The Stuka Siren is a particular siren that comes from solely the air-propelled siren of the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka Dive Bomber, a German airplane known for bombing in the events of Dunkirk during World War II. Most media portrays the siren as part of any non-jet airplane diving, but this siren was attached to only these airplanes, built into their wheel struts with propellers connected to a brake. Outside of old recorded footage, no physical evidence of this siren exists as all Stukas were destroyed to prevent any future improvements. The sound of this particular siren is recreated by many studios, namely Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. In media, most airplanes that are not jets often have this sound, more or less attached to the roar of the engine, even it it's not exactly in a dive (i.e. about to crash). This siren is one of the most common sound effects for falling objects in cartoons, next to (1) air whistling from a bombshell or mortar dropping and (2) airplane dives with no Stuka siren, which is rare. In cartoons, the siren may be used for rockets or jets diving as an aural gag, due to the popularity of this siren. This siren (including all variations) should no longer be used outside of historical context, but rather, if possible, be removed from older films, as this siren, unlike most sirens that are created as a warning, existed as a "psychological weapon" for the Germans to terrorize their targets. These facts were heavily reflected by Richard King, sound designer of the 2017 Warner Bros. Pictures film of Dunkirk, who recreated the extinct siren for the film.
Variations
- MGM SIREN - STUKA SIREN
- Sound Ideas, AIRPLANE, PROP - LONG DIVE 02 (Universal Pictures' version of the Stuka siren; perhaps the longest and most popular of Stuka sirens)
- Elektra Records, Dive Bomber
- Sound Ideas, Explosions - Plane shot and diving out of control . . . whine and explosion (included in this SFX cluster)
- Sound Ideas, AIRPLANE, PROP - LONG DIVE 01 (lower-pitched version of the siren)
- Hollywoodedge, Plane ASteep Dive CRT056106 (low-pitched version of AIRPLANE, PROP - LONG DIVE 01)
- Sound Ideas, AIRPLANE, SINGLE PROP - STUKA, PEEL OFF, WHINE, DIVE (Probably Cinesound's version; unknown if this's rooted from Universal/Disney/H-B, Warner Bros., MGM or something different)
- WB SIREN - STUKA SIREN HOWL (Heard in many of the original Looney Tunes/Merry Melodies shorts; rarely used outside of media these days except for some projects like those of Ben Burtt)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM (most common version of the above; one of the most popular of Stuka sirens. The Sound Ideas print of this sound is only a short version; the full siren scream was used by Skywalker Sound and other services.)
- Hollywoodedge, Plane ASleep Dive En CRT056108 (Disney's variant of the WB Stuka siren)
- SKYWALKER, SIREN - STUKA SIREN WHOOP (may be a modified, heavily processed variant of CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM)
- SKYWALKER, AIRPLANE - STUKA SIREN SCREAM BY, SHORT (also may be a modified, heavily processed variant of CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM, TWO TIMES (Same as "PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM" but played twice, first in a slightly higher pitch.)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE DIVE AND SWOOP BY (includes CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM in low pitch and volume)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, AIRPLANE - LARGE SUPERSONIC PLANE LAND AND ENGINE WIND DOWN (contains a highly processed, very high-pitched version of CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON - FAST ANVIL FALL AND IMPACT (Contains a low-pitched version of CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM)
- Sound Ideas, SCI FI - ROCKET LAND SPEEDER: APPROACH AND PASS BY (Much like the sound elements of the Landspeeders in Star Wars, this sound contains CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM)
- Sound Ideas, SCI FI - ROCKET LAND SPEEDER: PASS BY SLOW (Includes CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM in a low pitch)
- Sound Ideas, SCI FI - ROCKET LAND SPEEDER: START AND AWAY (Much like the sound elements of the Landspeeders in Star Wars, this sound contains CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM)
- WB CARTOON, AIRPLANE - JET: PASS BY 02 (Contains a highly processed version of CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, AIRPLANE - PROP PLANE POWER DIVE SCREAM (most common version of the above; one of the most popular of Stuka sirens. The Sound Ideas print of this sound is only a short version; the full siren scream was used by Skywalker Sound and other services.)