2:02 "Remember, manufacturing a new pistol is always faster than reloading."

A liberator pistol made faster than it could be loaded, most likely shipped to Europe on a liberty ship - a ship built faster than the enemy could find and sink them.

As a kid in Poland, I remember my grandfather giving me one to play with. I don't remember if he ever used one during the war, but he brought it from France as a souvenir. I was the only kid on the block who had a real pistol as a toy, it elevated my status among my friends to a god! Good times followed...

A 230 grain .45 ACP bullet tumbling sideways at 730 fps sounds terrifying.

You forgot to mention the ammunition storage in the grip.

For a single shot, point blank weapon, the inclusion of sights seems superflous.

"we'll take a box of a million. How much will that be? Right then the salesman looked at me said. That'll be about tree fiddy. Well it was about this time I noticed this salesman was 8 stories tall and was a crustacean from the mesozoic era"

“We have Colt .45s, we have captured Beretta and Luger pistols, and even come Japanese pistols. What should we send to the resistance?” “MUSKET PISTOL”

Well the neighborhood fights between kids would've escalated pretty quickly after it started raining guns.

"but why did you have to make it look like that?" "Because it's cool." "I see"

As another KZfaq video that I can’t remember so aptly put it: “The Liberator was never meant to be used as a straight up weapon like say a Luger or 1911. What you would do with it was shoot a German soldier with a better gun so you could take said better gun.”

"Kolibri Effect" part 2: This gun is in Battlefield V.

It was meant just as much as psychological weapon as anything. Some german stumbles upon a free gun the allies give away, well then, how many are we missing. Some old lady walks up and, BANG, now she's a bad grandma with sturmgeweher 44. And yes, 50 rounds from a liberator, better record than my FORMER Glock 22.

The USA: Arming insurgents since 1942. A proud tradition that continues to this day.

Remember, crafting a new pistol is always faster than reloading

My father at the age young age of 6 found one of these in a garden just after ww2 in the uk, needless to say it’s long since lost but a very interesting gun!

The gamblers derringer in a post-apocalyptic old west scenario, I want one :D

For comparison purposes, $3.50 in 1942 is about $50 today

You know, a modern one of these, made to a high standard of quality and with a rifled barrel, would be pretty neat.

Nothing like airdropping the second amendment for the people

The time it took to make these guns, roughly every 8 seconds one was made. So the the Liberator was the only gun which was produced faster than it could be fired.

imagine One Million people each armed with these, pointing at the same target and firing once

“How much does it cost to make this gun?” “About tree fiddy.”

My favourite pistol, although I've only fired mine twice. When I bought it, it was still in the original (waxed?) cardboard box, with the ammunition wrapped individually. It was thought that these were called 'Woolworths' guns, because they were so cheap...just wish I only paid $3.50 for mine :)

Tree fiddy? That's about how much it is to make a hi-point ...

Very well done video presentation.

600 seems like a really small load for an entire long-range bomber. I'd have expected a single bomber to carry thousands of these.

I actually thought I knew everything about these guns, but then I saw him hold it in his hand and saw how large it really is. It looks alot smaller in the old pictures,Thanks for the upload.

I actually own my Grandfather's Liberator. Im afraid to shoot it. It might blow up in my hand!

LLLIIIBBERRRAAATTTOOOORRRSSSSSS..... MOUNT UP!

Thanks, Ian. Your vids are always extremely interesting. The only problem is I have to remember to go back and give them a thumbs up because I just keep rolling from one video to another. I always enjoy your style of presentation, very personable and loaded with facts. Cheers from Canada.

The FP-45 Liberator is actually a... Jolt reskin.

ECO ROUND

You only got one shot, don't miss your chance blow, opportunities like this only come once in a lifetime you know. Literally the FP-45 during WWII in a nutshell!

Interesting that it's max lifespan is only about 50 rounds...so basically it's a Taurus.

European here.Do it again please

Does this get the dubious honor of costing less than its lifetime in ammo?

Very interesting. The trick I think is to make sure every citizen owns one of these BEFORE someone tries to invade your country.

Just found your videos last week, absolutely love them because you really do your research

One of the best and most informative talks I've ever listened to.

found this channel a few months ago subbed immediately liked every video since then This is awesome, keep em coming please.

It's really cool to see the multitude of weird stuff you've managed to dig up over the years, but even more impressive to watch your team profile these weapons to such a high degree of history and detail in each video. As much as the Liberator is one of those love-to-hate guns, the premise behind it is truly fascinating, as is the eventual turn things took in carrying out the secret plans.

"Dropping millions of guns over Europe" - sounds like a US gun nut's dream :)

"So how cheap and disposable you want this gun to be?" "YES"

Whether you prefer glock, colt or ruger. Just know that this gun is better than anything you will ever shoot.

I absolutely love this gun! The history, the simplicity, etc... Thanks for the vid!

One of the coolest pieces of firearms history I have ever seen. Would love to have one. Thanks Ian!!

Fascinating as always. I particularly enjoy your videos when you talk about the manufacturing process, it's easy to forget that these weapons need to be made, my people and machines.

Thanks very much for sharing these greatly informative videos. You and 'Mr. H45' are educating those of us who would otherwise not be able to learn about, let alone be aware of, these historically significant firearms. Thanks, Ian.

has anyone read D-day through German eyes? if so what was the "assassination pistol" that was described, it does not sound like a welrod because of the quote "it was not even meant to be reloaded" and i know for a fact that you could reload a welrod i though that might be a liberator, one delivered by the Americans maybe?

I've read about and saw pictures of this pistol even the instruction "manual" but seeing it in your hand for a size comparison it was nothing to sneeze at. Great video Nicely done.

I have read about this one and I have seen pictures of it. This video really brought it to life. Those pictures on the instruction sheet now make sense - at last.

Lots of history behind this little, crude thing. Thank you, Ian!

Looks like it was crafted from Fallout 4.

I think Id feel safer shooting that Liberator than a modern Jiminez Arms pistol.

This is amazing. I had never heard of this pistol.

Neat little firearm for what it was. It merits mentioning that the pistol grip could be used as an ammunition storage clip (not a magazine that fed into the breech, but just a small "drawer" into which the remaining 9 rounds could be placed). Thanks for the vid on this one!

Something that wasn't mentioned in this video: As a single-shot pistol, Liberators didn't have a magazine. However, the grip was hollow and had access at the bottom. The person using the pistol could store 4 or 5 rounds of ammunition in the grip instead of having them loose in a pocket. I'm not sure about the overall utility of that if you needed to reload, but it did mean that when passing them out to partisans you wouldn't have to worry about them not having any ammunition to fire. There would generally be a few rounds in the grip storage compartment.

This guys voice is so calming, seriously, I could listen to these videos while falling asleep.

Another video about a gun I have seen in the Battlefield game..it all started with the kolibri, and now I watched 2/3 of the video's on this channel...thanks DICE.... But also thanks to Fogotten Weapons for these awsome uploads :)

Are there any documented cases of a liberator being used for it's intended purpose?

looks like a nerf jolt

Excellent video. The liberator pistol was not the only firearm produced by Guide Lamp. They also manufactured the M3 submachine gun. They were considerably more robust than the liberator. I had the mixed fortune to be assigned one in 1975. They were impressive, but so heavy I was glad to go back to the M16.

Fascinating as usual. I really enjoy the technical and political details of its history. Lots of information in 15 minutes! Please keep it up!

One wonders, if sending handguns to the possible civilian resistance in Europe is something you wish to do, would not the US have some, certainly obsolete, warehoused surplus pistols, revolvers and such stockpiled? An obsolete decommissioned weapon is still most likely a better gun than a single-shot Liberator.

Sounds like the Liberator pistol is like the weapon equivalent of the "Keep calm & carry on" posters.

I'm from the UK. Not really into guns but I have to say I found this a fascinating well presented video. Very informative. Thank you for sharing.

Very informative I happen to own a Liberator pistol. Dad brought it home from WW2 As im sure you are aware the object was to shoot the enemy and take his superior weapon . I always thought it was sort of silly until your very educational video. Also never was aware that my Gallil had a integral bottle opener. Never be thirsty on the shooting range again. Thanks

This is the weapons trolls use in bf5. Remember that.

Aw man, I was hoping for a test fire

> single-shot > smoothbore > need a stick to reload it Holy shit, pocket musket

Besides the combo backplate that warps the idea is good. Cheap, fast to produce, no complicated parts, every village smith could repair it, parts are easily available or can be changed, and the pictogram is understandable for everyone regardless of language and age.

SIGINT: I see you're using the EZ-Gun.

I'd love to have the disposable income to buy one of these. I love the background, and the look of the thing.

Gotta send some love to Ian and his great presentations. 👍

Another excellent video,I am in awe of the vast amount of information your have acquired forsuch a young chap. I noticed a latch on the grip base plate and wondered what was it’s use and also what became of the guns shipped to the UK ? Many thanks

Imagine if they had all been dropped, Europeans would still be finding them.... and still be finding a taste of liberty.

I've always been a little mystified by the Liberator -- why not simply do the same thing with a Derringer design?

The trigger guard/ barrel support is so satisfyingly neat.

These always reminded me of those clear plastic guns I’d get at carnivals as a kid which made sparks when the trigger was pulled

is it me or does that look a lot like the EZ gun from MGS3?

The liberater is just the modern day flint lock pistol

Thanks for the information and the piece of history on the liberator . I served in the US army and did not know about it. Really thank you for that, from the Dominican Republic,

Takes Mass Production to a whole new level.

"we have it we love it", Battlefield 5

Given current events, I think many Europeans would appreciate an airdrop of Liberators right about now.

I’m starting to think Mando got his weapons from Ian in his galaxy. And much like our Ian, he’d be giving lectures on unique, rare, and unusual blasters. He doesn’t sell weapons but more like an agent or counselor giving recommendation and facts of all the blasters he knows and where to buy.

I like to imagine being a kid in Poland and a crate full of single shot pistols lands in your backyard.

3d printing candidate...can you recommend another firearm that might be a good fit? large clumsy parts that work well

I'd like to add some correction. It would be incorrect to say that "none of these guns were ever dropped into Europe" In fact they were in Denmark at least, possibly other countries as well, I cannot confirm this. But I do distinctly remember hearing stories from my grandfather about how he listened in on the radio to hear clues about British air drops, many of which did occur and did drop other guns like Sten guns etc. as well as what we knew as "liquidation guns" which were one-shot guns, likely this particular gun. They were used most famously by resistance movement members "Flammen" and "Citronen" who used the liquidation guns to kill Nazi sympathizers and collaborators in the open street, as to spread fear and send a message. If you want to know more about the two I can recommend the 2008 movie "Flame & Citron"

It's amazing a mass produced gun can look so crude and handmade.

Wow. I always wondered about these. My grandfather had a gun store in Anderson, Indiana. I remember seeing one of these guns.

great video

You have so fcking nice voice... I can hearing you all the time and I'm so relaxed.

Awesome! Very informative. I do wish you had shown more detail on how the trigger actually functions though.

Just watched the book of Boba Fett episode 5... I knew I saw this little guy somewhere, had to scroll through the last 6 years of videos on this channel but was worth it, once again Star Wars franchise using a historical handgun as an inspiration, after the C96 and the Bergmann.

"Dumped them into the sea" who comes up with these ideas?

Did he even mention the bottom plate that comes out so you can store ammunition?

Something very similar was a major plot point, almost a literal Chekov's Gun, in the book "Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds" by Brian Daley. It was a more modern version of the same weapon, using a force projector to fire the bullet, which could be anything that would fit in the breech, rather than a chemical firearm. (It IS a sci-fi book, after all). Brian Daley, being a Vietnam veteran, wrote a number of books that drew upon his military experience. The "Alacrity Fitzhugh and Hobart Floyt" trilogy, of which "Requiem" is the first was one series, and the Coramonde duology was the other. The former was sci-fi, while the latter was fantasy. You can get all of them in Kindle format if you don't want to scour used bookstores or Abebooks for old paper copies. I read the Coramonde books back in the 70's, but didn't read the Fitzhugh & Floyt books until relatively recently. There's enough military bits and pieces in those books to satisfy the most thirsty of historical weapons fans. He also wrote the Han Solo books in the Star Wars universe, and the Gammalaw books, which I've never read. Another fantasy book, "A Tapestry of Magics" is floating around out there, and while I have it in ebook form, I've never read it. Daley passed away from cancer relatively recently, unfortunately, so there will be no new books from his worlds, which is a shame.

I still think you should do an Anderson, IN 2-Gun with the Liberator and a Greasegun. My grandma worked at Guide Lamp during WWII. The factory is gone now. The first time I heard of this pistol was in the back of a DC comic, probably Unknown Soldier or Sgt Rock but it blew me away that it came from my hometown.