From the beginning of the war in 1939 Panzer Brigades were present and operational in the German Order of Battle until at least the summer of 1943. Apart from the official Order of Battle, German tank forces often operated in ad hoc formations, especially after the reverse of fortunes on the battlefield required makeshift units to tackle crisis situations more often. The philosophy behind these brigades was that smaller but stronger tank units could manoeuvre and counteract more swift than cumbersome panzer divisions, which can be easily detected by enemy intelligence.