The 710th Infantry Division was formed on 2 May 1941, largely from older personnel, under the command of "Generalleutnant" Theodor Petsch. It was smaller than a conventional infantry division and lacked much of the support weaponry that would typically be found in such a unit. The division served occupation duties in Norway, firstly at Oslo and then at Kristiansand. It later performed similar duties in Denmark until December 1944, at which stage it was transferred to the Italian Front. The following month it was attached to I SS Panzer Corps, which had moved to Hungary after the Battle of the Bulge.