538. was a short-lived German division in World War II that participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia.

The division was raised on 9 December 1939 in Klagenfurt within Wehrkreis XVIII using the 20th Border Defence Detachment which was stationed along the Reich-Italian border, and was commanded by Generalleutnant (Major General) Emmerich von Nagy.

[3] On the first day of the invasion, the division was stationed on the northwestern part of the border between the Reich and Yugoslavia, and seized important mountain passes, hills and tunnels on the Yugoslav side of the border.

These successes enabled the spearheads of the 1st Mountain Division to quickly cross the border and push deep into Yugoslav territory.

[2] The division was created from the 20th Frontier Guard (German: Grenzschutz) Detachment, which included:[2][1] On 1 April 1941, immediately prior to the invasion of Yugoslavia, the primary units of the division were:[4] Elements of both the 194th Infantry Regiment and 139th Mountain Regiment were detached and placed under command of the 1st Mountain Division.