Desert Rats

Nickname of the British 7th Armoured Division in North Africa during World War II. Their uniforms had a shoulder insignia bearing a jerboa (a North African rodent, capable of great leaps). The Desert Rats' most famous victories include the expulsion of the Italian army from Egypt in December 1940 when they captured 130,000 prisoners, and the Battle of El Alamein. Their successors, the 7th Armoured Brigade, fought as part of the British contingent in the 2003 Gulf War.