Stuka Siren!

[Heinz]

More to the point why would you want to?

 

[HealzDevo]

Interesting pictures. Could you please post the link that you got them from for me?

 

[FMCENG1]

Battle damaged Stukas, still in flying condition.

(edited, broken links)

i know it has been a long time since this posting but is it possible to repost your pictures.

 

[Njaco]

May not be able to get a siren for your car but there's this. Check the videos, they're hilarious!

HornBlasters Train Horn Videos! Check out these train air horns in action!

 

[Micdrow]

i know it has been a long time since this posting but is it possible to repost your pictures.

That person in question was banned along time ago.

 

[Matt308]

May not be able to get a siren for your car but there's this. Check the videos, they're hilarious!

HornBlasters Train Horn Videos! Check out these train air horns in action!

Crap I want one!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

That person in question was banned along time ago.

Charles was not banned. He just has not been here for a while.

 

[Micdrow]

Charles was not banned. He just has not been here for a while.

My bust, must of been thinking of some one else.

 

[Velius]

The F4U corsair was nicknamed "Whistling Death" by the Japanese supposebly because of the engine sound caused by the wing-root inlets for engine air. Was the corsair designed deliberatley to do this or was it purely coincidental?

Also, where can I find a sound clip of the "whistle"?

 

[Trebor]

wow! that sure is a GREAT find! I've been searching all over the place for that sound!

 

[Bluehawk]

Much has been said about the "terrifying" scream of a diving Stuka in WWII... in fact, such statements have become practically impossible to avoid in any discussion of the German aircraft.

Here is a current one from AIR FORCE MAGAZINE, page 67, October 2008 issue:

"How did the Stuka create its trademark - that terrifying howl? It was purposely designed into the aircraft. When the Stuka went into its dive, a powerful rush of air would push through a specially built siren, activating the blood-curdling scream. The idea was to maximize the panic on the ground below; and it worked."

I've had it with that kind of thing.

Either the Stuka did or did not have such a sound, and if it did then it must have been different from every other diving fighter?

But, what that quote above does NOT say, and I have yet to see an explanation of is:

1. WHERE on the aircraft were these supposed intentionally designed "siren" mechanisms?

2. Exactly HOW did they work, and what kept a "powerful rush of air" from flowing through the "siren" when the aircraft was cruising or climbing?

3. Could pilots hear the siren inside the cockpit? If so, did they object to having their eardrums damaged by a constant "blood curdling scream"?

Among other fighters reported to have a screaming noise at certain times was the F-4 Phantom. Not everyone heard it though.

So, what in the heck is all this about?

Does anybody know? And if so, please, for the record, set the record straight about these screaming airplanes.

Thank you.

 

[mkloby]

I have read that there were small props on the sirens. I suppose that the siren could have been powered by airflow, similar to airflow windmilling a prop or rotor in an autorotation. During the dive, the prop could have quite a bit of airflow through it to keep driving the siren.

 

[Bluehawk]

I have read that there were small props on the sirens. I suppose that the siren could have been powered by airflow, similar to airflow windmilling a prop or rotor in an autorotation. During the dive, the prop could have quite a bit of airflow through it to keep driving the siren.

I, too, can imagine all sorts of ways to either build such a thing into an aircraft design, or for it to be created by simple aerodynamic movement of air across flight surfaces or any number of other leading edge parts of a nacelle or the frame.

Problem is, everybody seems to believe in it, but I simply have not seen any actual evidence that there was such a purpose-built "siren" in a Stuka, anywhere.

It may have been there, but where? What did it look like? How, exactly, did it work? Could it be shut off for normal flight, or was it screaming as long as there was air passing over or through it? Did it activate at a certain air speed or attitude (e.g. nose down)?

 

[Catch22]

It was on the wheel assembly, and had a small prop to turn it. I would assume it was calibrated so it would need a certain airspeed to be able to activate it (ie in a dive). I don't think all Stukas had it, as I never see it in illustrations, save for the Jane's book on it titled "Stuka". In this book there are numerous illustrations and photos that clearly show covers that go over top of the sirens. It also says that it was driven by slipstream. This is only one source, but it give s a good idea of what it was like.

 

[Airframes]

I put an answer in a similar post somewhere a couple of weeks ago. Thing is, i can't remember where!!
The 'screaming' noise, attributed to the siren, was actually the airflow in the dive, passing through the trailing edge dive brake/slats. There are some drawings/plans etc of 'Stukas' that show this 'siren' on the leading edge of the wing, on, or above, the undercart leg fairing. As far as I am aware, this was actually a generator. When I find the diagram I am looking for, I'll post it. However, I have also seen diagrams of this 'siren', which worked by air flow passing through a tube, in which was mounted an impellor-like disc. The spinning of this disk created the screaming noise. Whether this was the real source of the noise, or whether it was purely the airflow mentioned above, is open to conjecture. Hope this helps.

 

[Bluehawk]

Thank you Catch 22 and Airframes!

This is the first and only explanation I have EVER seen about that matter!

It must have been a TRULY loud scream for it to have created such a HUGE mythology.

I wonder if there are any WWII guys on here who ever actually heard it functioning in combat?

Thanks again for taking the trouble to discuss it.

 

[Airframes]

My Dad did, both in France up to and including Dunkirk, and later, in the desert. He passed away last December, but I remember him telling me about it, and how, particularly at Dunkirk, under constant and heavy bombardment, the 'scream' of the 'Stuka' really pushed some people over the edge. Whether an intended part of the design or not, the 'scream', also heard from JU88's incidentaly, which didn't, as far as I know, have a 'siren', certainly had a marked phsycological impact.

 

[Matt308]

http://www.vibrationdata.com/Newsletters/January2006_NL.pdf

 

[109ROAMING]

heres a photo clearly showing the little propeller on the right hand undercarriage pylon

Full praise to the modeller who did an excellent job

 

[109ROAMING]

you beat me to it Matt!