This alarm siren creates a howling alarm sound that can allegedly be heard across very long distances (it reaches a sound level of 105 dB). In Germany, the mechanical siren is called unit siren E57 (although East Germany and countries of the former Soviet Union used their own type of similar construction during the time of the German Democratic Republic). In the United States, very big and loud mechanical alarm sirens equipped with V8 cylinder motors were used during the Cold War. These mechanical alarm sirens are widely used all over the world. The siren can be operated electrically or manually. The result is an undulating siren alarm sound. The higher the number of the rotor's revolutions, the higher the pitch of the howling. Mechanical alarm sirens create a howling noise by rotating a shovel-studded drum within a container that sports openings. They were also used to warn people of floods and freak weather, as well as escaped prisoners or highly dangerous mental-health patients. In post-WWII England, alarm sirens were assigned a new meaning: alerting people to the threat of a nuclear attack. A shortened, one-minute siren alarm was devised to alert citizens of a possible attack. In Germany, the term 'alert' replaced the previous 'air raid warning'.

Instead, they became alarm systems for possible nuclear attacks.

From Air Raids to Nuclear Alarmĭuring the Cold War, sirens were no longer used to warn of air raids. the famous brand Klaxon) while others were manually operated (particularly in rural areas). In England, each village and city had its own network of sirens. An entire generation was scarred forever by the sound of the motorised siren. It also became synonymous with the terror of falling bombs - death dealt from the skies. The undulating, howling sound of the siren was highly characteristic, which made it an efficient warning signal ahead of air raids. Thanks to electricity and the invention of the motorised siren, this type of siren was widely adopted before and during the Second World War.

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