During World War I, the division initially served on the Western Front. In 1914, led by Duke Wilhelm von Urach, it fought in the Battle of the Frontiers and then participated in the Race to the Sea. It was then transferred to the Eastern Front, and fought in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive and the invasion of Serbia. It returned to the Western Front and fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Arras in 1917. In late 1917, it was sent to the Italian Front, and fought in the Battle of Caporetto. Returning to the Western Front, the division served in the 1918 German spring offensive and the subsequent Allied counteroffensives, including the Hundred Days Offensive. Allied intelligence rated the division as first class.