1940.09.14 “Noise Terror Planes Descending on Confused Troop Columns”
by Norbert B. Quinn (1902-1987)
10 x 16 in., ink on board
Coppola Collection

Born in Medford, MA, and educated at Boston College High School (1920) followed by taking classes at the Museum of Fine Arts school, Quinn was an artist for the Boston Globe for many years. He retired to Maine in 1967.

Regardless of the topic, this is a really lovely piece of ink and wash art.

Probably the most iconic German aircraft during WWII, the Stuka dive bomber became the symbol of a string of successful campaigns in the early stages of the war.

The Wehrmacht seemed unstoppable in 1939, when Stukas swarmed the sky above Poland.

What specifically made these planes horrific were the two horns attached to the wings which produced a screeching sound once the aircraft was inbound for a strike. As the Stuka descended from the sky to drop its deadly load, the scream which accompanied it had a devastating effect on the morale of anyone who was on the ground.

The haunting horns were dubbed the “Jericho trumpets” by the Germans, who relied on the psychological effect of the noise to give them an edge against their opponents.

It was all for a propaganda effect.

The only problem with the Jericho Trumpets was that they affected the aerodynamics of the planes, causing enough drag to slow the plane down by 20 miles per hour and making them easier targets for defenders. Eventually, the sirens would be scrapped, and whistles were placed on the bombs to create the same psychological effect.