The 6th Reserve Division began the war on the Western Front.

It fought in the opening campaigns against the Belgian Army and the British Expeditionary Force, including the Battle of Mons, and participated in the Siege of Antwerp.

It suffered heavy losses in the French offensive that August, and was returned to the Eastern Front, occupying a quiet sector in Galicia.

Allied intelligence considered it as a mediocre division, and rated it third class before its dissolution in 1918.

Over the course of the war, other changes took place, including the formation of the artillery and signals commands.