After the training of the division ended in April 1941, it was sent to East Prussia and took part in Operation Barbarossa. As part of Army Group Center, the division fought in several battles of the central sector of the Eastern Front, such as those in Białystok, Smolensk and Vyazma. In October–November 1941 the division suffered heavy casualties defending the Kalinin Bridgehead and on 25 December it absorbed the 326th and 369th Regiments of the destroyed 162nd Infantry Division. The 236th Artillery Regiment of 162nd Infantry Division was incorporated into the 129th Artillery Regiment of the Division as well. The following year it took part in the heavy fighting near Rzhev, where it remained from November 1941 to early March 1943.