The Whistling Sound of Falling Bombs

Psychology plays a significant role in combat. Dive bombers used to attach Jericho trumpets to the front of their aircraft so that when they dove, the aircraft would make the recognizable wailing noise we identify with it and frighten the enemy. The majority of us may also recall hearing the high-pitched whistling sound of a bomb detonating in old movies and even cartoons. Even cartoons use it to represent a character falling.

You wouldn't have heard that distinctive whistle if you had recently watched any footage of combat zones as bombs being dropped. Only some bombs created the noise because a real whistle was affixed to the casing, similar to the dive bombers of World War II.

Because of the Doppler effect, the sound and pitch shift as the bomb detonates. This meant that you could hear an auditory warning of the bomb's speed and distance from where you were standing. You can only imagine how this must have affected the minds of many people. Even the toughest soldier would have felt chilly and all who survived would have experienced significant nerve damage knowing that your possible destruction is rapidly approaching. That's all for the price of a whistle.