Introduced in late 1940, the weapon system was a framework with adjustable base plates fitted over and alongside a vehicle which could hold 300 mm high explosive (HE) rockets; 280 mm HE and 320 mm incendiary rockets were also used, the rockets being fired while in their loading crates. Although spin stabilized, the rockets were not as accurate as conventional artillery and reloading was time consuming due to the rocket's weight. Rockets were ripple-fired in large numbers where feasible to quickly saturate a target. The Wurfrahmen 40 was successful in service as a support weapon for the mobile Panzer formations, particularly in urban areas.

Wurfrahmen mounted on Sdkfz 251