On May 13, 1940, the German 19th Motorized Corps played an important role in the French campaign, and their advance unit, the GD Infantry Regiment, broke through the defense line on the Maas River, creating the conditions for the German advance in the direction of the English Channel. The GD Infantry Regiment was constantly adjusting its deployment on the north bank of the Maas River to adapt to the complex terrain. The French army on the south bank of the Maas River had lost its resistance, General Guderian and his staff were directing the battle along the river, and the regimental commander Schweylin was in a hurry to transport heavy equipment across the river.
However, the other two armored divisions of the 19th Motorized Army did not make the expected progress. Although the 1st Panzer Division crossed the Maas River with the support of the GD Infantry Regiment, the 10th Panzer Division could only establish a vulnerable bridgehead on the other side of the river, and the 2nd Panzer Division had not even crossed the Maas River. Although the Germans won the Battle of the Maas, their results were not satisfactory, and their bridgehead was far from secure.
The French army also showed good combat effectiveness in the battle of the Maas, especially the tank battle in Cimmery, which caused great problems for the German army. The French were opposed by the 14th Tank Destroyer Company of the GD Infantry Regiment, whose mission was to capture and hold a strategically important bridge in Cimmery and to strengthen its defenses. Second Lieutenant Hinds led his men towards Cimmeri, and they advanced rapidly, despite the fact that the road was damaged by artillery fire.
At seven o'clock in the morning, they reached the village of Conag, not far from Cimmeri, where they were met with a fierce counterattack by the French, and several French tanks tried to surround them. Hinds decisively ordered the two platoons to disperse, taking advantage of the advantages of the anti-tank guns, to break the French armored vehicles to pieces and at the same time stabilize the position. However, French tanks were constantly reinforced, pouring in from the east and south of the village of Connager, and some tanks even approached Heinz's anti-tank guns.
Second Lieutenant Hinds immediately adjusted his tactics and concentrated 6 anti-tank guns to form a hedgehog formation, capable of covering all directions around. This trick made it impossible for the French tanks to bypass the German fire net, and they had to fight hard. Despite this, the French tanks kept coming, but the Germans were not overwhelmed, they persisted in counterattacking. At this time, two 88-mm anti-aircraft guns also arrived on the battlefield, and this kind of **, known as the "tank killer", exerted great power, and a few rounds of artillery fire discouraged the French tanks.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Hinds received new information that the 43rd Assault Engineer Battalion was attacking Chemery, and they needed support from anti-tank guns. Hinds immediately gave the order to surround Cimmery along both sides of the road and send 6 anti-tank guns over, and for a time the French tanks and firing points in Cimmery were suppressed. The battle lasted until twelve o'clock at noon, when the Germans finally captured Chemery. In this battle, the 14th Anti-Tank Destroyer Company performed well, destroying a total of 44 French tanks and several machine-gun fire points, without losing a single person of its own. However, the Stuka fighter in charge of air support did not know the situation on the ground in time, and mistakenly wounded three soldiers and a lieutenant colonel of the 43rd Assault Engineer Battalion, which made the soldiers of the GD Infantry Regiment very angry. After clearing the battlefield in Chimery, the GD Infantry Regiment continued to advance.