Cartridges

Flare cartridges

This web site doesn't claim to be a reference concerning types of cartridges use by German flare guns during the Second World War.

Nevertheless, we will just illustrate that subject and show some examples on that topic which justifies itself one or more complete 'bible' and books.

1. Different cartridges boxes
2. Kriegsmarine box
3. Wurfgranatpatrone 326
4. AlarmschussPatronen and Alarmschussgerät
5. Today's shoots
6. Some few things for Kampfpistole

Here above, for illustration, some boxes for flare gun cartridges:

Different samples of cartridges boxes (most of them are for Heer purposes) of different type and different size.

For a more detailed description of the content of each box, we would recommend you to have a look on the following books described here or others we aren't aware of at the moment.

Kriegsmarine box

Cartridge box for Kriegsmarine (made of zinc, it provides a better seal necessary for marine environment).

A other box containing green star flare cartridges. You will notice the KM marking on the bottom of the zinc box (an eagle under a M) and the foil seal on the cap protecting the primer (typical of KM flare cartridges).

Wurfgranatpatrone 326 LP

Projectile designed to be launch by flare guns without need of a rifled barrel.

We have to point your attention to the extreme danger of such ordnances. Its activation is very sensitive and without going into technical explanations, we recommend you to contact the relevant departments (Civil Security Demining Service) at the discovery of such objects. In any case, you must avoid to remove or handle this kind of ordnances!!

Other sample of a Wurfgranatpatrone 326 LP

Some cartridges called Alarmschusspatronen near their box.

This kind of cartridges should'nt be fired with a flare gun. They were (and must) only used with traps.

These cartridges (fig 8, 2, 7) were used with the German trip-wire alarm system called Alarmschussgerät (the drawing here below is coming from the following web site).

Here above some pictures (click on them to visualize them in their original format) of a very rare Alarmschussgerät in good condition (thanks again to its owner for sending me these pictures).

General views of the system:

View of the firing pin and and where the Alarmschusspatrone cartridge was maintained:

View of the manufacturer code (Hasag 1939):

View of the clamp (which was holding barbed wire and also allow the trigger to be activated when it was moving too much):

View of the firing pin:

Global views od the alarm system:

Some shoots today.

To avoid absolutly: shooting original WWII flare cartridges but, nevertheless, the results are in the pictures below:

Single shots (green (left) and red (right) flares)

Double shoots (red flares shoot with a Luftwaffe flare gun (Model L))

Some samples of Kampfpistole cartridges:

The legend is the following:

1 Nebelpatrone Z with vent (smoke cartridge)

Box containing ten cartridges (on the picture, the cases are missing); You can see a red "Z" on the two sides of the box to easely recognize it - Clic on the picture to see it on the original format -.

2 Nebelpatrone Z without vent (smoke cartridge)

3 Deutpatrone Z

4 Nachrichtenpatrone Z with anodized body (message sending). The content of the Bakelite head is based on a piece of paper and a pencil. After having written the message and placed it in the bakelite head, the 'rocket' is launched and a smoke charge helps to visualize the place where the message has been dropped.