germans used several million bicycles in ww2

The German Army used several million bicycles during WWII...almost as many bicycles as horses and mules (approx. 6 million):
http://www.olarmyjoel.com/Virtual%20Tours/german_bicycles_at_war.htm

 

BikeKrieg

 

I'd like to see them make a cavalry charge on those. I know the Germans used bikes a lot in 39-40 conquering western Europe, but I wonder if they used them in great numbers throughout the war and on all fronts. One thing I always like is the technology advances from 1939 to 1945. The changes in equipment was fantastic.

 

They used them in such great numbers that for instance in Holland they confiscated all the bicycles they could lay their hands on ...during the whole war .
Even today theres lots of jokes about those confiscations amongst dutch people .
My dad for instance is still pissed off they took his ..70 years on.

Pushbikes and radios ..jerry's loved to take 'em... They were the biggest bikethieves in history ...

 

thieving oiks, did he report it!

 

this german soldier wants to pay for it henk..is it yours!..he!he!
DutchNews.nl - German wants to pay for stolen bike

 

Cool post ..even cardinals werent save lol
Naahh ..besides some strong cursing there was nothing one could do ..but I think he still has the paper given to him it was taken , i'll ask him
His dad won a lotterie in '39 and he bought a beautifull expensive Philips Arabesque floor standing radio ..they nicked that too ....Would love to have that one back for shure Bet some NAZI schwein loved that looted radio very much ...

confiscating bikes on dam square Amsterdam

 

long gone, and you wonder what became it...

 

I collect tube radios..and thats a rare one ..looking at 1939 prices it was worth half a years wages in full ..at least.
Believe only 10 of that model ever sold because of the exorbitant price .. I know of three of those in collections , but none matching serialnumbers to the invoice . Yea , U bet i would try to claim it back as stolen property

 

indeed! very expensive radio to lose then..

 

very nice period radio henk, have a look at this small museum..
The Museum of Technology, the Great War and WWII"

 

My grandparents have a radio similar to that one in their basement, though I doubt it's the same model... my father and I fixed it up a few years ago, but we never got around to getting new vacuum tubes for it.

 

At times like this you wonder what all the Volkswagen hype was about.

 

Not at all, not at all. Taking away those bicycles from the West-Friesiens
aka Dutch, was actually a brilliant marketing gag by Volkswagen.

Every bike less ment one more salesoption and downpayment for a Volkswagen

Regards
Kruska

 

good evening andy. cool observation you made here..

 

Thanks Snip

on the other hand - maybe those bicycles are the reason why the Germans lost the war

The popular war slogan was:

"Raeder muessen rollen fuer den Sieg"
Wheels must turn/roll for the victory

Conclusion - not enough bicycles

Regards
Kruska

 

too many punctures perhaps? or bicycle thieves, he! he!

 

That literally made me laugh out loud! Maybe,

1. Europe had nice scenery that the army wanted to see
2. They were practicing for the Tour de France
3. It would keep them fit?

Jokes aside, with this story as well as the one about the horses, you would think that maybe the "Volkswagen for every German" dream could have been put on a hiatus so the military could use them. Surprisingly they didn't make a lot of Kübelwagen or even the Schimmwagen's, I'm sure the Beetle was produced in larger quantities for the 5 people who still remember what that is.

Regardless, I'm sure the Red Army must have "taken them back" at the end of the war.

 

I read this a long time ago Not only the German Army Think about it a cheap way of transporting troops around. It's even "Green" Environmentally friendly. Especially when Oil was hard to get Or supplies had bogged down.

I got to build one of these. http://30thcentury.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/gb-armored-poweredquadracycle-june18991.jpg





Google Image Result for http://www.theliberator.be/BicyclesImages/CivilianBike.jpg




http://boxturtle.typepad.com/.a/6a01157073f551970b0120a788197e970b-320pi

 

I remember seeing an image of Japanese soldiers in Asia who used a bike to set up a MG nest in the middle of the street.