The Leuchtpistole 42 or

flare gun A flare gun, also known as a Very pistol or signal pistol, is a large-bore handgun that discharges flares, blanks and smoke. The flare gun is typically used to produce a distress signal. Types The most common type of flare gun is a Very (som ...

in English was introduced into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

service in 1943 and served throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Design

The Leuchtpistole 42 was a

single shot Single-shot firearms are firearms that hold only a single round of ammunition, and must be reloaded manually after every shot. The history of firearms began with single-shot designs, then multi-barreled designs appeared, and eventually many cent ...

break action Break action is a type of firearm action in which the barrel or barrels are hinged much like a door and rotate perpendicularly to the bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of cartridges. A separate operation may be require ...

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

, flare gun that was a successor to the earlier

Leuchtpistole 34 The Leuchtpistole 34 or flare gun in English was introduced into German service before World War II and served throughout World War II. Design The Leuchtpistole 34 was a single shot, break action, smoothbore, flare gun designed and produced by ...

. The Leuchtpistole 42 which was made from stamped mild steel components, was galvanized to stop corrosion and used

bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...

for the pistol grips. The focus of the Leuchtpistole 42 was to reduce the consumption of light alloys, reduce reliance on machined components, reduce production time, and reduce production costs. Despite being made from mild steel and stamped components it was considered rugged and its rough appearance didn't hinder its functionality. However, the Leuchtpistole 42 was nearly heavier than its predecessor.

Variants

Sturmpistole The ''Sturmpistole'' ("assault-pistol") was an attempt by Germany during World War II to create a multi-purpose weapon which could be used by any infantryman. It consisted of a modified flare gun (''Leuchtpistole'') which could fire a variety of g ...

- The Sturmpistole was a conversion of either Leuchtpistole 34's or Leuchtpistole 42's that added a padded

buttstock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attached ...

and sights for firing both lethal and non-lethal rounds.

Ammunition

The primary roles for the Leuchtpistole 42 were signaling, illumination, target marking, or concealment with a

smoke grenade Smoke grenades used at demonstrations in Paris, 2008 upBritish L83A1 Smoke Grenade manufactured in May 2008. This grenade has already been used. A smoke grenade is a canister-type grenade used as a signaling device, target or landing zone mark ...

. Later during World War II, explosive rounds were developed to give German troops a small and lightweight grenade launcher for engaging targets from close range which could not be engaged satisfactorily by infantry weapons or artillery without endangering friendly troops. Available projectiles included: *

Multi-Star Signal Cartridge The Multi-Star Signal Cartridge was a non-lethal signal flare that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Multi-Star Signal Cartridge was designed to be fired from a ''Leuchtpistole'' or flare gun in Engl ...

- This was a multi-star signal flare that contained three red and three green stars that could be set for six different color combinations. *

Panzerwurfkörper 42 The Panzerwurfkörper 42 was a HEAT grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Panzerwurfkörper 42 was designed to be fired from a ''Leuchtpistole'' or flare gun in English. Design The Panzerwurfkö ...

- This was a

HEAT In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

grenade that could be used against enemy armor. It had a range of and could penetrate of RHA. It was similar in layout to the Wurfkorper 361 and used a rifled cartridge case. *

Wurfgranate Patrone 326 The Wurfgranate Patrone 326 was a small grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Wurfgranate Patrone 326 was designed to be fired from a ''Leuchtpistole'' or flare gun in English. Design The Wurf ...

- This was a small, breech loaded, fin stabilized, explosive grenade, with a nose fuze that was designed for short range low angle

direct fire Direct fire or line-of-sight fire refers to firing of a ranged weapon whose projectile is launched directly at a target within the line-of-sight of the user. The firing weapon must have a sighting device and an unobstructed view to the target, w ...

missions. It was not recommended for use beyond 180 m (200 yd) due to inaccuracy or less than 46 m (50 yd) due to the risk from shell fragments. * Wurfkorper 361 - The Wurfkorper 361 was formed by screwing a bakelite or wooden stem into an Eierhandgranate 39 which allowed it to be fired from a Leuchtpistole. A brass or aluminum shell casing with propellant was first loaded into the breech of the gun. The stem was then slid down the muzzle until it slipped into the shell casing, the breech was then closed and the gun could be fired. The Wurfkorper 361 was used for high angle

indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim by ...

where its

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...

would be useful. The Wurfkorper 361 was not recommended for use at less than 46 m (50 yd) due to the risk from shrapnel and its maximum range was limited to around 78 m (85 yd) at 45° because the grenade had a 4.5 second time fuze.

Gallery

File:Flare pistol, U-505, World War II - Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) - DSC06765.JPG, A Leuchtpistole 34 from U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago, IL. File:MULTI-STAR SIGNALCARTRIDGE.jpg, Schematic of Multi-Star Cartridge components. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-732-0121-09A, Russland, Soldat der Division "Großdeutschland" (cropped).jpg,

with Panzerwurfkörper 42. File:Wurfgranate Patrone 326 Leuchtpistole.jpg, Schematic of Wurfgranate Patrone 326 components. File:Wurfkorper Leuchtpistole.jpg, Schematic of Wurfkorper 361 components.Panzerwurfkörper 42.

References

{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons Grenade launchers Rifle grenades World War II weapons of Germany Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943