Flare, Surface, Trip, M49

 The flare is intended to give early warning of enemy troops and for illuminating said troops.  It is normally dependent upon the actions of the enemy, but could be command fired if necessary.  This flare was adopted in about 1944.

 The body of the flare is a laminated paper cylinder closed at both ends by metal caps.  The upper cap has a threaded central hole to fit the M12 fuze mechanism.  The body is filled with an 11 ounce illumination charge.  There is no delay element in the fuze.

 The bracket consists of a triangular anchor clip with one hole at its lowest end for insertion of a nail and two square holes to engage with tabs on the mounting plate which also has two nail holes.  The trigger mechanism is spring loaded.  One end has the spring attached and has a hole for attaching the trip wire.  The opposite end has a small tab that holds the safety lever in place when the trigger is cocked.  The spring winds around the trigger pivot.

 The bracket is painted olive green.  The flare is painted olive green with markings in black

 Each flare is packed with three nails and 45 feet of trip wire.

 The flare burns with a yellowish light and can illuminate an area of 300 yards radius, depending on the terrain.  The flare will burn for about 55 seconds.

 When the flare is laid, it should be laid with the flare itself on the enemy side so that the flare will illuminate the enemy and be shielded from direct sight from friendly troops.  The trip wire runs to the right of the trigger mechanism.  A pull of two or more pounds on the wire will cause the flare to operate.  If the enemy finds the wire and severs it, the flare will also operate.

Flare. Surface, Trip, M49A1

This is a an updated version of the M49 that was adopted in the early 1960’s.  It has been used since then and is still a service store.

 It consists of a body, fuze mechanism, and bracket assembly.   The body is a thin aluminum case containing four illumination pellets, the top one with a first fire composition on top.  The fuze mechanism  contains an M42 primer and an intermediate charge.  The fuze is pressed into the top of the body and sealed against moisture.  The bracket assembly has a U shaped mounting bracket,  two carriage bolts and a trigger mechanism.  The trigger mechanism is essentially the same as on the M49.  The bracket has a perpendicular extension with two holes for nailing it to a tree.  The lower portion of the bracket is pointed to help in forcing the bracket into the ground for ground installation.

 The flare and bracket are painted olive green with markings in black on the bracket.

 When operated the flare will burn with a yellowish-white light for about 1 minute.

 When the flare is laid, it should be laid with the flare itself on the enemy side so that the flare will illuminate the enemy and be shielded from direct sight from friendly troops.  The trip wire runs to the right of the trigger mechanism.  A pull of two or more pounds on the wire will cause the flare to operate.  If the enemy finds the wire and severs it, the flare will also operate.