After formation in Bielefeld, and transfer to Occupied France, it was assigned to AOK 15 in June 1941 and employed at Saint-Lo and Soissons.

It was transferred to the 7th Army in June 1942 and relocated to Normandy, with duties including coastal defence, air raid protection and defensive fortification construction.

[citation needed] The division was removed from frontline duty on July 10, 1944, and was able to avoid the carnage of the Falaise Pocket.

Redeployed to southern France, the division took up coastal security positions in the region of Salses-Perpignan-Elne, close to the Spanish border.

In October 1944, the 716th Infantry Division was in the region of Oberrhein (near Colmar) where it fought at Neunkirch-Obenhein and was nearly wiped out in heavy fighting in January 1945.