The 196th Infantry Division was assembled in the
Danzig area of
Wehrkreis XX, as a division of the seventh
Aufstellungswelle, on 27 November 1939. For the initial deployment of the division, several replacement formations within Wehrkreis XX whose personnel consisted of recruits from Wehrkreis VI were used, including the Infantry Regiments 340 and 345, both with three battalions each, as well as the Light Artillery Detachment 233. The first divisional commander of the 196th Infantry Division, appointed on 27 November 1939, was
Richard Pellengahr. With only two regiments, the 196th Infantry Division was not yet a full infantry division, as such a division usually consisted of three rather than two infantry regiments. The 196th Infantry Division's third regiment was formed on 10 January 1940, when the division was assigned the field replacement battalions 6, 16 and 26. These battalions, staffed with recruits from
Bielefeld,
Münster and
Cologne respectively, were combined to form Infantry Regiment 362. Additionally, the Light Artillery Detachment 233 had been strengthened through the addition of the staff of Artillery Regiment 311 (Wehrkreis I) and the 1st Detachment of Artillery Regiment 239 (Wehrkreis VIII) to become the full Artillery Regiment 233. On 11 September 1940, Infantry Regiment 345 and the 1st Detachment of Artillery Regiment 233 were taken out of the division and joined the
199th Infantry Division. On 17 September 1940, the Artillery Regiment was strengthened with an additional two batteries. After the removal of the 345th Regiment, the now binary 196th Infantry Division was equipped with basic mountaineer equipment. was assigned to
Army Group Center on the
Eastern Front in 1943, where it was dissolved and its personnel distributed to other forces. This battalion was replaced by a freshly deployed new battalion in September 1943. where they were destroyed shortly after, and dissolved on 15 September 1944. Units that were still in fighting shape were transferred to the
131st Infantry Division, whereas remnant formations unable to fight were given to the
361st Infantry Division in
Wahn in Cologne. The rump division that had remained in Norway consisted only of the Reconnaissance Detachment 233, later the 2nd Battalion of the Bicycle Reconnaissance Regiment Norway, and parts of the Artillery Regiment 233, later the 2nd Battalion of Artillery Regiment 269 as well as the Fortress Artillery Detachment 1048. As these remnant forces no longer justified to maintain an independent division, the 196th Infantry Division's bureaucracy was dissolved in August 1944. == Superior formations ==