Hitler had been concerned about the possibility of an Allied invasion of the continent. Following the 8 November Allied landings in West and North Africa, his anxiety rose greatly. On 11 November, the division, as part of Case Anton, was sent to previously Vichy France, to reach the Mediterranean coast between Perpignan and Narbonne. Assembling in a staging area around Aix-en-Provence, the division prepared for Operation Lila, the seizure of the Vichy French fleet at the naval port of Toulon, to prevent them falling into Allied hands. For the mission, the division was augmented with units from other divisions, including two armoured groups and a motorcycle battalion from the SS Division Das Reich and a marine detachment called "Gumprich" after its commander. Marine Detachment "Gumprich" was assigned the mission of seizing the French ships before they could sail or be scuttled. The combat groups entered Toulon at 04:00 on 27 November 1942 and captured the main arsenal and the coastal defences. However, they were unable to prevent the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon, and the operation ended in failure.