enough to earn its regimental commander, Otto von Knobelsdorff, a divisional commendation. The French Campaign In May 1940, the 12th Army attacked France by entering via Luxembourg; the 24th Division took part as a component of VI Corps. Unfortunately, their advance was slowed thanks to an earlier panzer advance having made driving difficult for mobilized units. Reaching the border with Belgium, the corps did not wait to clear away resistance, resulting in their infantry divisions and the 2nd and 6th Panzer Divisions taking casualties. Over the course of May 1517, German forces occupied and reoccupied the village of Stonne as they fought French tanks. The 16th and 24th Infantry Divisions took over from the 10th Panzer Division and Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland. The two occupied the village for the last time at 1745, with French resistance in the area being present until May 25. In June, it was transferred to VII Corps of the 16th Army, and sent across the Meuse under its new commander, General of the Infantry Hans von Tettau. In July, with the Battle of France over, the positioning of divisions was relaxed and the 24th, now part of the 9th Army's IV Corps, continued to police the country, being moved to the Scheldt estuary along the Belgium-Netherlands border. The division continued to police the estuary in April 1941, albeit now as part of the XXXVII Corps. During the quieting-down period, regiment-level cadres were handed over to the newly activated 113th Infantry Division. Barbarossa and the Crimea In May 1941, the division was moved back to occupied Poland, being stationed in Galicia with IV Corps, which was now part of the 17th Army. The following month the Wehrmacht made a major assault on the Soviet Union, with the 17th Army, part of Army Group South, attacking and occupying the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia. August saw the 24th Division's temporary assignment to XXXXIV Corps of the 1st Panzergruppe as it took part in the Mass-encirclement of Soviet troops south of Uman; the next month saw the division's return to IV Corps as it took Kiev. During the Battle of Kiev, the 24th Infantry Division attacked from Kremenchuk in the south-east along the Dnieper, assisting in the encirclement of the Ukrainian capital. The division remained as an occupying force until the end of October; Army Group South, meanwhile continued onwards to the black sea without it. In their time as