FP-45 Liberator

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 14:03 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 12:49

The FP-45 Liberator was single-shot pistol that was mass-manufactured by the United States to be dropped into occupied territories. The purpose of the gun was to arm resistance forces on a large scale to deter and lower the morale of armies of the axis powers.

The FP-45 was designed in 1942 and was manufactured by General Motors Corporation. While the gun was being manufactured, it was designated as “Flare Projector Caliber .45” to disguise it. More than one million units of the FP-45 were manufactured within a 6-month time period.

Design wise, the FP-45 was very crude and simple. It was designed for mass-production without any emphasis on accuracy. There were only 23 stamped steel parts and this made manufacturing very cheap.

The FP-45 was designed to fire the .45 ACP round. Its barrel was unrifled and thus its range was limited to only 25 feet. At higher ranges, it was not accurate.

The FP-45 was shipped in a box with 10 rounds. The box also contained a wooden dowel pin to remove spent cartridges. The box also contained a comic book manual with instructions on loading and firing the gun. The gun was intended primarily as an insurgency weapon. The resistance soldier was to use this gun to incapacitate the enemy and snatch his weapon.

Despite the initial intentions, the FP-45 was never mass dropped over Europe. Only a handful of these were dropped to the Chinese and resistance fighters in Philippines. The FP-45 was never issued to the regular military forces. During the Vietnam War, the concept was revived and a similar gun called the “Deer Gun” was designed and mass dropped in Vietnam.

Today, the FP-45 liberator is a sought-after collector’s gun. A Liberator gun in good condition with the box and documentation can fetch as much as $4500.

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