The 36th Reserve Division began the war on the Eastern Front. It fought in the Battle of Gumbinnen, the Battle of Tannenberg, and the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. In 1915, it saw action in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive. It remained in the Baltic region until September 1916, and then went to Galicia. In May 1917, the division was transferred to the Western Front, arriving in June. It was deployed to various parts of the line until war's end, spending most of 1918 in the Flanders region. Allied intelligence rated the division as third class in 1918.