Army Group C
On 10 May 1940 the Battle of France began and KG 76 supported the offensive by attacking the airfield at Laon. Over Charleville-Mézières 7 "staffel" KG 76 met No. 87 Squadron RAF and Hawker Hurricanes "Feldwebel" Walter Reiske's aircraft crashed. The crew became prisoners of war and among the first of the wing's casualties. KG 76 bombed targets along the River Maas and in support of Army Group C along the Maginot Line. On 13 May it supported Hermann Hoth's Panzer Corps cross the Meuse at Houx and Dinant.