 Complete the following phrase:  In addition to the armoured brigades assigned to a division, the British Army utilised several brigades that operated as independent formations. In the early stages of the war, this could range from being assigned to provide armour support to an expeditionary force, such as the 1st Armoured Brigade during the Battle of Greece, to being used for independent tasks such as the 9th Armoured Brigade during the Second Battle of El Alamein. During the Western Desert Campaign, the main function of these independent formations was to replace brigades within a division that had suffered heavy losses; to reinforce an armoured division to increase its tank strength temporarily; or to provide tank support to infantry formations by being temporarily assigned to them. These formations were also to be structured the same way as those brigades assigned to armoured divisions. In preparation for the 