It took part in the battles of Sedan and Dunkirk before swinging south to participate in the attack on the Weygand Line.

The division was involved in heavy fighting and, by mid-August, had only 44, of the 155 tanks it had started out with less than two month earlier, left in serviceable condition.

[6] The division was part of the defence of the Rzhev Salient during early 1942, initially being very short on tanks and fighting predominantly as infantry until being resupplied during spring.

[6] The 1st Panzer Division was engaged in the defence of the supply lines of the 9th Army in the centre of the Eastern Front.

It suffered heavy casualties during the defence against repeated Soviet attacks in the Winter of 1942–43 before eventually being transferred back to France in January 1943 for refitting.

After months in northern France, the division was sent to occupied Greece in June 1943 because of the perceived threat of an Allied landing there.

Instead, the landing took place in Sicily and the division participated in the disarming of Italian forces in Greece when the former defected from the Axis in September 1943.

The 1st Panzer Division was brought up to full strength again in October when it received a substantial number of Panther tanks and returned to the Eastern Front again shortly thereafter.

It was engaged in defensive operations around Lake Balaton and took part in the unsuccessful attempt to break through to the Siege of Budapest and once more suffered heavy losses.