Read on Twitter
#OTD in 1941 7 Armoured Brigade crossed the wire on the Libyan/Egyptian border, the first combat formation to cross. It lasted less than a week in battle. @KarlJames_1945 @robert_lyman @militaryhistori @BloodPhilip @CedricMas @bermicourt https://crusaderproject.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/order-of-battle-of-7th-armoured-brigade-for-operation-crusader/
The Brigade penetrated farthest into enemy territory and met its fate at Sidi Rezegh, where it was annihilated between 20 and 23 November. It's three regiments were 2 & 6 @RoyalTankRegt and 7 @ChurchillsOwn Hussars. By the end of November, only 2 R.T.R. operated as a squadron.
6 R.T.R. were the first to go, crossing the ridge north of Sidi Rezegh on 21 Nov into an AT gun front. The regiment was torn apart with heavy losses, its CO killed. There are claims that Rommel personally directed the AT guns but I have no evidence of this https://crusaderproject.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/the-short-but-violent-operation-crusader-of-6-rtr/
Meanwhile, 7 Hussars faced a German armoured attack which simply steamrollered them. Their CO was also killed in the engagement. https://crusaderproject.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/operational-report-7th-queens-own-hussars-december-1941/
2 R.T.R. was luckier than these, but the relentless battle of Sidi Rezegh ground it up too. It returned to the battle a week later, to join 4 Armoured Brigade as Composite Squadron NEMO within the composite regiment formed by 22 Armoured Brigade. https://crusaderproject.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/diary-of-composite-squadron-2-rtr-nemo-from-date-of-joining-4-armd-bde/
It was soon withdrawn again, and returned to the Delta. 7 Armoured Brigade was re-equipped with US-built M3 Stuart light tanks, and moved to Burma to shore up the Empire defences against the Japanese moves into South Asia.
