigade in recognition of this lack of tanks, but converted back to an Army Tank Brigade on 10 December 1940. It was redesignated the 25th Tank Brigade on 1 June 1942. Churchill tanks advance to Gothic Line August 1944 IWM NA 18088

Churchill tanks advance to Gothic Line August 1944 IWM NA 18088

It fought in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

under the British First Army and in the

as part of the British Eighth Army.

Commanding officers

* Brig. T.D. Murray * Brig. R.H. Maxwell * Lieut. Col. D. Dawnay (acting) * Brig.

James Noel Tetley Brigadier James Noel Tetley (30 December 1898 – 25 December 1971) was a member of a prominent Yorkshire brewing family and a senior British Army officer who saw active service in the Italian Campaign during the Second World War. Early life J ...

* Brig. E.W.H. Clarke

Order of battle

* 43rd Royal Tank Regiment (until 28 May 1940, rejoined 27 April, left 17 October 1941) * 49th Royal Tank Regiment (until 28 May 1940, rejoined 27 April 1941, left 28 February 1942) * 51st (Leeds Rifles) Royal Tank Regiment (until 28 May, rejoined 10 December 1940, left 1 January 1945) * 11th Royal Tank Regiment (from 10 December 1940, left 26 April 1941, rejoined 29 February, left 5 August 1942) *

12th Royal Tank Regiment 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

(from 10 December 1940, left 26 April 1941) * 142nd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (from 9 November 1941, disbanded 18 December 1944) * 151st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (from 5 August, left 2 September 1942) *

North Irish Horse The North Irish Horse was a yeomanry unit of the British Territorial Army raised in the northern counties of Ireland in the aftermath of the Second Boer War. Raised and patronised by the nobility from its inception to the present day, it was o ...

(from 3 September 1942 until 3 December 1944)

Notes

References

* *

External links