The Liberator was developed to provide citizens of occupied nations a tool of resistance without inadvertently providing useful material to the occupiers and was conceived, developed and manufactured in 1942. The Guide Lamp Division of General Motors was tapped to produce the actual firearm, dubbed the Flare Pistol, 45 Caliber (FP-45) as a cover name, a collection of sheet metal stampings and cast zinc components assembled around a smoothbore barrel. While inexperienced with arms production, Guide Lamp stepped up admirably and cranked out over a million of the deadly little contraptions in a matter of months. The pistol is devoid of markings, with a set of 3 oiler holes in the frame and a hollow grip for ammunition storage. Included with the pistol is a heavily waxed cardboard box with an illustration of the pistol mid-discharge, a copy of the instruction sheet, and four rounds of .45 ACP ammunition.