The 231st Reserve Infantry Regiment was raised in Thuringia, mainly in the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg and the Prussian Province of Saxony.
In July and August 1915 it fought in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive and then participated in the follow-on battles and engagements until reaching the Berezina River at the end of September.
It resisted the various Allied counter-offensives, including the Hundred Days Offensive, and was fighting in the Champagne and on the Meuse when World War I ended.
In 1918, Allied intelligence rated the division as second class, and noted its tough fighting in numerous battles.
Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of artillery and signals commands and the enlargement of combat engineer support to a full pioneer battalion.