At the outbreak of war in 1939 the Royal Scots Greys were stationed in Palestine and the 3rd Carabiniers in India. Both regiments would see action in the major campaigns against the Axis powers, fighting on three continents. The Greys were finally ordered to mechanise in May 1941. Both cavalry regiments were equipped with new Amercian-made tanks named after the Civil War generals Stuart, Grant, Lee and Sherman.
