The Multi-Star Signal Cartridge was a non-lethal
signal flare that was developed by Germany and used by the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The Multi-Star Signal Cartridge was designed to be fired from a ''Leuchtpistole'' 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 (s ...
in English.
Design
The Multi-Star Signal Cartridge was a signal flare that could be fired from the
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 ...
,
Leuchtpistole 42
The Leuchtpistole 42 or flare gun in English was introduced into German service in 1943 and served throughout World War II.
Design
The Leuchtpistole 42 was a single shot, break action, smoothbore, flare gun that was a successor to the earlier ...
, or
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 Leuchtpistole and Sturmpistole were
single-shot
In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have ...
break action
Break action is a type of firearm action in which the barrel(s) 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 required for ...
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. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...
guns and the cartridge was
breech loaded
A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition from the breech end of the barrel (i.e., from the rearward, open end of the gun's barrel), as opposed to a muzzleloader, in which the user loads the ammunition from the ( muzzle ...
. The cartridge consisted of an inner light alloy projectile which contained a total of three red stars and three green stars inside of a light alloy cartridge case with propellant charge. The exterior of the cartridge was engraved with numbers and the projectile could be twisted to create six different number combinations. Each number combination corresponded to a combination of red and green stars. By twisting the projectile a series of ignition holes were either opened or closed. When fired a
percussion cap
The percussion cap, percussion primer, or caplock, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. Its invention gave ...
in the base of the cartridge ignited the propellant which in turn ignited a
delay pellet in the base of the projectile. Once the delay pellet had burned through it exploded and the flash was channeled through an ignition tube in the center of the projectile igniting and ejecting the stars in sequence.
References
{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons
Ammunition
World War II weapons of Germany
Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944