[1] It was formed on March 20, 1871, and was headquartered in Straßburg (now Strasbourg, France) until 1912, and then in Saarbrücken.
[3] The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The division was recruited primarily in the southern part of the Rhine Province, but during World War I also drew replacements from Westphalia.
After returning to the Western Front, it participated in the 1918 German spring offensive, including the Battle of the Lys.
Divisions received engineer companies and other support units from their higher headquarters.