PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- If flares are like ... of the M127A1 White Star Parachute Handheld Signal, so that it burns brighter and covers more area with effective illumination than its predecessor.

Illumination flares attached to parachutes floated down from American aircraft. One parachute failed to open, and the flare plummeted into stacks of ammunition crates near the command post of the ...