Streich's 15th Panzer Regiment played only a minor role in the Invasion of Poland but was more prominent in the Battle of France the following year. It was involved in the encirclement of French forces at Lille and then the Battle of Dunkirk. After the British evacuation, the regiment made for the Seine and then onto Rouen. At one stage, Streich had a dispute with "Generalmajor" Erwin Rommel, whose 7th Panzer Division was operating nearby, over some bridging equipment. His regiment ended the French campaign near the Spanish border having made 20,000 French and British soldiers prisoners of war. He would be awarded the Knight's Cross for his regiment's capture of Veules-les-Roses while it was in the process of being evacuated. Streich's panzers overran the town during a night attack and captured thousands of prisoners including two brigade commanders and the French division commander Général Durant.