The 53rd Reserve Division initially fought on the Western Front, entering the line in mid-October.
In November 1916, the division was transferred to the Eastern Front, where it engaged in positional warfare until June 1917.
It then fought against the Russian Kerensky Offensive and in follow-on fighting in Galicia and on the Ukrainian border.
It went to the Argonne region to be dissolved; some of its understrength units were there when the Meuse-Argonne Offensive began and they were sent to the line to bolster other divisions in the face of American attacks.
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.