The division was formed on 26 August 1939 in Dresden, in the second wave of mobilisation, mainly from Saxon reservists in "Wehrkreis" IV. It included the 171st Infantry Regiment from the 24th Infantry Division, the 192nd Infantry Regiment from the 4th Infantry Division, and the 234th Infantry Regiment from the 14th Infantry Division. Assigned to the 14th Army in Poland, the division was tasked with collecting Polish stragglers. The division fought in the Battle of France in May 1940 against the British Expeditionary Force, remaining in Belgium after the fall of Dunkirk. Transferred to Poland in September, the 56th provided cadres for the formation of the 294th and 304th Infantry Divisions there.