MK4 Flare Gun

Details

Title	MK4 Flare Gun
Description	Flare guns like this 25mm Caliber Mark 4 were used by the A.E.F. during WWI. Its design was copied from a French flare gun by the Scott Fetzer Machine Company, Cleveland, Ohio. Flares were shot into the sky to send a distress signal and alerting troops of the position the flare was sent from. Flares were also used to find the locations of sinking ships torpedoed by German submarines. Flare guns were not intended to be used as weapons, but in some cases A.E.F. solders would fire flares into the sky when enemy aircraft were overhead, hoping to set fire to the planes, or startle pilots, resulting in a crash or retreat.
Contributing Institution	Ron Leverenz
Copy Request
Rights