Boris III of Bulgaria
The campaign in France concluded, Ravenstein was appointed commander of 16th Rifle Brigade, 16th Panzer Division, and was sent to the Balkans. During his time there he was briefly part of the German Military Mission to Romania and later, after the Battle of Greece, was a liaison officer at the court of King Boris III of Bulgaria. On 20 May 1941, he was promoted to "generalmajor" and appointed commander of the 5th Light Division, which was serving in Libya as part of "Generalleutnant" Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps.