The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
Although called Bavarian, the division initially included several non-Bavarian units: the 14th Landwehr Infantry Brigade included one Bavarian and one Württemberg regiment; the 60th Landwehr Infantry Brigade (initially commanded by Lt. Gen. Hans von Blumenthal, who had come out of retirement) comprised a regiment formed in Alsace-Lorraine and another formed in Thuringia (which included Prussians and soldiers from the principalities of the Reuss Junior Line and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen).
The 1st Bavarian Landwehr Division served on the Western Front, initially seeing action in the Battle of the Frontiers.
Allied intelligence rated the division as fourth class; it was considered primarily a sector holding unit and remained generally on the defensive except for various raids.
Cavalry was reduced, artillery and signals commands were formed, and combat engineer support was expanded to a full battalion.