NCO's whistle: wartime or Bundeswehr issue?

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-09-2011, 05:40 PM

Hi Guys, a friend asked me about this whistle. John is an old friend but a new forum member and is still getting the hang of the site.

I am unsure if this is wartime or post war in this case? Many wartime ones seem to have more fancy braided lanyards. As far as I know it is unmarked.

Cheers, Ade.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 11-09-2011 05:40 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**António Fragoeiro** · 11-09-2011, 05:43 PM

Ade, you? Unsure? impossible.
You know everything

Cheers.
Nuno

**Teutonicknights** · 11-09-2011, 05:45 PM

I would sorta agree with you Ade it looks post war, the lanyard looks newer to me.

**Jerry B** · 11-09-2011, 05:46 PM

Plain whistle lanyards are, I think, more common than fancy ones, but how you date these is beyond me. Sorry this is not helpful. I have strange whistle with lanyard that I wish someone could help me with.

Regards and hopefully, someone who knows about these will chime in and maybe I'll post my confusing example as well in another thread (it's a metal one with a gold and silver intertwined lanyard).

Jerry

**big ned** · 11-09-2011, 06:18 PM

It looks o.k. to me Ade, I think wartime whistles were made of Bakelite as plastics then were not durable. I know postwar that they were made of modern plastics, but when this started to occur, I'm afraid I don't!

Here's a similar German NCO's wartime bakelite whistle for comparision.

Regards, Ned.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 11-09-2011, 06:26 PM

See I don't know it all

Thanks guys.

I always like to see Bakelite or Horn.

Cheers, Ade.

**oradour** · 11-11-2011, 01:42 AM

Ade, BW whistles can be either, metal or plastic...here is a current issue "Pfeifenschnur" not as elaborate as earlier Imperial/WH versions !
Prost ! Steve.

**oradour** · 11-11-2011, 01:52 AM

And just for reference, heres an Imperial NCO's metal whistle, from my Feldwebels Dunkelblau "Train" Battalion tunic, which has an interesting feature, a small inside pocket angled between the second and third buttons, just the size for the whistle to be stored in ! notice the wooden "pea" inside the whistle, I believe this featured in later whistles....
Prost ! Steve.

**Teutonicknights** · 11-11-2011, 01:57 AM

Thanks Steve for sharing!!!

**big ned** · 11-11-2011, 02:07 AM

It is of interest to note that metal whistles were not issued to German troops on the Eastern Front during WW2, only Bakelite ones. The reason being that in the intense cold, metal whistles would instantly freeze to the users lips, painful!, whereas Bakelite ones did not.

Regards, Ned.