The Soviet BM-8 Katyusha rocket launchers first encountered during Operation Barbarossa left a big impression on the invading Germans.

Proposals to copy the Katyusha for German use were soon made but there wasn't much spare industrial capacity available for new projects.

There also wasn't a great deal of enthusiasm for the project because the German Army had already committed to the production of spin-stabilized rocket systems such as the 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41.

[2] Since the Waffen-SS was the military wing of the Nazi Party it was often in competition with the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) for resources.

The body was simple and inexpensive to produce due to the use of stamped sheet metal components, unlike the more expensive machined venturis used by spin-stabilized rockets.