Soon after invading the USSR, German troops discovered that their wheeled transport vehicles were unsuitable for the sparse road network, particularly in the muddy conditions of the rasputitsa.

11 could haul supplies to forward units in these conditions, but removing them from their combat role for supply duties was not feasible, so it was decided to produce half-tracked versions of standard Opel, Daimler-Benz, Alfa-Romeo and Ford trucks (lorries) by removing their rear axles, truncating the prop-shafts and connecting them to redundant Panzer I track assemblies.

Heavier trucks (4 tons payload) were fitted with Panzer II track assemblies.

Most Maultier conversions were based on Opel Blitz model S trucks, which proved successful in service.

The vehicles were built by Opel at the Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG and also in France in the Ford factory in Asnieres.