Developed in response to a Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM/German Aviation Ministry) specification issued in 1937, the BV 141 was a radical configuration amongst the typical aircraft operated during the Second World War.

In 1937, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM/German Aviation Ministry) issued a specification that called for a single-engine reconnaissance aircraft that possessed optimal visual characteristics.

At one point, the preferred contractor to fulfil the requirement was Arado, which submitted the Ar 198, however, the prototype proved to be unsatisfactory.

[3] Three prototypes and an evaluation batch of five BV 141As were produced, backed personally by Ernst Udet, but the RLM decided on 4 April 1940 that they were underpowered, although it was also noted they otherwise exceeded the requirements.

By the time a batch of 12 BV 141Bs were built with the more powerful BMW 801 engine, they were too late to make an impression, as the RLM had already decided to put the Fw 189 into production.

An urgent need for BMW 801 engines for use in the Fw 190 fighter aircraft reduced the chance of the BV 141B being produced in quantity.