the codeword "abmarsch ost" ('departure east', as in 'depart eastwards') was given in the early morning hours of 23 may 1940 and the time of the attack timed for 10:00, as had been established in the radio message to 1st panzer division. in the meantime, 2nd panzer division was still fighting for control of boulogne, approaching the cathedral after bypassing the medieval city walls.