View source for 7th Royal Tank Regiment

[[File:Matilda Compass.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|right|{{centre|A [[Matilda II|Matilda tank]] of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment in the [[Western Desert (North Africa)|Western Desert]].}}]]

{{Short description|Armoured regiment of the British Army}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{no footnotes|date=March 2013}}
The '''7th Royal Tank Regiment''' ('''7th RTR''') was an [[Armoured warfare|armoured]] [[regiment]] of the [[British Army]] from 1917 until disbandment in 1959.

==History==
The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the [[Royal Tank Regiment]], itself part of the [[Royal Armoured Corps]]. The regiment originally saw action as '''G Battalion, Tank Corps''' in 1917.

Part of the [[1st Army Tank Brigade (United Kingdom)|1st Army Tank Brigade]], 7th RTR saw service in [[France]] in May 1940, alongside the [[4th Royal Tank Regiment]] and the [[50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division]] during the [[Battle of Dunkirk]] and was soon [[Dunkirk evacuation|evacuated at Dunkirk]], and abandoning most of their vehicles. The 7th RTR returned to England and was sent overseas later in the year.

[[File:7th Royal Tank Regiment supporting 8th Royal Scots 28-06-1944.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Churchill tank]] of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment supporting infantry of the 8th Battalion, [[Royal Scots]], part of [[44th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|44th Brigade]] of [[15th (Scottish) Infantry Division|15th (Scottish) Division]], during [[Operation Epsom]], 28 June 1944.]]

In December 1940, as part of the British [[Western Desert Force]] in [[Egypt]], the 7th RTR contained [[Matilda II|Matilda]] [[infantry tanks]] and supported the [[11th Indian Infantry Brigade]] of the [[4th Infantry Division (India)|4th Indian Infantry Division]]. The regiment attacked and destroyed the Italian "[[Maletti Group]]" at the Nibeiwa Camp. The 7th RTR also supported the attack of the 11th Brigade on Italian positions at the Tummar camps. These attacks were accomplished during the opening stages of [[Operation Compass]]. The regiment also participated in the successful attacks on Italian-held [[Battle of Bardia|Bardia]] during the same campaign.

In mid-1942, the 7th RTR was captured at [[Tobruk]] during the [[Battle of Gazala]], part of the [[First Battle of El Alamein]]. Tobruk was surrendered to Italian and German forces on 21 June 1942.

The regiment was reconstituted in 1943 by re-designation of the [[10th Royal Tank Regiment]], a hostilities-only unit raised in late 1940.

The new 7th RTR joined the [[31st Armoured Brigade|31st Tank Brigade]] in [[Operation Overlord|Normandy]] on 18 June 1944 and subsequently took part in heavy fighting in [[Operation Epsom]]. It participated in the [[Operation Astonia|capture of Le Havre]] and, while detached from its Brigade, it played an active part in the early days of the [[Siege of Dunkirk (1944)|containment of Dunkirk]].
 
In November 1950, The 7th RTR took part in [[Korean War]].

In 1959, the 7th RTR was amalgamated with [[4th Royal Tank Regiment]]. The regiment lives on as G Squadron, [[1st Royal Tank Regiment]] (1RTR).

==See also==
* [[North African Campaign]]
* [[Western Desert Campaign]]

==References==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040816235427/http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-cav/rtr7.htm 7th Royal Tank Regiment at regiments.org]
* [http://www.merseysidertr.com/  Merseyside RTR ](Brian Gills website)
* http://www.4and7royaltankregiment.com

{{RAC armoured regiments of the Second World War}}

[[Category:Royal Tank Regiment]]
[[Category:Regiments of the British Army in World War II|Royal Tank Regiment 007]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Korean War]]


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