Conceived, developed, and manufactured in 1942, the "Flare Pistol, .45 Caliber" (FP-45) was designed as a cheap and disposable single shot pistol intended to be air dropped into German controlled Europe, giving the citizens of those occupied nations a way to express their displeasure to the occupiers and hopefully retrieve a better arm in the process. The Guide Lamp Division of General Motors was tasked to produce the pistol, which was constructed from a collection of sheet metal stampings and cast zinc components assembled around a smoothbore barrel. While inexperienced with arms production, Guide Lamp stepped up and cranked out over a million of the deadly little contraptions in a matter of months. Includes the original waxed cardboard box with correct image depiction on the cover flap, wood packing insert, dowel rod, and sealed box of .45 ACP ammunition.