| Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt) 4th Armoured Brigade 4th Armoured Brigade Group 4th Mechanized Brigade 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East 4th Light Brigade Combat Team | |
|---|---|
 Current insignia of the 4th Infantry Brigade & HQ North East. | |
| Active | 1939–1945 1976–Present |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 1st (United Kingdom) Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Catterick, North Yorkshire |
| Engagements | Second World War
Gulf War Bosnian War Kosovo Campaign Iraq War Afghanistan |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brigadier R J Singleton |
| Notable commanders | Michael Carver |
4th Light Brigade Combat Team, provides light infantry mass, offering significant utility in operate tasks and with the ability to surge ground manoeuvre units by air or sea to reinforce UK forces or partners[1].Previously known as 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, and before that as 4th Mechanized Brigade and before that 4th Armoured Brigade is a brigade formation of the British Army, currently based in Catterick, North Yorkshire as part of 1st (United Kingdom) Division.[2] The brigade, now known as the 'Black Rats', was formed in 1939 and fought in the Second World War in the Western Desert Campaign in North Africa. The Black Rats were subsequently involved in the invasion of Sicily and fighting in Italy before taking part in the Battle of Normandy and the advance through Belgium, Holland and into Germany.[3]
More recently, the Brigade took part in the First Gulf War and completed a number of tours to the Balkans during the 1990s. The Black Rats have also since deployed twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan as the lead formation.
- ^ British Army (2021). "Future Soldier" (PDF).
- ^ 4th Mechanized Brigade, British Army, retrieved 15 February 2017
- ^ Brigadier RMP Carter (1945). The History of the 4th Armoured Brigade. ISBN 978-1470119645.