"Jaguar", "Léopard" and "Panthère" were assigned to the Northern Command ("Forces maritimes du Nord") on 7 September in anticipation of a German invasion of Belgium. They proved, however, to be too large and unmaneuverable for operations in the shallow waters of the English Channel and North Sea; "Panthère" ran aground on 10 September in poor visibility, but suffered only minor damage, and "Jaguar" did the same thing on the night of 28/29 October. The "contre-torpilleurs" were relieved by smaller "torpilleurs d'escadre" beginning in mid-October. The other ships were assigned to the Western Command ("Forces maritimes de l'Ouest") for convoy escort duties from October 1939 to May 1940 where they guarded convoys traveling between Gibraltar and Brest as well as Casablanca, French Morocco, and Le Verdon-sur-Mer. They were joined by the first three ships as they were replaced in the Northern Command. "Jaguar" was badly damaged during a collision with a British destroyer in January 1940 and her repairs were not completed until early May.