Originally formed in 1941, shortly after the outbreak (22 June 1941) of the German-Soviet War, the organisation was subordinate to Związek Walki Zbrojnej and bore the cryptonym "18", later changed to "27". The final name, "Wachlarz", resulted from the subdivision of the organisation into several branches, each trying to spread its influence from certain portions of the Polish border deep into Soviet territory. Wachlarz had five different sectors, each acting independently and forming along several main supply-lines of the German war machine: