Much like the American M2 4.2 inch mortar it was intended to deliver chemical munitions, such as gas and smoke shells, as well as ordinary high-explosive shells.

It was an innovative breech-loading design with the wheels permanently attached to the carriage, from which it was fired, and which wasn't disassembled for transport.

It replaced the NbW 35 in (German: Nebelwerfer "smoke-mortar") battalions belonging to the Chemical Corps of the Heer; exactly how the American fielded their own M2s in chemical mortar battalions.

It was replaced by the 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 multiple rocket launcher from 1941.

They began to replace the 10 cm Nebelwerfer 35 mortars from late 1941 in the Nebelwerfer battalions, and were used by Gebirgs-Werfer-Abteilung (Mountain Mortar Battalion) 10 plus the first battalion of the Nebel-Lehr Regiment (Demonstration Regiment) and saw service in the North Africa, Finland and Russia.