Designed to be inexpensive, deadly at close range and expendable enough to be thrown out of an airplane without the benefit of padding or a parachute. The Liberator, under the code name "Flare Pistol, 45 Caliber," was produced in 1942 and intended to be scattered in quantity in Nazi occupied areas so oppressed locals could overthrow their oppressors and take their weapons. Constructed primarily from sheet metal in the later three-hole configuration with a cast zinc alloy cocking knob and a hollow grip for ammunition storage.