The 36th Infantry Division began World War I on the Eastern Front. It fought in the battles of Gumbinnen and Tannenberg, and in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes. In 1915, it participated in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive. In October 1915, it was transferred to the Western Front. In 1916, it fought in the Battle of the Somme. In 1917, it participated in the Battle of Arras and the Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918, the division fought in the German spring offensive, including the Battle of St. Quentin, also known as the First Battle of the Somme 1918 (and occasionally as the Second Battle of the Somme, after the 1916 battle). It then fought in the Second Battle of the Marne and defended against various Allied offensives and counteroffensives, including the Hundred Days Offensive. Allied intelligence rated the division as an excellent combat division but considered it second class by 1918, mainly due to the losses it suffered during that year's battles.