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Why Do Bombs Make A Whistling Sound When They Fall?
John Staughton
Thomas
Pynchon’s masterful World War II novel, Gravity’s Rainbow, begins with one of
the most memorable lines in literature — A screaming comes across the sky.
It has
happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now. It is too late.
The sound
being described — that screaming — is the sound made by a V-2 rocket as it
tears across the sky on its mission of destruction.
Movies and
television shows that deal with the wars of the 20th century often include such
a whistling sound in its description or depiction of falling bombs.
For those of
you unfamiliar with military technology, this “whistling” may come across as
strange, to say the least; in the midst of a battle, it seems unwise to give
the enemy warning when dropping bombs.
First of all,
did that whistling actually exist, and if so, what caused it?
The Sound of
Falling Bombs
When you are
watching a Hollywood reenactment of a famous World War 2 battle, the whistling
cries of falling bombs certainly help to build tension, but there is some truth
behind this terrifying sound.
During World
War II, the Germans designed their bombs with a special whistle that would make
that screaming cry as they fell towards the cities below.
Typically, a
metal object with sharp edges, like a bomb would make a small noise “hissing”
sound as it fell through the air, unless it happened to exceed the sound
barrier (343 meters per second), which would result in a sonic boom.
However, by
designing bombs that had a whistle-like attachment, the Germans were utilizing
psychological warfare as much as physical warfare.
The whistle
became associated with death from above, and since the bombing raids in London
and other European cities were often done in the middle of the night, that
wailing cry became a nightmare-inducing and anxiety-striking sound.
Survivors of
the London bombing still remember those haunting whistles of death from their
underground shelters.
Some
historians and soldiers argue that the whistling was intended to warn civilians
of the coming danger, so they could have time to take cover or run away, but
that theory falls apart when you look at the physics of such a sound.
It would be
nearly impossible to tell what direction the bomb was coming from by the wail
alone, so it could be headed straight for you, or might land 120 yards away.
Furthermore,
those bomb flight times would be relatively short, so even if you did hear the
wailing cry of a falling bomb, you would have very little time to react or “run
away”.
The whistle
may have given enough warning to cover could be taken, or you could fall to the
ground and cover your head, but that’s about it.
There was also
a particular type of German warplane, called a Stuka, that was designed to make
a piercing whistle whenever it went into a dive.
This had the
same effect as the falling bombs, but could last even longer, and would precede
a strafing run or its own dropped payload of bombs.
The Physics of
the Whistle
For those
people who pay attention to small details, the depiction of falling bombs in
Hollywood movies is usually incorrect.
When the bomb
was dropped and the whistling began, the pilot would hear the pitch start quite
high and then reduce in pitch as he moved away from the source; this is the
classic “Wheeeeeeezzzzz —– Boom!” sound effect you may have heard in movies or
cartoons.
However, that
“classic” falling bomb sound is how the pilot in the plane would hear it, not
the people on the ground.
Quite the
opposite, in fact, as the whistling bomb rapidly approached the Earth, thanks
to the Doppler Effect, the whistling sound would increase in pitch, just as the
wail of a police siren increases in pitch as it approaches you.
In other
words, the whistle would reach its highest pitch right before impacting the
ground, but that is rarely how the sound effect is added to battle scenes!
A Final Word
Movies and
television producers don’t always get the minute details of war right, but the
presence of a terrifying whistle in World War 2 movies is historically
accurate.
Using a
combination of physical strength and psychological terror, bombs with
accentuated whistles were able to do damage to the morale and psyche of the
intended victims that went far beyond physical violence.
John Staughton is a traveling
writer, editor, publisher and photographer who earned his English and
Integrative Biology degrees from the University of Illinois. He is the
co-founder of a literary journal, Sheriff Nottingham, and the Content Director
for Stain’d Arts, an arts nonprofit based in Denver. On a perpetual journey
towards the idea of home, he uses words to educate, inspire, uplift and evolve.
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