One of the most peculiar firearms to emerge during World War II, the FP-45 Liberator pistol was an incredibly cheap-to-make, single-shot pistol chambered for .45 ACP and made from just 23 stamped parts. 

It was originally meant as a tool for resistance fighters battling the Nazi occupation of Europe, and some 1 million Liberators rolled out of America’s assembly lines in a mere 11 weeks in 1942. Very few, however, ever saw service, and even fewer still survive today.

One well-preserved FP-45 Liberator found its way into the Guns.com Vault and is being offered at auction. Even if you're new to firearms auctions, Guns.com makes it easy to get in on the action, with bids starting at just 1 cent. Bidding starts Aug. 3 and wraps up Aug. 9, so don't miss your chance to add this FP-45 to your collection. 

Here's what you need to know about the auction along with detailed photographs of this antique handgun.
 

Table of Contents

Video Overview
Brief History
Detailed Images
Key Auction Details

Video overview

Brief History

Manufactured under the code name "Flare Projector," the FP-45 Liberator pistols are fascinating pieces of military history, but most were lost or destroyed during WWII. They represent an era of mass production that coincided with a form of total warfare that left both sides exploring new and increasingly strange ways of gaining an advantage.

Made by the Guide Lamp Division of General Motors, each pistol cost only $2 to manufacture and could be assembled from 23 stamped parts in a shocking seven seconds. The guns came with no serial numbers, manufacturer stamps, or other markings. They were just sheet metal stamped into a rough version of a handgun.
 

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The system was so crude that the kits included a dowel rod to manually punch used cases out of the chamber from the end of the barrel.

Thus, this FP-45 Liberator was meant to be a simple and economical way to arm large numbers of resistance fighters in Europe during the war. Its single-shot design was crude, and there was no rifling in the original-production guns. 

Users were expected to manually load the pistol, cock the striker, and fire the gun using the rudimentary sights and trigger at close range. There was a small storage space in the grip for 10 additional .45 ACP rounds, but there was never much hope of reloading this pistol in a pinch.

Instead, it was meant to serve as a last-ditch firearm or – more grimly – as a simple way to eliminate German soldiers to acquire their firearms for future use. In a sense, it was one of the cheapest assassin guns of all time.
 

However, it was the psychological threat of 1 million Liberator pistols loose in the hands of underground resistance fighters and partisans throughout Europe that was the real gift to the Allies during WWII.

Allied commanders never fully trusted the idea of arming resistance fighters with these crude handguns, and many were simply dumped into the ocean before they were ever unboxed. Today, finding an original FP-45 Liberator is a rarity.
 

Detailed Images

Here are some detailed images of the FP-45 Liberator up for auction:
 

 

Key Auction Details

As with all Guns.com auctions, bids start at just 1 cent. This auction opens Aug. 3 and ends Aug. 9, so be sure to mark your calendar. Whether you're simply a fan of unique firearm designs or a World War II buff, the Liberator would make an eye-catching addition to your arsenal.
 

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