The Fallschirm Leuchtpatrone or ''"parachute light cartridge"'' in English was a non-lethal

star shell A shell, in a military context, is a projectile whose payload contains an explosive, incendiary, or other chemical filling. Originally it was called a bombshell, but "shell" has come to be unambiguous in a military context. Modern usage so ...

that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The Fallschirm Leuchtpatrone was designed to be fired from a '' Kampfpistole'' flare gun.

Design

The Fallschirm Leuchtpatrone was a rifle grenade that could be fired from the Kampfpistole. The Kampfpistole was a

rifled In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the proj ...

single-shot break action gun and the cartridge was breech loaded. The Kampfpistole was a rifled variant of the earlier Leuchtpistole 34. The purpose of the Fallschirm Leuchtpatrone was for

battlefield illumination Battlefield illumination is technology that improves visibility for military forces operating in difficult low-light conditions. The risks and dangers to armies fighting in poor light have been known since Ancient Chinese times. Prior to the adve ...

with a secondary signal flare role. The projectile had a light alloy shell case, with a threaded insert in the base for a percussion cap, inside the case was a propelling charge, delay fuze,

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

, illumination star, and

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 ...

nose cone. When fired the percussion cap ignited the propellant, which in turn ignited the delay fuze, that ignited the illumination star, blew off the bakelite nose cone, and ejected the star. The star is then suspended by a chain from a parachute, illuminating the area below. The projectile can be identified by the stenciling "''F. Leucht. Z''." on the base of the cartridge case.

References

{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons Rifle grenades World War II weapons of Germany