The division was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914[1] as part of the Guards Reserve Corps.
The division was disbanded in 1919, during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
The 3rd Guards Infantry Division began the war on the Western Front, participating in the capture of Namur.
It was transferred to the Eastern Front in September 1914, and saw action on arrival in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes.
The division returned to the Western Front in April 1916 and entered the trenches in the Champagne region.