Liberator
Here's a rather rare handgun that was created during WWII. This is a FP-45 "Liberator" that was manufactured by the Guide Lamp Division of General Motors. It is a single-shot, smooth bore pistol that is chambered for the .45 ACP.
It was intended to be dropped behind enemy lines to help arm the resistance fighters.
Strictly a short range weapon, it was supposed to be used to take out an enemy soldier so that you could acquire his gun.
It was claimed that it took more time to charge it and arm it that to manufacture it, indeed one needed 6 to 7 seconds to manufacture them whereas the armament and the shooting could not be done in less than 10 seconds!!
These weapons having been ordered by the secret service, one is unaware of the exact number of parts manufactured at the beginning. As English did not want any to parachute them behind the enemy lines, after the war weapons (new!) were destroyed besides some which were used for the secret service in conflicts which followed the Second World War. There too one is unaware of how much these weapons “were saved”. It is thus probable that this weapon is really very rare!!
Alain
