Acme thunderer on A-2 jacket

[Chris217]

Is a "acme thunderer" pea whistle the correct for my original A-2, or should I try to go with a RAF model? By the way great site!!!!!

 

[shamus]

I'm not sure. I have the brass thunderer whistle as Aero was selling them a few years back...

 

[BellyTank]

It's good enough- they are English- and much of the AAF's operations were in England. It would seem that an Acme Thunderer is common enough in that setting to be thought of as 'the genuine article.

B
T

 

[The Wingnut]

It's correct. The only way you could get more accurate is if it were king's crown marked and had a contract number. I have a current manufacture one on my A-2 and it's no different from the WWII originals.

 

[Chris217]

Do you think these were private purchase whistles, or did they come out of the escape kit?

 

[Alan Eardley]

Acme Thunderer

I live near to where the Acme whistles are still made and have visited the factory on several occasions. They have a small display of historical whistles, mainly railway, sport and industry, but there are a few military examples. The wartime versions of the 'pea' whistle (which had crown markings and a WD stock number) were not the same as the current versions in detail points, but I think only a 'buff' would notice the difference.
In WW2 there were two types of 'ditch whistle' in service with the RAF, both made by Acme. One was the 'pea' type and the other (rarer) was a WD version of the 'straight' police whistle. Both could have been obtained by USAAF fliers and both are obtainable on Amce's web site.

Alan

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

What is the purpose of having a whistle when you are a flyer exactly?

 

[Chris217]

The whistles were worn on the flight jackets of the aircrew in case they were shot down or crashed into the sea. Air sea rescue could pinpoint the aircrewman's location if visibility was bad due to fog by the blowing of the whistle.

 

[MikeyB17]

Aero still sell them, marked with the Air Ministry Crown and serial no.

MB17

 

[Andrew Lorenz]

Were the Acme Thunderers used by the US Army Air Corps in both Europe AND the South Pacific? My Grandfather, Edward J Kobbeman (my avatar pic) was a P-39 pilot with the 67th Fighter Squadron (347th Fighter Group) during the War (P-51 Trainer afterwards, hence the Mustang in the avatar), but his A-2 never had a whistle attached. I was curious if a Ditch Whistle for a single-seat fighter whose missions were mostly flown over the ocean was even useful. I could easily understand why a bomber crew might need them: in order to communicate with one another if they went down.... but does anyone have any photographic evidence of South Pacific USAAF fighter pilots wearing Acme Thunderers? I'm creating a replica of Grandpa's A-2, and as he passed away this last October, I no longer have the opportunity to confirm with him whether or not he (or any fighter flying out of the Solomans) actually wore one. I've found plenty of European Theater pics. Adding a few pics of Grandpa and his A-2 for the group. Thanks, guys, this forum is amazing!!

 

[Edward]

The whistles were worn on the flight jackets of the aircrew in case they were shot down or crashed into the sea. Air sea rescue could pinpoint the aircrewman's location if visibility was bad due to fog by the blowing of the whistle.

Exactly the same concept as the emergency whistle attached to a modern plane's lifejacket. I've always assumed the civilian version follows the military practice, as with so many other things.

 

[GregGale]

I put a repro Thunderer on my Eastman Star Sportswear A-2. I was in a bit of a dilemma: some pilots attached it to the right side (so did I), but some attached it to the left, that is, the hook. The problem is that the hook is on the inside of the jacket, so it only works if the collar is turned out and flattened. Check out this picture of William Whisner:

Others, like Punchy Powell used the ball studs to attach it:

 

[Flightengineer]

Exactly the same concept as the emergency whistle attached to a modern plane's lifejacket. I've always assumed the civilian version follows the military practice, as with so many other things.

Absolutely correct.
During emergency water training periodically forced to use them.
Although... I would like God to keep us from landing on water.

 

[p51]

I have talked with many 8th AF vets in the past, and they told me that the whistles were because a yell couldn't heard nearly as far (or as loudly) as a whistle and if you ditched in the channel, it was probably too cold to yell anyway.
There was a US Army issue whistle, and that's a common type I saw on the few original unaltered A-2s I saw with the vets who'd worn them. The RAF-marked whistles were pretty common too, it seemed.
I carried one just like it on my repro A-2 for many years when I did AAF re-enacting (though you can't see it in these photos). They're not that tough to find today if you're willing to pay for one.
I'm far right in the top photo, and front row far right in the bottom one, with the Museum of Flight's B-17 before she was flown for the final time to Seattle: