In January 1943, the 320th Infantry Division was called to service on the Eastern Front in response to the imminent defeat of the 6th Army in Stalingrad. Shortly before its departure, the divisional commander was replaced by Georg-Wilhelm Postel on 2 December 1942. The division was first sent to the Eastern Front's southern sector and saw first combat at Izium in early February, which was an intro to the Soviet defeat at the Third Battle of Kharkov. The 320th Infantry Division was used to stabilize the shattered Second Hungarian Army. In July 1943, the 320th Infantry Division fought in Operation Citadel, the last major German offensive on the Eastern Front. The unit had since 26 May 1943 been under the command of Kurt Röpke, but Röpke was replaced with Postel on 20 August 1943, which marked Postel's second term as divisional commander of the 320th Infantry Division. After Citadel, the division took part in the Wehrmacht's retreat westwards. In January 1944, the division was cited for its conduct at the Battle of Kirovograd, and continued to perform well in the fighting retreats across the Bug and Dnieper, including defensive actions at Krementschug during the Battle of the Dnieper. The division, now under the command of Otto Schell, was destroyed over the course of the month of August 1944 during the Soviet Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive in Bessarabia. Its last day of operations was the 2 September 1944, when it was overrun by Soviet forces. Schell was killed in action during the division's last days of combat.