70 years ago, a day after Adolf Hitler invaded Poland and 1 day before Neville Chamberlain broadcast that Britain was at war with Germany, the 20th Light Armoured Brigade was formed on this day in 1939 as part of the Territorial Army. 

To celebrate the anniversary, all brigade military and civilian staff were invited to a photograph on the steps of the brigade headquarters followed by a huge cake, complete with all the unit cap badges within the brigade.

Commander 20th Armoured Brigade, Brigadier Patrick Sanders DSO OBE, who has served with the brigade previously, cut the cake after a brief introduction and offered the first slices to the youngest and longest serving members in the Brigade Headquarters.

Deputy Commander Colonel Johnny Sernberg commented that the brigade has been at the forefront of operational deployment in recent years and looking at its future, he said: “There is a long history between Paderborn and the brigade and we may be one of the last brigades to leave Germany in the distant future.”

Herr Udo Froehlich, a German MoD civilian has completed 33 years within the brigade area of responsibility and has seen some of the biggest changes in its 70 years history: “I was involved in the drawdown of British forces in Germany after the fall of the Berlin wall where the numbers were reduced to about half.  Its good to be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the brigade.

NAAFI Executive Chef for Normandy Barracks Alan Harper who happily accepted the challenge of making the large 70th anniversary cake has completed 22 years military service and said: “The military and civilian Chefs all worked together to create this cake which is the largest in diameter that we have made and it was good fun.”

History

The Brigade initially served under the Southern Command and its original regiments were the 1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, and 1st and 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry.  On 14th April 1940 it was re-titled the 20th Armoured Brigade; a title it has retained ever since.

The Brigade played a vital role in the defence of the United Kingdom during the first year of the Second World War.  In May 1940, due to the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force from France and the increased threat of invasion, a Brigade force known as the Yeomanry Armoured Detachment was formed to defend the coast of East Anglia. 

In June 1940 the Brigade became part of the 1st Armoured Division, which was being reorganised after it had returned depleted from Dunkirk.  With the Battle of Britain being fought overhead, brigade troops were tasked with conducting anti-invasion exercises and the reconnaissance of all roads leading to the coast, covering most of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

The Brigade continued to serve in Home Forces under various commands until January 1943.  At this time the Brigade became a training formation and in 1943 the 20th Armoured Brigade was disbanded.

Cold War Era

During the Cold War Era, 20th Armoured Brigade was reformed in the UK for a strategic reserve role in 1950.  However the Brigade was moved to Münster, Germany in December 1951 to supplement the British contribution to NATO forces as part of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR).

In 1957, It assumed the insignia of the “Iron Fist” symbol that it wears to this day. 

In September 1959, The Royal Corps of Signals reorganised all of their independent squadrons into a single numbering system from 200 upwards.  This meant that when the Brigade’s Signal Squadron adopted the title “200” in 1962, it automatically became the 'Senior Signal Squadron' in the British Army by precedence.  Two years later it amalgamated with the Brigade's Headquarters Squadron. This combined role is still in place today and together the two separate units are designated as “20th Armoured Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (200)”.

On 22nd June 1974, 20th Armoured Brigade and the Bundeswehr’s 21st Panzer Brigade, based in Augustdorf, held a partnership parade to emphasise the confidence and understanding which exists between the allied forces of the NATO countries; this partnership continues today.

Post-Cold War

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the “Options for Change” programme the Brigade merged with the 33rd Armoured Brigade and moved its headquarters to Barker Barracks, Paderborn where it came under the command of the 1st (UK) Armoured Division.  By 1994 the overall troop strength in Germany had been halved and BAOR was replaced by British Forces Germany (BFG).

The Brigade units consist of 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards which is the Formation Reconnaissance (Recce) regiment, The Queens Royal Hussars provide the armoured element with Challenger 2 tanks, 1st battalion the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment and 5th Battalion The Rifles provide the Armoured Infantry element with Warriors, while 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment consist of light role infantry.

The Brigade’s affiliated units also bring a wealth of additional resources in support of training and operations and include 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, 35 Engineer Regiment, 3 Close Support Battalion REME, 1 Logistic Support Regiment and 110 Provost Company Royal Military Police