Artifact of the Month

       When we think about field gear we usually think about uniforms, web gear
or firearms. One of the most overlooked pieces of equipment that were
still widely in use during the Second World War is the flare gun.

       For this month’s artifact, I have chosen the German Leuchpistole 34 as our subject piece. The “34” as we will refer to our subject was a simplified version of
the model 26. The 26 was an all steel flare gun with wood grips. In an
effort to both simplify construction as well as make it lighter, the 34 was
made of duralumin for the frame, steel for the barrel and had Bakelite grips
instead of wood. This made for a markedly lighter flare gun, and when
your infantry is mostly marching everywhere every ounce counts.
       The operation of the 34 is the same as every German flare gun predating
the First World War. A simple lever under the trigger guard opens the
breach. A flare is inserted, the hammer cocked and you are ready to fire.
Flares were used in a variety of roles. The first was to signal between units
while maintaining radio silence. It could also be used to initiate an advance
or signal a retreat. The 26.5mm flares also came as smoke rounds and
they could be used to create some concealment.

       Lastly, illumination rounds could also be fired to shed some light on a situation. Our particular example is in well used, but functional condition. The finish
shows a lifetime of being carried, and not well loved. Ours was
manufactured in 1941 by Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabrik as indicated by
the duv/41 stamp. These guns saw faithful service through the end of the
war despite being replaced in 1943 by the greatly simplified Leuchtpistole
42. This model replaced the duralumin with a cheaper less critical zinc
alloy. In addition the familiar lever to open was replaced by a push button
on the side. To say they are fairly ugly is being nice. They are also almost
a pound heavier than the 34.
       Post war, many of these flare guns were refurbished and continued to see
service in the West German army. Today the flare gun has been relegated
to almost exclusively a search and rescue tool. But it wasn’t that long ago
that eager warriors would wait, ready to attack as soon as that green flare
arced overhead.

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