ww1 military bicycle

Ww1 Military Bicycle - The First World War was unprecedented in its time due to its large scale and death toll. In part this was due to new technologies being widely used in combat for the first time. Things like modern artillery, powered aircraft and tanks all signaled a new era of warfare on a massive, far bloody scale.

But in the middle of an area of ​​advanced technology there was a simple, practical and timeless machine: the bicycle. A rare focus in writings and discussions about WWI, bicycles were a common sight on all sides of the conflict. In fact, they played a vital role in transporting huge amounts of soldiers and supplies to and from the front lines.

Ww1 Military Bicycle

"In the beginning, while it was a war of mobility, bicycles were very important," said Doran Cart, senior curator at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.

Exposition Of Military Bikes In The Bicycle Museum In Saulkrasti

Bicycles could move large groups of troops without some of the problems associated with horses or motor vehicles. Horses needed food, while cars and trucks in the 1910s not only needed fuel, but also good roads, trained operators and regular maintenance. Bicycles, on the other hand, were human-powered and relatively easy to maintain.

Bike units could travel anywhere between 50 and 100 miles per day. Because they could deploy quickly, many were sent to the front in the first year of the war. French folding bicycles, seen on the postcard above, were particularly pragmatic: troops could ride them on roads, if possible, or carry them over rough terrain.

Pictured above is a fully restored "Captain Gérard" folding bicycle, an inexpensive exhibit at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. "It's rare," Cart said. "It went out of fashion when the military stopped using it in World War I."

This model was designed in 1896 by Henri Gérard, commander of the French bicycle troops and manufactured by Peugeot. Weighing about 30 pounds, it was designed specifically for the French infantry: Gérard added a folding component and straps so that soldiers could carry it on their backs, and he moved the seat post directly over the rear axle, so that a soldier the bike and fire could stabilize his weapon as he straddles it.

Capitaine GÉrard 1914 Folding Bike By French Army Ww1

Not every soldier had a bicycle, but some WWI infantry units - and sometimes entire battalions - had only cyclists in their ranks. Professional horsemen were often recruited to lead these units, which was especially so in the first two years of the war. Here is one

Of the French army, a unit that relied on folding bicycles. Other countries with cycling units include UK, Italy, Belgium, Germany and Russia.

Like weapons and uniforms, bicycles were issued to the military. Among British soldiers they were in such high demand that the army soon returned to use civilian bicycles for military use retrofitted.

Members of the Cyclist Corps could be identified by the marks on their caps and other insignia. (The United States was the only major country involved in the war that did not designate its cyclists with cap badges.) Most military-issued bicycles were singlespeeds, although some British models had three gears.

Remarkable Archive Photos Of Short Lived World War One Cyclist Battalion Who Pedalled Around British Coast Watching For German Invaders

All countries involved in World War I used bicycles at some point. Although this German photo looks like an action shot, it is actually a staged image meant to show soldiers how to properly lay down and prepare for an attack.

German bicycle units faced particular difficulties early in the war. Rubber was rationed at the time, and during a shortage German bicycle manufacturers had to make tires out of wood - or have soldiers ride on the rims. In 1917, rubber tires were only allowed on German bicycles, which were specially approved for wartime use.

Although modern cargo bikes have not yet been invented, military bikes could still carry goods such as ammunition, small arms, medical supplies and food to the front.

The British soldiers seen here draw a machine gun. While the description calls it a Maxim pistol, Cart said she actually pulls an American-designed Colt machine gun.

The Military Roadster

The United States didn't enter the war until 1917, but when it did, the military decided it needed bicycles, too. As Cart said, "They realized that bikes can make a difference in certain situations."

By this time, trench warfare was well underway at the front, meaning bicycles were no longer needed to move troops quickly. They weren't particularly safe on the open road either, but they still played important roles at air bases and relayed messages quickly. The picture here shows American soldiers in shore support from an air base in France.

The production of military bicycles fell to three American companies: The Westfield Manufacturing Company in Massachusetts, the Great Western Manufacturing Company in Laporte, Indiana, and the Davis Sewing Machine Company in Dayton, Ohio. (The latter changed bikes just to make the war.) All three manufacturers released the same bike, known as "standard military type." A total of 27,000 American bicycles were produced for the First World War.

Regardless of the country, by the 1910s bicycles were deeply embedded in the public imagination. Unlike many other technologies used in World War I, bicycles were familiar to everyone, including civilians. "It was a weapon of war that wasn't really from the military, so it wasn't threatening," Cart said.

British Mark V* Bicycle

Countless illustrations and war propaganda from the time depict bicycles. Above the photo it says "Onward Savoy", and refers to a northwestern region of Italy that borders France and Switzerland. Below is the Latin motto of the Italian 26th Bersaglieri Battalion.

"I think the bicycles were a very humanizing aspect of the war," Cart said. "Bikes represented something that anyone could use, and we still make bicycles. They are accessible to everyone regardless of social class, and the same was true back then."

Jessica Coulon Service and News Editor When she's not riding her mountain bike, Jessica is the editor of Popular Mechanics. Records now online detail the full military careers of 1.5 million Bavarian soldiers who fought during World War I, including the then 25-year-old volunteer Lance Corporal Adolf Hitler, who is now considered one of the most evil men in history. Individual records include the soldier's name, rank, date and place of birth, details of their active service, religion, status or occupation, marital status, names and address of parents.

Hitler's record describes him as a 'Catholic', an 'artist' and a 'messenger (cyclist) of the regiment' whose role was to carry messages back and forth from the command staff to the units near the battlefield. His detailed injuries include 'slightly wounded at Le Barque by an artillery shell in the thigh' in October 1916 and 'gassed at La Montagne, taken to hospital' in October 1918. His record also shows that he received five medals, decorations and other awarded. Awards, including the Iron Cross twice - 1st and 2nd class.*

History Of Military Bicycles In Pictures

The fighter battalions of the German army each had a bicycle company (Radfahr-Kompanie) at the outbreak of war, and additional companies were raised during the war, which brought the total to 80 companies, of which a number of eight bicycles were formed. - The battalion (bicycle battalions). The German army subsequently conducted an investigation into the use of the cycle and published its findings in a report entitled Die Radfahrertruppe.

The Germans mobilized huge amounts of troops during the First World War and bicycles were used everywhere. As you can see from these pictures, the majority were not equipped with military equipment like the British machines. With much larger troop numbers, every available bicycle was used by the military.

In contrast to the light French bikes and medium weight British bikes, the normal style of civilian bikes in Germany was a heavyweight roadster with piston brakes and roller coasters, making them ideal for military service.

Some bicycles used by the German military during World War I had a folding front carrier and others had a frame bag mounted on the top tube.

Multiple Special Forces Now Testing Electric Bicycles For Tactical Use

The spring wheels were not on this bike as it was found in France along with a US WW1 Columbia Military Model. I managed to find the front spring wheel at the Beaulieu autojumble and got the rear spring wheel from the US a year later, just in time to use its pictures in my book.

Bicycles were used in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The German military explored the use of bicycles, as did other European armies. The illustration above is from 1894, and the image below from 1908.

Before World War I, German training manuals suggested that technical communication should not be used because "a field officer would lose the opportunity to use his initiative." So as an alternative, messengers on bicycles, horses and on foot were also recommended as cavalry relay stations. Initially, the German army's communications relied on semaphores, but this soon proved suicidal for the signalmen. At the beginning of the war, the German troops who advanced to the Vosges were shocked by the exact artillery fire against them, where there were no French troops; they subsequently discovered telephone cables leading to hidden artillery observers. As a result, the German Army completely restructured its signal corps, and by the end of the war it had become a major branch of the army. In addition to wireless telephones, they used service dogs, carrier pigeons, torches, horns, sirens, bells, various types of signal flags and information rounds to send messages.