History Main / BombWhistle

* Grenades in ''BioShock'' make this sound when thrown.

* ''VideoGame/ScorchedEarth'', in its title screen options, both averts (flight sounds: Vel) and plays straight (flight sounds: Pos) this trope.

* Music/PinkFloyd, ''TheWall'' uses the sound. Pink's father is killed by a bomb from a dive bomber. Note that since the plane dropping the bomb was an Axis plane during WorldWarII, it might actually have been a Stuka.

Usually, though not always, an example of DidNotDoTheResearch, as in RealLife, the pitch of the whistling noise would ''[[YouFailPhysicsForever increase]]'' [[YouFailPhysicsForever rather than decrease]] as the object accelerated towards the ground, due to the Doppler effect. Possibly justified in that those who have heard a bomb whistle and lived to tell about it were usually in a position (such as the plane) moving ''away'' from it.

* The German "Stuka" divebomber made a 'bomb whistle' sound when diving upon its target. When the Germans discovered that the noise was widely recognisable and caused panic among enemy ground troops, they started to install sirens to increase the volume. [[note]]The 'Jericho Siren' was mounted on one leg of the Stuka's landing gear, and operated when the aircraft was using it's dive-brakes (in the dive only). First used to spice up a demonstration of the effectiveness of dive-bombers by their German patron, Ernst Udet, they were considered so successful, they became standard fit equipment on all Stukas. The bombs occasionally had tube-shaped whistles (like small ship's whistles) welded to their tailfins.[[/note]]
** The American SBD "Dauntless" divebomber, meanwhile, managed to get a similar effect using its perforated dive brakes. The holes in the dive brakes, included for aerodynamic reasons, had the side effect of giving the plane a reportedly banshee-like wail sound in a dive[[note]] Probably leading to its US Army designation: The A-24 "Banshee".[[/note]]

* ''ScorchedEarth'', in its title screen options, both averts (flight sounds: Vel) and plays straight (flight sounds: Pos) this trope.

* PinkFloyd, ''TheWall'' uses the sound. Pink's father is killed by a bomb from a dive bomber. Note that since the plane dropping the bomb was an Axis plane during WorldWarII, it might actually have been a Stuka.

* ''DanceDanceRevolution'': The bomb whistle (along with the air-raid siren) is used as something of a recurring audio theme in the track "Drop Out".

* ''FamilyGuy'': Parodied; a ManateeGag shows a Japanese man having a terrible day (while in Hiroshima in 1945). After several annoying and inconvenient trifles, we hear a BombWhistle and he looks up, saying "Oh my God..." just before a baboon lands on him and starts attacking.

* The German "Stuka" divebomber made a 'bomb whistle' sound when diving upon its target. When the Germans discovered that the noise was widely recognisable and caused panic among enemy ground troops, they started to install sirens to increase the volume. [[hottip:*:The 'Jericho Siren' was mounted on one leg of the Stuka's landing gear, and operated when the aircraft was using it's dive-brakes (in the dive only). First used to spice up a demonstration of the effectiveness of dive-bombers by their German patron, Ernst Udet, they were considered so successful, they became standard fit equipment on all Stukas. The bombs occasionally had tube-shaped whistles (like small ship's whistles) welded to their tailfins.]]
** The American SBD "Dauntless" divebomber, meanwhile, managed to get a similar effect using its perforated dive brakes. The holes in the dive brakes, included for aerodynamic reasons, had the side effect of giving the plane a reportedly banshee-like wail sound in a dive[[hottip:*: Probably leading to its US Army designation: The A-24 "Banshee".]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* The Boomer attack in ''FalloutNewVegas''.

* Falling bombs in ''[[BattlefieldSeries Battlefield 1942]]'' make this exact sound. Because bombs do more damage to soldiers on the ground in the game, everyone stands up and starts running away while jumping up and down.

* The Boomer attack in Fallout: New Vegas.
* In ''StarOceanTheSecondStory'' Chisato has a move that calls in an airstrike that drops bombs on an area of the combat screen complete with Bomb Whistles. The fact she can do this deep UNDERGROUND makes the bomb whistles the least head scratcher.

Whenever an object is falling from the sky towards a character, it is often accompanied by a high pitched whistling tone that both increases in volume and decreases in pitch as the object approaches the ground. It is usually heard while a ShadowOfImpendingDoom engulfs said character.

* Inverted with the Doodlebugs of WWII. Their engines droned and propelled them forward constantly until their timers ran out. When they ''stopped'' making noise, you knew something nearby was [[StuffBlowingUp about to blow up]]. Also inverted by their upgrade, the V2, which traveled faster than sound. [[ParanoiaFuel If you heard it, you were fine.]] People who lived through the Blitz on London (1940-41, mostly) mention that falling bombs made a sound like a parcel sliding down a chute.

[[AC:Film]]
* JohnnyDangerously contains a scene actually involving a bomb dropped from a plane on the casino of his enemy, Roman Maronie. Followed by an [[NonFatalExplosions explosion]].

[[AC: Video Games]]
* Falling bombs in {{Battlefield 1942}} make this exact sound. Because bombs do more damage to soldiers on the ground in the game, everyone stands up and starts running away while jumping up and down.
* The whistle is only heard for an instant in ''{{Canabalt}}'' before the bomb lands.
* When you're outside of [[HalfLife Black Mesa]], mortars fall at times. They make sounds similar to this.
* World War II MMOFPS WWIIOnline includes sounds for falling bombs. If you're close enough to hear it, you're probably dead. The in-game Stukas are equipped with a toggle for the Stuka whistle. (a.k.a. [[FanNickname Stuka kazoo]])
* {{Scorched Earth}}, in its title screen options, both averts (flight sounds: Vel) and plays straight (flight sounds: Pos) this trope.
* Invoked in AlphaProtocol; in the fight with [[spoiler:Sean Darcy]], he makes this noise by whistling when he throws grenades at you. Earlier in the game, you can see mortars being used against enemy {{mooks}}; these make the correct noise.
* The bomb whistle (along with the air-raid siren) is used as something of a recurring audio theme in the DanceDanceRevolution track "Drop Out".

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* The Warner Brothers cartoons are the most frequent users of this trope.
** The whistle makes sense in most of these, as the viewer is usually on top of a cliff watching a character fall downwards.
* Parodied in an episode of ''FamilyGuy''. A ManateeGag shows a Japanese man having a terrible day (while in Hiroshima in 1945). After several annoying and inconvenient trifles, we hear a BombWhistle and he looks up, saying "Oh my God..." just before a baboon lands on him and starts attacking.

[[AC:Real Life]]
* The German "Stuka" divebomber made a 'bomb whistle' sound when diving upon its target. When the Germans discovered that the noise was widely recognisable and caused panic among enemy ground troops, they started to install special devices to increase the volume.
** The 'Jericho Siren' was mounted on one leg of the Stuka's landing gear, and operated when the aircraft was using it's dive-brakes (in the dive only). First used to spice up a demonstration of the effectiveness of dive-bombers by their German patron, Ernst Udet, they were considered so successful, they became standard fit equipment on all Stukas. The bombs occasionally had tube-shaped whistles (like small ship's whistles) welded to their tailfins.

* Inverted with the Doodlebugs of WWII. Their engines droned and propelled them forward constantly until their timers ran out. When they ''stopped'' making noise, you knew something nearby was [[StuffBlowingUp about to blow up]].
** Also inverted by their upgrade, the V2, which traveled faster than sound. [[ParanoiaFuel If you heard it, you were fine.]]
* People who lived through the Blitz on London (1940-41, mostly) mention that falling bombs made a sound like a parcel sliding down a chute.
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* Invoked in AlphaProtocol; in the fight with [[spoiler:Sean Darcy]], he makes this noise by whistling when he throws grenades at you.