20th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)

20th Light Armoured Brigade 20th Armoured Brigade 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade
20th Armoured Infantry Brigade Formation Sign.
Active	2 September 1939–30 April 1943 15 September 1950–30 November 1977 1 January 1980–present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Mechanized infantry
Role	Armoured infantry
Size	Brigade
Part of	3rd (United Kingdom) Division
Garrison/HQ	Antwerp Barracks, Westfalen Garrison
Nickname(s)	"The Iron Fist"
Motto(s)	Fide, sed cui vide
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier Mike Elviss
Insignia
Identification symbol	"The Iron Fist" - A white mailed fist on a blue background

The 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade (The Iron Fist) is an armoured infantry brigade formation of the British Army, currently based at Antwerp Barracks, part of Westfalen Garrison, northern Germany, as part of the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division.

The 20th Light Armoured Brigade was formed on 3 September 1939 as part of the Territorial Army. 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 14 April 1940, it was re-titled the 20th Armoured Brigade; a title it has retained until recently.

The Brigade played a vital role in the defence of the United Kingdom during the first year of the Second World War, including guarding aerodromes and other vulnerable points. In May 1940, due to the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) 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, concentrating at Moulton Paddocks, Newmarket as a counter-attack force to repel any potential Nazi offensive.

The Brigade subsequently moved to Surrey in June, where it was assigned to the 1st Armoured Division at the end of the month, 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. It finally began to receive modern tanks in September 1940 when the first Valentine tanks began to arrive.