Feldgrau.net

I am looking for information regarding bicycles used by the Wehrmacht. Was there a particular manufacturer that made these bicycles, or where these various civilian models pressed into service? I am also interesed in any units / divisions where these troops were employed. Were they used on for recon., or where there grenadier units or other units that were typically mounted on bicycles? I am trying to put together a living history display and want to gather as much info as possible topresent it correctly. I am particularly looking for German units that employed these troops in the Normandy campaign and the Ardennes campaign. I am also looking for Eastern Theater references also.

I've looked all over and there isn't much out there on this subject. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Rich Saathoff

I am only familiar with the "Behördenfahrrad M/30" , which is shown in the book " Waffen- und Schiesstechnischer Leitfaden fùr die Ordnungspolizei".
Can't add any more information to help you. I would assume this is the official bike of the Wehrmacht.

Picture: http://www.ppsh41.com/fahrrad.jpg


My PPSh-41 website: http://www.ppsh41.com

Grüß Gott Rich,

I can recommend a couple of books for you.

1. Radfahr Schwadronen: Fahrräder im Einsatz bei der Wehrmacht 1939-1945, by Horst Hinrichsen (ISBN: 3-7909-0589-5)

***This is THE BOOK to get if you want to know everything about German Army Bicycles (Truppenfahrrades). It's in German, but has plenty of photos.

2. Shadows of War: a German Soldier's Lost Photographs of World War II, by Willi Rose (ISBN: 0-8109-5590-3)

***This book is an exceptional printing of unpublished and personal photos from a Jäger who was with a Bicycle Squadron in the 97th Jäger "Spielhahnfeder" Division.

3. The German Infantry Handbook 1939-1945: Organization, Uniforms, Weapons, Equipment, Operations, by Alex Buchner (ISBN: 0-88740-284-4)

***This book will give you a good understanding of how the German Army operated and has info on Bicycle Squadrons. If you read this book, you will also be miles ahead in knowledge from most reenactors!!!

You must realize that less than 20 percent of the German Army was mechanized....Panzer and Panzergrenadier Divisions. The remaining 80+ percent used 6 Million Horse/Mules and about 3 Million Bicycles!!!! Panzergrenadiers did not use bicycles, but every Infantry, Jäger, and Gebirgsjäger Division did....usually with 1 - 3 Bicycle Squadrons in their Reconnaissance Battalions. Just about every make and model of bicycle was used by German Army. That's why the Dutch don't like the Germans very much, because they took all their bicycles!!! The picture in the link from the previous forum member's post shows the standard type bicycle used by the Army....this was pretty much the standard bicycle design of every bicycle in Europe in the 1940's recardless of manufacturer.

What kind of bicycle do you have? Are you restoring it? I'm working on restoring a 1937 MASOVIA Truppenfahrrad for my collection and for Living History Displays. Here is a nicely restored Truppenfahrrad that belongs to a friend of mine:

Here is a picture of my Fahrrad. I bought it about a month ago. There are not manoy of these in my area. It is manufactured by Express Werk. The hubs are Torpedo with a 1935 date on them. I do not think mine is a true Truppenfahrrad. It has a civilian type carrier in the back and has 26" tires. Arn't Wehrmacht bicycles 28"? Anyway here is an image of mine. Let me know what you think. Thanks for replying. I am looking for one to restore for living history displays.

Rich

here is a couple more.





Rich

Hello to all ; a little complement...................................

Cyclists in action.

Before the war the Heer had available some cavalry regiments, which were organized in two detachments (Abteilungen), the I. (Reiter) Abteilung with five mounted squadrons and the II. (Radfahr) Abteilung with three cyclists squadrons. At the beginning of hostilities these units were dissolved in order to organize the Reconnaissance Detachments for the infantry units mobilized in the 1st and 2nd waves. This detachment (about 623 men) had a mounted squadron and a cyclist squadron plus a heavy squadron (support weapons and three light armored vehicles).

In turn was normal practice in the campaigns in Poland 1939, France 1940 and Russia 1941, that the infantry regiments organized mobile advanced detachments (voraus-abteilung) usually based on a company mounted on bicycles. I assume that these bikes were (mostly) seized because they were not organic in the regiments (does anyone have information about it?). However during the offensive often the infantry troops obtained bikes from the booty in order to form its cyclists or radfahrer troops.

Sources: World War II Combat Reconnaissance Tactics. Gordon L. Rottman
http://www.kavallerie-regiment18.de/menue.html
http://www.ebay.es/itm/I-R-529-299-I-D- ... 1731919703

Cheers. Raul M .

Hello to all ; a little moret...................................

Cyclists in action. France 1940.

Sources: http://www.ebay.es/itm/2-I-D-mot-Colonn ... 474wt_1037
https://germanwarmachine.com/timelines/ ... /june-1940

Cheers. Raul M .

Some Wehrmacht soldiers in Russia
http://www.forum-auto.com/automobiles-m ... 0-1400.htm

Wehrmacht soldiers in the south of France
http://sudwall.superforum.fr/t1612-la-c ... e-cycliste

Kindly regards
Prosper

Thanks for sharing those pictures Prosper . Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; a little more...................................

Cyclists in action. Poland 1939.

Sources: http://odkrywca.pl/panzer-1939-czesc-12,701119.html

Cheers. Raul M .

Hello to all ; a little more...................................

Cyclists in action.

Sources: http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-Wehrmacht-R ... 2061866153
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-Wehrmacht-R ... 2061870524

Cheers. Raul M .