The 212th Infantry Division was raised on 26 August 1939 and remained on garrison duty in Germany until March 1941, when it spent three months as a coastal defense unit along the English Channel.

Placed opposite of the US Army's 4th Infantry Division, they would need to pin down as many American units as possible, in order to prevent the transfer of reserves against the main effort.

On December 16, after making a successful crossing of the Sauer river, the 212th Volksgrendier Division was able to infiltrate through American lines, push into the streets of Echternach, and overwhelm all major resistance.

By December 28, Brandenberger ordered the 212th Volksgrenadier Division to withdraw back to its starting positions.

It went on to participate in subsequent defensive operations along the Rhine, until surrendering to the Americans near the end of the war.