Royal Tank Regiment

The Royal Tank Regiment is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is an armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks and structured under 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team. Formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps, it is part of the Royal Armoured Corps.

History

First World War

The formation of the Royal Tank Regiment followed the invention of the tank. Tanks were first used at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme in the First World War. They were at first considered artillery, and crews received artillery pay. At that time the six tank companies were grouped as the Heavy Section of the Machine Gun Corps. In November 1916 the eight companies then in existence were each expanded to form battalions and designated the Heavy Branch MGC; another seven battalions, I to O, were formed by January 1918, when all the battalions were changed to numbered units. On 28 July 1917, the Heavy Branch was separated from the rest of the Corps by Royal Warrant and given official status as the Tank Corps. The formation of new battalions continued and, by December 1918, 26 had been created though only 25 battalions were equipped with tanks, as the 17th had converted to armoured cars in April 1918. The first commander of the Tank Corps was Hugh Elles. The Corps saw much action at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917.

Interwar period

After the war, the Tank Corps was trimmed down to a central depot and four battalions: the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th battalions. On 18 October 1923, it was officially given the title Royal making it the Royal Tank Corps by Colonel-in-Chief King George V. It was at this time that the motto, "Fear Naught", the black beret, and the unit badge were adopted. In 1933, the 6th Battalion, RTC was formed in Egypt by combining the personnel of the 3rd and 5th Regular Army Armoured Car Companies. In 1934, the 1st Battalion, RTC was formed in England with personnel drawn from the 2nd, 3rd & 5th Battalions. With the preparations for war in the late 1930s, two more Regular Army battalions were formed: the 7th in 1937 and the 8th in 1938. In the latter half of 1938, six TA infantry battalions were converted to tank battalions; with a further six created in 1939 following the "duplication" of the TA.
During the early 1920s, the Tank Corps was augmented by 20 armoured car companies: twelve Regular Army, created using MGC elements; and eight Territorial Army created by the reduction and conversion of Yeomanry regiments. Eight of the Regular Army companies were later converted into independent light tank companies; all twelve companies had been disbanded by the outbreak of the Second World War.

Battalion	Origin
40th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	conversion of 7th Battalion, King's Regiment
41st Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	conversion of 10th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
42nd Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	conversion of 7th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment
43rd Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	conversion of 6th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
44th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	conversion of 6th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
45th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	conversion of 7th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment
46th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	duplicate of 40th RTC
47th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	duplicate of 41st RTC
48th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	duplicate of 42nd RTC
49th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	duplicate of 43rd RTC
50th Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	duplicate of 44th RTC
51st Battalion, Royal Tank Corps	duplicate of 45th RTC

On 4 April 1939, the Royal Tank Corps was renamed the Royal Tank Regiment and became a wing of the newly created Royal Armoured Corps. The eight Yeomanry Armoured Car Companies of the RTR were activated and transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps. Before the Second World War, Royal Tank Corps recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall. They initially enlisted for six years with the colours and a further six years with the reserve. They trained at the Royal Tank Corps Depot at Bovington Camp, Dorset for about eight months.

Second World War

At the outbreak of war, the regiment consisted of 20 battalions, 8 regular and 12 territorial.

Regular Army
*Heavy Armoured Brigade : 1st RTR and 6th RTR
*1st Heavy Armoured Brigade: 2nd RTR, 3rd RTR and 5th RTR
*1st Army Tank Brigade: 4th RTR, 7th RTR and 8th RTR
Territorial Army
*21st Army Tank Brigade: 42nd RTR, 44th RTR and 48th RTR
*23rd Army Tank Brigade: 40th RTR, 46th RTR and 50th RTR
*24th Army Tank Brigade: 41st RTR, 45th RTR and 47th RTR
*25th Army Tank Brigade: 43rd RTR, 49th RTR and 51st RTR

During the course of the war, four "hostilities-only" battalions were formed: the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. 11 RTR formed part of 79th Armoured Division, initially equipped with "Canal Defence Light" tanks, it converted to "Buffalo" not long after D-Day and participated in the amphibious landing on Walcheren island and the assault crossing of the Rhine. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was ferried across the Rhine in a Buffalo from 'C' Squadron, 11RTR.
The Regiment's numerous units took part in countless battles in the Second World War, including the Battle of Dunkirk, El Alamein, Italian Campaign, Burma Campaign and D-Day landings of 6 June 1944. Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery would frequently wear the regiment's beret, with his Field Marshal's badge sewn on next to the regimental cap badge, as it was more practical whilst travelling on a tank than either a formal peaked hat or the Australian slouch hat he previously wore.

Post-war period

After service in the Korean War, the RTR was reduced through various amalgamations, firstly, in 1959–60:

3 RTR and 6 RTR amalgamated as 3 RTR
4 RTR and 7 RTR amalgamated as 4 RTR
5 RTR and 8 RTR amalgamated as 5 RTR

In 1969, 5RTR was disbanded, while, in 1992 under Options for Change, 4RTR amalgamated with 1RTR, and 3RTR amalgamated with 2RTR.
The Royal Tank Regiment continued to see action including missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. Elements of 1RTR were deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 and both regiments were involved in the invasion of Iraq, with the 2RTR battlegroup involved in taking Basra. Both regiments continued deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, with the final tour to Afghanistan taking place in 2013.
On 2 August 2014, 1RTR and 2RTR amalgamated at Bulford, and for the first time in its history the Royal Tank Regiment became a "Single Battalion" regiment. The new regiment is titled the Royal Tank Regiment.

Squadron history

Ajax

Ajax is the youngest squadron within the amalgamated Royal Tank Regiment. The previous squadron to bear the name was disbanded in 1993, but the current Ajax Squadron upholds the long-standing traditions of both 1 RTR and 2 RTR.
During the First World War, on April 24, 1918, the first recorded tank-on-tank engagement occurred during the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. A Company, operating a Mk IV tank under the command of Lieutenant Frank Mitchell, engaged three German A7Vs and emerged victorious. The company continued to see intense combat for the remainder of the war, including at the Battle of Amiens, where British forces advanced up to 20 miles through enemy lines.
The squadron’s predecessors played a significant role in the Second World War, fighting in key battles across Tobruk, Burma, Iraq, Syria, and Italy. After 1945, 1 RTR was deployed to Hong Kong as the last regular unit to operate the Comet tank. A Squadron took part in 1 RTR’s deployment to Korea between 1952 and 1953, where the regiment fired 24,000 main armament rounds in support of the Commonwealth Division. Subsequent deployments included Aden in 1965, where A Squadron operated from landing ship, tanks around the Persian Gulf. During the Troubles, the regiment conducted multiple dismounted operational tours in Northern Ireland, including rotations through the infamous Maze prison.
In 1977, Ajax transitioned into a medium reconnaissance squadron, equipped with CVR Scorpion and Scimitar vehicles. The squadron later reequipped with Challenger 1 tanks in 1984 while stationed in Fallingbostel, Germany. Following the amalgamation of 2 RTR and 3 RTR in 1992, AJAX was disbanded, and 1 RTR restructured its squadrons as A, D, G, and H in tribute to the original Heavy Branch of the Machine Gun Corps.
By 1997, A Squadron was assigned the role of the training and demonstration armored squadron within the Land Warfare Centre Battlegroup at Harman Lines. Personnel rotated through tank and CBRN roles while also supporting other squadrons in operations such as Op TELIC and Op HERRICK.
During the 2014 amalgamation of 1 RTR and 2 RTR, A Squadron continued the legacy of 1 RTR under the reestablished name Ajax.

Badger

During the First World War, B Battalion of the Heavy Section Machine Gun Corps evolved into B Battalion of the Tank Corps before eventually becoming the 2nd Battalion Tank Corps. The battalion took part in 11 major engagements, including battles at Messines, Ypres, Cambrai, and Villers-Bretonneux. Its performance in combat was highly regarded, earning 116 gallantry awards, including 33 Military Crosses and 50 Military Medals.
By the time the Second World War began, the battalion had transitioned from the 2nd Battalion Tank Corps to the 2nd Battalion Royal Tank Corps, eventually becoming the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment with the formation of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1939. The regiment saw action in every theater of the war, initially on the Western Front before moving to North Africa, where it engaged in tank battles at Sidi Omar, Beda Fomm, and Sidi Barrani, as well as in a dismounted role during the Siege of Tobruk.
Following the conclusion of the Western Desert campaign, the regiment deployed to India and Burma, where it introduced an unconventional use of armored vehicles in mountainous jungle terrain. Despite the difficult conditions, the regiment effectively engaged Japanese forces in an environment not traditionally suited for tanks, earning recognition from both Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Slim.
After completing operations in India and Burma, the regiment underwent training in Iraq and Syria before participating in the Italian campaign. It fought its way from the beaches of Sicily to the River Po, demonstrating adaptability by transitioning from desert warfare to close-quarters combat. The campaign concluded with the regiment crossing the Alps into Austria at the time of Germany’s surrender.
Post-war, the regiment was stationed in Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine, with garrisons in Fallingbostel and Hohne, while also conducting peacekeeping operations in Northern Ireland. In 1992, it merged with the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment. Throughout the 1990s, the regiment continued peacekeeping deployments, serving in Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Kosovo, and Bosnia.
In 2003, the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment deployed under the 7th Armoured Brigade, The Desert Rats, leading the assault during Op TELIC 1 in Iraq. It returned to Iraq for further deployments, contributing forces to Op TELIC 2, 9, and 10, operating Challenger 2 and Warrior vehicles. Additionally, the regiment took part in Op HERRICK 6, 10, 11, 13, and 18 in Afghanistan, demonstrating its versatility by operating Viking, Warthog, and Mastiff vehicles in diverse combat environments.
Badger is named after the Mark IV Tank commanded by the Officer in Charge of B Battalion, Tank Corps, in 1917. This tradition led to the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment’s practice of naming its Squadrons after the OC’s vehicle.