However, it was reassigned to home defence following Japan's entry into the war, and was then transferred to the 3rd Armoured Division in October 1942.

While it did not see any active service as a formation, some of its constituent units eventually took part in the campaigns on Tarakan, Labuan, Bougainville and around Aitape–Wewak in 1944–1945 after transferring to other brigades.

Its headquarters was broken up when the Australian Army determined that there was no need for large scale armoured formations as the focus shifted to jungle operations and close infantry-armoured cooperation.

[6] The brigade's first commander was Brigadier William Locke, a regular Army officer who had served in the infantry during World War I.

[8] It had been planned that the brigade would deploy to the Middle East in early 1942, where the British had offered to provide the necessary equipment to bring the formation up to establishment; however, Japan's entry into the war in December 1941 meant that this was cancelled and instead the brigade was reallocated to the defence of Australia in the case of an invasion.

A preliminary move was undertaken to Narrabri, and around this time the 20th Motor Regiment was transferred from the brigade to the join the 2nd Armoured Division, which was to remain in Victoria.

The Australian government decided to reallocate some of the manpower that had been tied up in the armoured divisions to other formations that would be utilised for jungle warfare, or civilian industry.

[16] The 20th Motor Regiment also subsequently served with the 11th Brigade, forming part of Merauke Force, undertaking defensive duties in a dismounted role in Dutch New Guinea.

[6] In the postwar period, the Australian Army re-raised two armoured brigades – the 1st and the 2nd – in April 1948 within the part-time Citizens Military Force.

The 8th/13th had depots across Melbourne, Albury, Benalla, Wangaratta and Sale, while the 4th/19th was spread across regional western Victoria.

Headquartered at Brighton, Victoria, this unit was equipped with the unique Yeramba self propelled artillery piece.

[20] Throughout the early 1950s, the brigade's vehicles and equipment became obsolete and rundown and by the middle of the decade tank training was centralised at Puckapunyal with units rotating through the Armoured Centre.

This staff was intended to provide a cadre with which to form a brigade headquarters in an emergency, but it represented only about half of the 105 personnel that had previously undertaken the role, and it was abolished in 1960.