Hand held flares

[39mto39g]

The thing was about a foot long and about the diamiter of a gulf ball. It had a cap on one end that you would take off and put on the other end. Inside the cap was a sharp pin hanging down about 1/2 inch. The reason you put the cap on the other end is that is where the fireing cap was, set in the middle of the tube like a large shotgun shell. You would then point the thing up and strike it on somthing, the pin would hit the cap and off the flare would go. . The flare had a picture of a guy hitting it on his knee, I think, I went looking for a picture but couldn't find one. By the way , you wouldn't want to hit the flare on your knee to make it fire. first your head is higher than the end of the tube, Not good, second you get illuminated in a kneeling position, not good and third when the flare goes by your head you get blinded by the light, not good.
You want to be down in a consealed position, you want to be ready to pull the triger, you want your eyes closed until it POPs , don't move, when the light goes out move from where you shot it from, there will be a smoke trail from the flare to YOU. Make sure everyone knows the flare is going to go off so they to can be consealed. The flare only lasted for about 10 second and would light up about 2-3 hundred feet in the open.
They weren't really good for anythng that I new of after you fired it.

Ron

Striking them with-or on-another body part was a really really bad idea. Rarely-but sometimes-those things would fire out of the wrong end. Treated a guy that had held the flare in his left hand and struck it with his right. Blew out most of his palm and burned most of what it didn't mangle.

[DMZ-LT]

Hal , thats how I fired them. Wasn't till 33 years later when my hands got burned real bad ... when PHO pushed me into the fire up on the mountain . Opa the lucky

El Tee-

Yeah, pretty much everybody I knew fired them that way also-until the above. Alot of guys' habits changed quickly after seeing what could happen.

[39mto39g]

Instructions.
If only we were given instructions on stuff we , Ah hell , we'd a did the way we wanted anyway. But at least it would have been our fault.
The only thing a hand flare was good for , as far as I could see was to give away your posssition.

Ron