The highest priorities of the time ranged from the V-Weapons programs to jet fighter development and prefabrication of the electro-boats Type XXI and XXIII (with plans to develop the Type XXVI). In addition to these new challenges the SS was frantically trying to resurrect the "Amerika Bomber" program while simultaneously trying to build the single bomb targeted for New York City whether it would have been a radiological, nuclear, or plasma type.

Internal SS Technical Branch priority programs included continued disc aircraft development, pioneering early Raumflug (spaceflight), working on first generation direct energy weapons (electrostatic, microwave, and beam weapons), developing synthetic materials and newer synthetic fuels, and massive underground war production facilities using the SS slave labor force.

One weak area of weapons development, however, came under review by the SS in early 1945 - tank production and future designs.

In the last year of the war even superior types of German tanks such as the Panther, Tiger I, and King Tiger were increasingly vulnerable to the deluge of Allied armor pouring into the Reich with accompanying massive airpower that largely neutralized the German AFV forces during daylight hours. Even the battle worthiness of the Tigers could not hope to stem the tide of the Allied advance.

The SS, therefore, assigned a special project department, the SS Spezielle Projekt Abteilung, to investigate German future tank design and to develop an SS battle tank separate from the German Army.

The first thing the SS did was reject the two German Army monstrosities under construction at the time - the hideous 188 ton Porsche 205 Maus (Mouse) and the equally ludicrous 140 ton Henschel E-100 rival. Both these tanks were favored by the lunatic fringe that held on to the belief of ultimate victory with these obsolete tracked armored pillboxes.

In the last year of the war even superior types of German tanks such as the Panther, Tiger I, and King Tiger were increasingly vulnerable to the deluge of Allied armor pouring into the Reich with accompanying massive airpower that largely neutralized the German AFV forces during daylight hours. Even the battle worthiness of the Tigers could not hope to stem the tide of the Allied advance.

The SS, therefore, assigned a special project department, the SS Spezielle Projekt Abteilung, to investigate German future tank design and to develop an SS battle tank separate from the German Army.

The first thing the SS did was reject the two German Army monstrosities under construction at the time - the hideous 188 ton Porsche 205 Maus (Mouse) and the equally ludicrous 140 ton Henschel E-100 rival. Both these tanks were favored by the lunatic fringe that held on to the belief of ultimate victory with these obsolete tracked armored pillboxes.

The fierce battles fought by the SS Panzer Divisions proved that they were being obliterated by numerical superiority, airpower, and rival Soviet tank developments capable of knocking out the best Tigers (albeit, at very close range and usually from the rear).

So the decision was made to reverse the course of the superheavy tank designs and instead concentrate on designing and producing a mobile, well armed, and heavily protected tank fitted with a range of advanced technologies not found anywhere else in the world- but weighing no more than 60 tons.

The independent SS 'Schwarzwolf' (Black Wolf) concept was loosely based to some extent on the PzKpfw V 'Panther' F prototypes with the "Schmal Turm" (Narrow Turret) but elongated to accommodate a brand-new Rheinmetall-Borsig 10.0cm main gun able to fire a wide variety of advanced projectiles and capable of armor penetration of 140mmm at 2,000 meters! The gun would have a completely new stabilization system, new muzzle brake, and an early form of fire control system integrated into the turret. New systems would include full infrared detection systems, a Telefunken television aid, electro-rangefinders, remote-controlled 7.92mm MG-42 turret gun, and a special armored coating under development by the SS unit Entwicklungsstelle IV (E-4) codenamed "Brimstone" (which is believed to be a field-conduction material).The hull was to be streamlined as well, with 10 road wheels, and powered by a modified Maybach HL234 V-12 of 900 hp. Theoretically, the Brimstone application could deflect incoming rounds thus making the Black Wolf invulnerable to both Allied tanks and aircraft.