| While the whistle cord or lanyard
presented a splash of colour to the uniform, the whistle itself was used in
combat conditions to give signals that otherwise were not as useful.
Shouted commands could often go unheard amidst the sound of gunfire, and
soldiers standing up and waving their arms during a firefight were an
obvious target for enemy soldiers, especially snipers who were trained to
look for such distinctive behaviour as a means of singling out enemy NCOs
and officers. CONSTRUCTION
The signal whistle (signalpfeiffer) was a very
simple design; made of black bakelite, it was about 5 cm long with a single
chamber pipe containing a wooden ball. A round end cap had a ring
molded onto it to accept the whistle cord (signalpfeifferschnur). The
cord was approximately 35 cm long, braided in a chain herringbone pattern
with a 2cm loop at each end. One loop was threaded through the ring on
the whistle, with the lanyard passing through the loop also and knotted in
place. The other loop was secured to a button on the uniform
METHOD OF WEAR
The whistle was usually tucked into the right
breast pocket, with the free end of the whistle cord being attached to the
second tunic button. The whistle cord was thus visible between the
right breast pocket and the tunic front.
THE SIGNAL WHISTLE IN USE
The whistle gave a distinctive blast, loud
enough to be heard several hundred metres away, and not easily confused with
Allied whistle. British "Bobby" whistles were dual pitched and the US
whistle gave a high trill. The German Signal Whistle was harsh
and grating, sometimes being described as matching the sound 'of a robin
being castrated.' |
|
