The division was formed on 6 February 1940, in the 8th mobilization wave, in
Wehrkreis II (
Pomerania). It played a small role in the French campaign. Before the invasion of the Soviet Union it was on occupation duty in Poland. It spent most of its subsequent existence with
Army Group Centre, on the
Eastern Front. In 1941, subordinated to
Fourth Army, it took part in the
Battle of Moscow, and in 1943 was involved in
Operation Citadel. After the crossed to Bug River with Army Group Centre in mid 1941, it was engaged at
Brest and
Białystok, the battle of Yelnya Bend, at Vjasma, and the on way to Moscow. It helped resist the Soviet counter attack in late 1941 and early 1942. It was part of the many defensive actions in 1942 including the battles of Gshatsk and Vjasma, the Rzhev withdrawal in 1943 and the
Battle of Kursk where it took very heavy casualties. Late 1944 saw the division with
Ninth Army in the area of the
Pripet Marshes, but the successful Soviet liberation of territory during their summer offensives,
Operation Bagration and the
Lvov-Sandomierz Operation, saw German forces steadily retreating; after a series of fierce defensive battles, the 292nd Infantry Division finally crossed the defense line of the River
Narew on 5 September 1944. Facing the
2nd Belorussian Front on the Narew during the Soviet
East Prussian Operation, the division was decimated during a series of defensive actions starting on 14 January. In ten days it was forced back over the border of
East Prussia, and cut off from its parent formation,
Second Army; by 2 February it had reached
Heilsberg, where it was nearly surrounded, but continued to conduct a fighting retreat (though reduced to
Kampfgruppe level) along with the remainder of
Fourth Army trapped in the
Heiligenbeil pocket. The division was finally destroyed in the fight for the town of
Heiligenbeil, which fell on 25 March. The survivors were absorbed in the
German 170th Infantry Division, a few being evacuated over the
Frisches Haff. ==Commanders==