7. Panzer Division (Vermacht)
Ghost Division

The 7. Panzer Division evolved from the 2. Leichte Division which formed in November 1938 under the prestigious Cavalry General Stumme. The Division's combat strength consisted of 2 motorized infantry regiments and 1 Panzer Battalion (62 tanks). Under this organization, the 2. LD took part in the Polish invasion in September 1939, attacking from Silesia and ending up in the Southern sector of the Warsaw encirclement. Armored vehicles issued at this time were mostly PkWg. I and II as well as small numbers of PzKw. III and IV.
On 18 October 1939, the 2. LD was renamed 7. Panzer Division and received the 25. Panzer Regiment, 37 Recon Battalion, 705. Heavy Artillery Company, 78th Artillery Regiment, 7. Motorcycle Battalion, 42. Anti-Tank Battalion, 58. Combat Engineers Battalion, 59th Light AA Battalion. All under command of a relatively unknown General Irwin Rommel. 25. Panzer Rgt comprised 34- PzKw I, 68- PzKw II, 91- PzKw 38t, 24- PzKw IV, and 8- PzBef 38t. For the May 1940 invasion of France, 7. PD was attached to Hoth's XV PanzerKorps and advanced through the Ardennes and was of the first units to cross the Meuse River. Rommel then made a dash for the English Channel, momentarily halted by the British at Arras. Lilles France was taken on 29 May, and 7. PD swung west crossing the Seine on June 8 and advancing to Cherbourg to cut off British forces evacuating there. By Jun 19th, 7. PD had captured the Ports of Le Harve and Cherbourg forcing the surrender of thousands of British and French troops. Rommel's advance was so swift and his where abouts unpredictable and mysterious that the 7.PD was given the moniker "Ghost Dicvision".

to be continued