The 6th Mountain Division was formed in February 1941 as the Battle Group North (Kampfgruppe Nord) in southern Norway before being upgraded and renamed the Division Nord in preparation for Operation Barbarossa and holds the unique distinction of being the only German unit to have fought in the Artic Circle.

Initially the unit had low combat effectiveness, in the second half of 1941 the division was effectively destroyed by the Russians during Operation Arctic Fox.  After taking massive losses in its first operation the Nord Division was entirely rebuilt starting from late 1941. The Division Nord remained in Finland and northern Russia, where most of its personnel were replaced over the course of 1942 and 1943. From that point they consisted of combat veterans and graduates of the Waffen Mountain warfare school. With the improvement in its combat capability, the division fought off multiple Russian attacks. It was also renamed again as the 6th Mountain Division Nord.  After Finland signed an armistice with Russia in 1944.  The Nord Division broke through lines of Soviet and Finnish troops in a fighting retreat back to Norway and eventually was stationed in Denmark.

In late 1944 the division was redeployed to the Western Front against the Western Allied invasion of Germany. Following the failure of the Ardennes campaign the 6th Mountain Division took part in Operation Nordwind, an attack on the U.S. 7th Army in southeastern France, which held a relatively weak position in the Allied line. On January 1st 1945 the offensive commenced, and the lead elements of the Nord Division, known as Kampfgruppe Schreiber after its commander, took part in the attack.  The Nord Division troops the town of Wingen-sur-Moder, but on January 6th 1945, US troops captured towns to the rear and encircled the Nord Division.  After Operation Nordwind was called off the Division broke through the Americans lines.

The Division suffered high causalities in the offensive and then fought a series of defensive battles along the Rhine and Moselle rivers. In April 1945, near Büdingen, Germany, its remnants were encircled and were effectively destroyed by U.S. forces. The division formally ceased to exist with Germany’s surrender in May 1945.