Rev up your curiosity with KrasMoto's latest video, diving into the thrilling world of military motorcycles! From their intriguing origins to their evolution as battle-ready beasts, we’ll explore the most unique and game-changing models throughout history. Grab your snacks, kick back, and let’s ride through time! Don't miss out on this riveting journey—hit subscribe and drop a comment below to share your favorite military motorcycle story! #Motorcycles #MilitaryHistory #MotorcycleLovers #History #Motorbike
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with @krasmoto
00:00:00 - Introduction to Military Motorcycles
00:01:07 - Early Military Motorcycle Origins
00:03:08 - Development During World War I
00:05:38 - Interwar Innovations and Advancements
00:09:09 - Motorcycles of World War II
00:18:08 - Post-War Military Motorcycles
00:27:01 - Modern Era and Electric Motorcycles
00:39:30 - Concluding the Evolution of Military Bikes
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with @krasmoto
00:00:00 - Introduction to Military Motorcycles
00:01:07 - Early Military Motorcycle Origins
00:03:08 - Development During World War I
00:05:38 - Interwar Innovations and Advancements
00:09:09 - Motorcycles of World War II
00:18:08 - Post-War Military Motorcycles
00:27:01 - Modern Era and Electric Motorcycles
00:39:30 - Concluding the Evolution of Military Bikes
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello friends, glad to see you on the Krass Moto channel.
00:03The YouTube analytics chart shows that you really liked the videos from the A Few Words
00:09About Motorcycles series.
00:11Continuing this fine tradition, in this video I want to tell you A Few Words About Military
00:16Motorcycles, from their origins to the present day.
00:21There won't be a meticulous listing of every model, but I'll do my best to clearly and
00:25interestingly tell you about the most curious, unique, and important examples from the world
00:31of motorcycles.
00:32Make yourself comfortable, grab some snacks and your favorite drink.
00:35Let's get started.
01:07As soon as the first motorcycle appeared in the world, it immediately caught the attention
01:12of the military.
01:13When exactly it was first decided to use the motorcycle as a combat unit, history does not
01:19say.
01:19Some give the credit to the Kudel tricycle with a 2.75 horsepower engine, which was used
01:26by the Kaiser's Army to tow light artillery and transport officers.
01:32The first photographs of this machine date back to 1897.
01:38Others prefer to give the priority to the vehicle presented by Frederick Richard Sims in 1898 called
01:46the Motor Scout.
01:47Sims built this device based on a licensed quadricycle produced by the new best-owned cycle company
01:54of Coventry.
01:54This point is quite controversial since Sims' invention had four wheels, but by all other
02:01criteria it was essentially a motorcycle.
02:04Based on a bicycle frame and saddle, the Sims Motor Scout was equipped with a 1.5 horsepower
02:09engine from the French company de Dionboutin and weighed about 200 kilograms.
02:16The vehicle was equipped with a Maxim machine gun and an armored shield that protected the
02:21shooter's chest and head.
02:23The Sims Motor Scout was displayed at an industrial exhibition in Richmond in April 1898.
02:31In addition to the machine gun and the shooter, it could carry about 200 kilograms of ammunition
02:36and enough fuel for a range of 120 miles.
02:40Despite the Anglo-Bear War, where, considering the terrain and long distances, Sims' vehicle
02:46could have been useful, it remained a one-of-a-kind prototype.
02:50And Frederick, who a few years later also proposed an armored car that shared the fate of the Motor
02:56Scout, by the way, decided to focus on peaceful activities where he achieved success and is
03:02considered one of the pioneers of automobile manufacturing in England.
03:08I should note that at the end of the 19th century, motor vehicles were expected to have a very bright
03:13military future.
03:14This is evidenced by the fantastic illustrations published in one of the European Illustrated
03:19magazines, where, among other vivid ideas about the military technology of the future,
03:25according to the author of this fantastic series, the motorcycle will replace the cavalry.
03:30At the same time, when depicting the military motorcycle, the artist almost guessed what it
03:36would look like, with an armored shield protecting the rider from enemy bullets and a mandatory machine
03:42gun for return fire.
03:45By the way, the competitors weren't sleeping either.
03:48In the United States of America, a year later in 1899, Major Royal Page Davidson created an analog
03:55of Sims' invention called the Davidson Duria.
03:58Earlier, Major Davidson came up with the idea of creating infantry units in the United States
04:04Army equipped with bicycles.
04:06Unlike Sims, Davidson, who was almost the same age as him, was a military engineer and primarily
04:13developed technical devices for army needs.
04:16The crew of the tricycle consisted of three people, a driver, a gunner, and a mechanic, although
04:22there was room for one more passenger.
04:23The tricycle was equipped with a Colt machine gun and an armored shield.
04:29Just a year later, Davidson abandoned the three-wheeled design and his armored vehicle became
04:33almost a full-fledged car.
04:35Later on, he also designed vehicles that were completely covered in armor, but that's a whole
04:41different story.
04:48With the development of motor technology during that period, the need to modernize motorcycles
04:54for military purposes was obvious.
04:57The armies of all progressive countries tried to strengthen their units with motorcycles.
05:02For the most part, the equipment was not much different from standard civilian models and
05:08was mainly used for messengers in reconnaissance, and motorcycles with sidecars were used to
05:14transport the wounded and as mobile firing points.
05:17For the first time, motorcycles reinforced with machine guns appeared en masse in the German
05:22army.
05:23Unlike the invention of Sims and Davidson, these were modernized civilian machines.
05:29Despite the lack of armor, German mobile machine gun posts were successfully used in some
05:35operations on the fronts of World War I.
05:38The next step in the development of military motor vehicles was the logical emergence of
05:43mobile air defense systems.
05:46Aviation had already stopped being used solely for reconnaissance and began to be employed alongside
05:51other equipment in combat operations.
05:54Because of this, there arose a need to repel attacks from the air, so heavy machine guns were
06:00mounted on motorcycles.
06:03Attempts to armor motorcycles also continued, and the most suitable for such modifications
06:09were heavy motorcycles with sidecars, for example, Harley-Davidson.
06:14Be that as it may, during World War I, motorcycles rarely appeared on the battlefield.
06:20Its main tasks were transporting the wounded courier service and the rapid delivery of various
06:25cargo.
06:26Besides, cavalry still held a significant position within the troops.
06:31However, some companies managed to deliver a significant amount of equipment to the fronts
06:36of World War I.
06:37For example, the Douglas Company managed to sell the troops about 70,000 motorcycles.
06:43That was a huge number for those times.
06:51After the end of World War I, all participating countries, having fully appreciated the advantages
06:57of motorcycles on the battlefield, began to develop new types of motorcycles.
07:02Some of them were so futuristic that it makes you wonder, what was the engineer smoking?
07:09Here's an armored version from the French René Gillet.
07:12This is a 1928 model with a Hotchkiss Memel machine gun, 8mm caliber, and a very avant-garde
07:19design.
07:20And then there's a whole array of tracked and half-tracked motorcycle prototypes from
07:25the 1930s.
07:27By the way, there's a detailed video about them on the channel, so we won't focus on
07:31all the prototypes here.
07:33Here in front of you is the Mercier motorcycle.
07:36About five prototypes were built, one of which was equipped with an armored shield in
07:41the front.
07:42During the test, the vehicle literally faced failure.
07:45The heavy front of the motorcycle got completely stuck in the very first puddle.
07:50And here is the Lyotre prototype.
07:52The engineer dreamed of this vehicle conquering the expanses of battlefields, but in reality
07:58the prototype was extremely heavy and clumsy.
08:00In fact, the Lyotre motorcycle lost to conventional wheeled vehicles in every aspect and was never
08:06developed further.
08:08And here is an interesting creation by Leonid Krzyzewski based on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle
08:14from the year 1932, Leonid Vassilievich, was an engineer and inventor.
08:20The recoilless gun was his joint development with engineer Isenbeck.
08:24And it is this 76mm gun with a range of 5.5km that you see mounted on the Harley's sidecar.
08:33The exact number of vehicles equipped is unknown.
08:37Let's step away from military equipment for a moment and turn to police vehicles.
08:41In the early 30s, police officers in the United States of America wanted to acquire armored
08:46motorcycles.
08:47Apparently, this step was prompted by the rampant crime, and gangsters of that era had no qualms
08:54about shooting at law enforcement officers with Thompson submachine guns.
08:58Essentially, these motorcycles were regular Harley models with a sidecar on which armored
09:04shields with bulletproof glass inserts were mounted at the front.
09:09The descendants of the Vikings took a much more sophisticated approach to armor.
09:14The motorcycle was named Landsverk.
09:16Landsverk 190 was the first Swedish armored motorcycle.
09:20It was developed around 1930 and sent to the Swedish army under the name Panzerbil FM30 for
09:29testing as an experimental model.
09:31The model was based on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, onto which several segments of armor were installed.
09:38Inside the sidecar, a belt-fed 6.5-meter machine gun, KSP M14-29, was installed, which served
09:47as the vehicle's only weapon.
09:49At least one Panzerbil underwent field tests conducted between 1932 and 1935 in the K3 Cavalry
09:57Regiment in southern Sweden.
09:59In 1932, the Landsverk company produced a new type of armored motorcycle, based on specifications
10:06provided by the Danish authorities.
10:09Under the internal name L210, this vehicle received the official designation for Sox Spanser
10:16FP3 in Denmark.
10:19At its core was once again a Harley with a 1,200 cc 30-horsepower V-twin engine.
10:25This model was already used by the Danish army at that time, and the FP3 could thus benefit
10:31from the unification of parts.
10:33As armament, they used a Madsen light machine gun, which was mounted behind a gun shield
10:39and chambered for 8x58-millimeter ammunition.
10:44Armor plates with a thickness of 4.5 millimeters were used, which, thanks to the use of sloped
10:50angles, theoretically protected against bullets and small fragments.
10:53Compared to its predecessor, the L210 received an armored hull.
10:59This provided increased protection on the sides and, unlike the L190 protection from the rear.
11:06In practice, FP3 failed.
11:08Tests in Denmark show that the large weight of the motorcycle, namely 730 kilograms, made
11:15it difficult to handle, its off-road capability was minimal, and the 30-horsepower engine barely
11:21accelerated the vehicle to 50 kilometers per hour.
11:25The tests were suspended, and in August 1933, the vehicle was taken out of service, and the
11:32armored body was dismantled that same year.
11:35However, the rejection of the L210 did not mark the end for Landsberg's armored motorcycles.
11:41Further dialogue with the Danish authorities led to the creation of a lighter version of
11:46the L210 in 1934.
11:49At the end of the 1930s, the vehicle found an owner.
11:52The order for the motorcycle was placed on October 18, 1938, by Baron Friedrich Karl Johansson
11:59von Schlebrugge.
12:01According to the Landsberg order log, he was the head of Nazi propaganda in Central and South
12:06America, at that time, while he was in Mexico.
12:10The Belgians used a more economical type of armor.
12:13The famous company Fabrique Nationale created the Fabrique Nationale M's 86 for the Belgian
12:20army in 1935.
12:22The model for the armed forces received a boosted 600cc engine and a reinforced frame.
12:28However, even such an engine producing 20 horsepower struggled with the additional armor, which
12:36weighed up to 175 kilograms.
12:39The driver was protected in the front by a massive shield that had a window.
12:43In combat situations, the window was closed, and the road could be observed through a viewing
12:48slit.
12:48The gunner in the sidecar was protected by armor on three sides.
12:53The military was not satisfied with the motorcycle's performance.
12:56The speed and maneuverability of the heavy machine left much to be desired.
13:02However, the company Fabrique Nationale was destined for success in the international market.
13:07The model was successfully sold to the Brazilian police under the designation Armored Motor Fabrique
13:13Nationale M-86.
13:15Both motorcycles that were built, as well as all the technical documentation for their production,
13:21were sent to Brazil.
13:22Later, such armored motorcycles were also purchased by other Latin American countries.
13:26as well as Romania and Yemen.
13:29However, all the batches were small, and only about 100 of these motorcycles were produced
13:35in total.
13:35Closer to World War II, Fabrique Nationale released an armored version of the model with the opposed
13:40engine, Fabrique Nationale M-12.
13:44In addition to various ideas that were not very suitable for real life, the regular motorcycle
13:49industry was also developing during the interwar period.
13:53This was especially noticeable in Germany.
13:56After the end of World War I, under the terms of the peace treaty, Germany was forbidden to
14:02produce all types of weapons.
14:03However, there was not a word about motorcycles.
14:07Because of this, there was a real boom in motorcycle manufacturing in Germany.
14:10The main factor for the development of this industry was that an average resident of the devastated
14:17country could afford a motorcycle, while a car remained the privilege of the wealthy.
14:22This is exactly what prompted BMW to switch from producing train parts to motorcycles, and
14:29to enter into competition with the second major motorcycle manufacturer in Germany,
14:33Zündapp.
14:35At first, BMW didn't introduce anything new, installing the M2B15 opposed engine on their
14:41motorcycles, which was essentially a copy of the English Douglas engine.
14:46But by 1924, the engineers introduced the first mass-produced BMW motorcycle created from
14:52scratch, the BMW R32.
14:55But as time went on, by the early 1930s, the Bavarian company realized the need to create
15:01a specialized military motorcycle.
15:04That's exactly what the BMW R35 became.
15:08Unlike its predecessors, it had a telescopic front fork and a more powerful 400 ECC engine.
15:15The drive shaft was an important feature for the Army.
15:19Production of the BMW R35 continued until 1940, after which it gave way to more specialized military
15:27motorcycles.
15:29Other significant models were the R12 and R71.
15:33The latter became the ancestor of Soviet heavy motorcycles.
15:37In addition to BMW, the aforementioned motorcycle company Zündapp also participated in the industrial
15:43race, fulfilling government orders as well.
15:46Zündapp supplied the Army with three main models, the K500, KS600, and KDIRS800.
15:54In other leading motorcycle industry countries, things were similar.
15:59Companies such as Birmingham Small Arms Royal Enfield, Norton from the United Kingdom, Harley
16:05Davidson from the United States, Gillette Herstel from Belgium, Guilera and Moto Guzi from
16:11Italy, Rikuo from Japan, and others were quite successful.
16:16In supplying equipment to the military, a separate trend worth noting is the large-scale development
16:21of tricycles in Italy and Japan, starting from the 1930s.
16:25This equipment gained popularity due to its simplicity and high load capacity, and this
16:31made it possible to use it for a wide range of tasks, from supplying units and transporting
16:36the wounded to installing radio stations and various types of weapons in the cargo bed.
16:41In the 1930s, a huge variety of three-wheeled vehicles could be found in Japan, but the
16:47main manufacturers were Daihatsu, Mazda, New Era, and Iwasaki.
16:52At the same time, each region of the country had its own market leaders.
16:57In Italy, similar vehicles were produced by companies like Moto Guzi, Gillera, and Benelli.
17:03Here, for example, is the Benelli M36 model.
17:06The tricycle was used not only for transporting ammunition.
17:09When a special towing device was installed on the body, the vehicle was turned into a tractor
17:15for an anti-tank gun.
17:17During the World War II, the M36 was widely used on all fronts, including as a mobile radio
17:22unit and a mobile anti-aircraft installation.
17:25And this is the Moto Guzi Motorcyclo 32, which was also successfully used by the Italian military
17:33starting from 35 when Italy occupied East Africa.
17:38As for army motorcycles in our country, the first domestically produced motorcycles specifically
17:43designed for the military were the L300 from Leningrad and the KHMZ 350 from Kharkov.
17:50In fact, the KHMZ 350 was a copy of the American Harley-Davidson.
17:55However, the Soviet counterpart was much inferior in quality to the Western motorcycle, and it
18:01was decided to abandon it.
18:03It was replaced by the TIZ-AM 600, which had been produced since 1931.
18:08This motorcycle was developed and supplied only to the army, and in fact, was a copy of
18:14the British Birmingham Small Arms.
18:16Another interesting but unsuccessful in terms of reliability attempt was the Podolsky Mechanical
18:22Plant A750 model.
18:24In 1938, the Domestic Design Bureau presented several models at once, IEJ-8, IE-9, and L-8,
18:33which in fact, also did not gain much popularity in the army.
18:41And now we've come to the period of the most brutal, bloody slaughter of all time, the Second
18:46World War.
18:47It was in this event that all those weapons and machines that had been developed over the
18:51past couple of decades were put to use.
18:54This, of course, also applied to motorcycles.
18:57The period from 39 to 45 is full of many interesting models.
19:01And to begin with, let's get acquainted with the most unusual and interesting ones.
19:07The extremely recognizable and quite exotic Neckarsommerfahrzeugwerke Kettenkrad, by military
19:14order which the company Neckarsommerfahrzeugwerke, Werke received in 1940, the Neckarsommerfahrzeugwerke
19:21Kettenkrad half-track tractor appeared.
19:24Such a motorcycle-type artillery tractor was originally developed for mountain troops and paratroopers.
19:30For use by the latter, the task was set to create an all-terrain vehicle that could
19:35be transported in a Junkers, 52 10-feet military transport aircraft.
19:42One of the main developers was Heinrich Ernst Kniepkamp, the creator of the running gear
19:48for the Panther and Tiger tanks.
19:50The motorcycle all-terrain vehicle received a running gear with a staggered arrangement of
19:55rollers, developed by this designer himself.
19:58The all-terrain vehicle was controlled both by the front wheel and for maneuvering in
20:03confined spaces by advancing one of the tracks.
20:07The half-track motorcycle Kettenkrad was designed to carry three people, including the driver.
20:13Its total payload capacity was 325 kilograms, but in addition, it could tow even heavier loads
20:21with a hitch.
20:22The vehicle was equipped with a 1.5-liter Opel engine producing 36 horsepower, which allowed
20:30it to reach a maximum speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour.
20:34The vehicle demonstrated excellent off-road capability, which, combined with its compact size, power,
20:41and high-quality speed characteristics, was the main factor for mountain troops and paratrooper saboteurs.
20:49In addition to the basic version, two more modifications of the all-terrain motorcycles were developed and produced
20:55specifically for laying electrical cables and communication cables.
20:59The first 142 units of the Kettenkrad HK, 101-tracked motorcycles, were already produced in 1940, and their debut took
21:10place
21:10a few months later during the landing of German paratroopers on the island of Crete in May 1941.
21:18For the first three years, the Army tractors were produced in small batches, but in 1943, their production reached
21:262,500 units. A total of 9,420 tract motorcycles were produced, of which 1,300 were made by the
21:36Steyr Company.
21:37By the middle of World War II Kettenkrad, motorcycles had been adopted by the Wehrmacht, and they were also
21:43often used as light tractors at military airfields. After the war ended, about 550 more Kleinus Kettenkraftrad units
21:52were assembled in the factory buildings, but this time for use in agricultural work as mini-tractors.
22:00At the beginning of World War II, Britain managed to equip a solo motorcycle with armor, and they did it
22:07quite simply. During the invasion panic that followed the evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940, an officer commanding
22:16one of the reconnaissance battalions stationed in the Hastings sector, thought it would be useful to have
22:22a more mobile way to move the Bren machine gun on the battlefield. The choice fell on the popular Army
22:29model of those years. The Triumph 3 SW with a single cylinder, 350 cc 12 horsepower engine, and just a
22:38week
22:38later, armor was mounted on the right side. And for counterbalance, a box with ammunition for the machine gun,
22:44and a 20 kilogram lead weight were installed on the left. According to the creator's idea, during a
22:51firefight with the enemy, the driver was supposed to jump off the saddle and take cover behind his
22:56armored steed, like behind a parapet, and fire at the enemy with the machine gun. There are plenty of
23:02spoons in the case. The motorcycle successfully passed field tests, and the project moved into the
23:08military system, where it slowly got stuck due to the lack of motorcycles for conversion and other more
23:14urgent projects. In October 1940, when the threat of invasion subsided, the project was quietly shut
23:21down. The only converted motorcycle was probably dismantled and returned to regular use. Nowadays,
23:29there is at least one recreated Triumph, WO3SW. Despite the fact that all the leading countries in the world
23:37worked on the development of light and heavy armored motorcycles, most of these vehicles never became
23:44widespread. A motorcycle burdened with armor plates lost its main advantages, lightness, speed, and good
23:51off-road capability. In addition, it became more complex and expensive to produce, while at the same time,
23:58its armor did not provide adequate protection. In short, it turned out to be a poor motorcycle and a bad
24:05armored vehicle. The military decided, let an armored vehicle remain an armored vehicle, and a motorcycle
24:11remain a motorcycle, each with its own advantages. At the same time, the shortcomings of both types of
24:18vehicles can be compensated for by using them together in combat. Airborne motorcycles became a separate branch
24:24of development during the World War II, and the most prominent representative of this family was the
24:31Excelsior Wellbike. The Wellbike was produced for the British Armed Forces from 1942 to 1948. The prototype
24:39of the motorcycle was developed by Harry Lester, an employee of the British Intelligence and Sabotage
24:45Service. Considering that it had to fit into a standard British airborne container, which measured 130
24:52centimeters in length, 38 in height, and 30 in width, the Wellbike has exceptionally miniature dimensions.
24:59To meet these requirements, the design was simplified as much as possible. A 98 cubic centimeter engine,
25:07no headlights, and a brake only on the rear wheel. The tanks held only 3.7 liters of fuel,
25:13and their bottom was located below the carburetor. Therefore, the parachutist had to occasionally pump
25:19gasoline manually, using hand pumps built into the tank. Nevertheless, thanks to the low fuel consumption,
25:27the range was quite large, about 145 kilometers. The maximum speed of this single-speed technical
25:35marvel was 50 kilometers per hour, and its dry weight was only 32 kilograms. To take the Wellbike out of
25:41the
25:41container and raise the handlebars and seat, the paratrooper needed only 11 seconds. To make them easier to
25:48find, the containers had special markings, and the parachutes were made from brightly colored fabric.
25:54A total of 3,853 of these mini motorcycles were produced. The Wellbike was widely used during the
26:02Normandy landings, and especially in Arnhem. The airborne operation was called Market Garden. In addition,
26:08they were often used as personal transportation vehicles at airfields. Among the soldiers, the Wellbike
26:14earned the nickname, Famous James. The motorcycle was a great help, allowing paratroopers to move much
26:21faster, but it also had a number of drawbacks. First of all, the container with the motorcycle had to be
26:27found, which was quite problematic. The difference in weight between the paratrooper and the container
26:33meant that they landed a considerable distance apart from each other. It was not uncommon for containers
26:40with motorcycles to land right into the hands of the enemy. This happened especially often during the
26:45landing at Arnhem. And the main drawback was the weak engine and the small size of the wheels,
26:51which only allowed movement on flat surfaces. Often, the paratroopers simply couldn't use the Wellbike on
26:58rough terrain and just abandoned it. A certain number of these motorcycles were sent to the Soviet
27:04Union through lend-lease, as confirmed by rare photographs from that time. After the war, some of the motorcycles
27:12were destroyed while others were exported to the United States of America. And this is the Italian
27:18version of the airborne motorcycle, the Volugrafo Air Moto 125. This little one was produced since 1942.
27:26At the Turin Factory Officine Makinice Volugrafo, a total of about 2,000 units were produced. Since June 1940,
27:35shortly after Italy entered the war against Great Britain, a plan was developed for a naval landing and
27:43invasion of Malta. The operation was called Hercules, or Operation C3. It was at that time that this army
27:51motorcycle was designed at the request of the Italian Royal Army. It is noteworthy that the design was
27:58based on a project created back in 1936 by engineer Claudio Belmondo. However, the prototype was only
28:06presented in 1942. The first batch of 600 units was intended for one of the battalions of the 183rd
28:16Airborne Division Cyclone, which was being formed in the Torquenia area in the summer of 1943.
28:23These little vehicles were also supplied to the paratrooper school. The German troops requisitioned
28:30the remaining motorcycles in the territory they occupied and handed them over to the Luftwaffe
28:35parachute units stationed on the Adriatic coast and in the Rome area. The Aeromoto 125 had a two-stroke,
28:43single-cylinder, 125cc engine with about two horsepower. Compared to its English counterpart,
28:50this airborne motorcycle had a two-speed gearbox. Under the seat was a nine and a half liter gas tank.
28:57With the handlebars folded, Vallagrafo took the shape of a parallel pipe and could be packed
29:02into an airdrop container. Assembling the vehicle after landing, removing it from the container,
29:08straightening and securing the handlebars took less than two minutes. The Americans also distinguished
29:15themselves in the production of military scooters. The Cushman Company produced three models of
29:20scooters during the war. The first was model 32. The second was the three-wheeled model 39 with a
29:26sidecar. And the third was model 53. The first two were used for moving around various types of
29:32military facilities, such as factories, airfields, and so on. But the last one was intended for
29:39paratroopers and was dropped by parachute from an airplane. The decision to create such vehicles in the
29:45United States was made after taking into account the experience of Italian and British airborne units
29:51using small motorcycles. The military contract was won by Cushman Model 53 and it went into production
29:57on February 17, 1944. The motorcycle was designed to be as reliable, simple, and low maintenance as
30:04possible. A simple single-cylinder four-stroke engine with a displacement of 242 cubic centimeters,
30:11magneto-ignition, and a two-speed transmission was installed in the stamped frame. The maximum power
30:19was 4.6 horsepower and the speed that this scooter could reach was around 65 kilometers per hour. The
30:28motorcycle could travel about 160 kilometers on a full tank and could conquer inclines of up to 25 degrees.
30:36Cushman weighed 116 kilograms and had neither suspension nor lighting instruments. The motorcycle's
30:43wheels were similar to the tail wheels of military aircraft of that time. The equipment was airdropped by
30:48parachute, which was attached to two suspension points. In addition to transporting military personnel
30:54directly, the mini motorcycle was used to carry equipment and ammunition. For this purpose, a special M3A4
31:02cargo trailer was attached to it. If necessary, a Browning machine gun or even a mortar could be mounted on
31:08it. In 1944, 4,233 units of equipment were produced and in 1945 another 501. Cushman Model 53 was deployed
31:20both in the European and Pacific theaters of operations. Some of the equipment took part as part of the 82nd
31:27and
31:28101st Airborne Divisions on D-Day. In other words, on the day of the Allied landings in Normandy.
31:36However, the most common motorcycles during the war turned out to be those of classic designs.
31:42From 1940, real reforms began in the German army. Despite the success of almost all pre-war models
31:50from BMW, Dampf, Kraftwagen and Zundap, the command demanded that manufacturers produce
31:56an entirely new class, heavy motorcycles with increased off-road capability. These were two
32:02motorcycles, the BMW R75 and the Zundap KS 750. These were specially designed workhorses for off-road
32:14movement, equipped with a sidecar wheel drive and a low gear for rough terrain. Both motorcycles proved
32:21themselves exceptionally well. However, due to their high price, these motorcycles were initially supplied
32:27to the Africa Corps and airborne units and only later to the SS troops. The military ordered the production of
32:3540,000 R75 and KS 750 motorcycles. But throughout the entire war, only about 17,000 to 18,000 units
32:46of
32:46each model were produced. In 1940, the Committee for Armored Troops in the Union of Soviet Socialist
32:53Republics was presented with all the latest motorcycle developments from almost every country. One of the
33:00high-ranking military officials asked what the Germans were advancing on. In response, he was shown the
33:06BMW R71. From that moment, the development of the M72 motorcycle began. The first batch of these
33:14motorcycles rolled off the assembly line in July 19, 1941, already after the German troops had invaded the
33:21territory of the Soviet Union. The M72 was practically no different from the R71. It had a simple design,
33:30an opposed side valve engine, which provided a low center of gravity and had a power output of 22 horsepower,
33:38a duplex tubular frame using variable section tubes, a front fork with hydraulic shock absorbers,
33:45shaft drive for the rear wheel, and each cylinder supplied by its own carburetor.
33:51An interesting Army prototype was the TMZ-53 with a one-liter opposed engine and drive to the sidecar wheel.
34:00The machine turned out to be powerful, but it didn't go beyond the prototype stage under the harsh
34:04conditions of the war. The BMW R71 also made an impression on American engineers.
34:11Thus, the two-cylinder engine from the ER71 was installed in the Harley chassis, resulting in a new
34:18motorcycle, the Harley-Davidson AXA. It was mainly used in North Africa, and about a thousand units were produced.
34:26There was also a Delca prototype from General Motors with a copied engine from BMW. At the same time,
34:35the Harley-Davidson WLA, which was a descendant of the civilian Harley-Davidson WL, also went into
34:42production, and it differed from its civilian counterpart only by reinforced fenders, an improved air filter,
34:49and different crankcase breathers that prevented dirt from getting inside the engine.
34:54It was also equipped with a luggage rack, leather saddlebags, and a holster for a Thompson M1
35:00submachine gun. A 740 CCV twin engine was used as the power unit. In addition to supplying their own
35:08troops with this motorcycle, the Americans also provided it to their allies, including the Soviet Union,
35:14through Lend-Lease. Out of the total number produced, 57,500 and 27,100 motorcycles were
35:23delivered to the Soviet Union. This number is greater than the amount of M72 motorcycles produced during
35:29the war years. Nicknamed VALUE in our country, the motorcycle was equipped with a domestic sidecar,
35:36which could be fitted with a machine gun, an anti-tank rifle, or even a mortar. However,
35:43such a set of weapons could also be installed on the domestic M72. On the British Isles during the war,
35:50four models of heavy motorcycles were produced. The leader among them was the Birmingham Small Arms
35:56War Model, 20 with a total production of 126,000 units during the entire war period. Over 20,000
36:06of these machines were supplied to the Red Army. The main motorcycle of the French army during World
36:11War II was the Nome Rhone AX-2. The basis for developing its own version of a military motorcycle
36:19by the Tarot Company was the VA model. The new machine was designated VATT. The two-terra suffix stood
36:28for two-terra, meaning off-road. A special off-road device was installed on the motorcycle,
36:34consisting of several rollers mounted on the engine protection guard. The solution was original,
36:41but turned out to be useless, and it was abandoned in later versions. During World War II, there was a
36:48turning point that greatly influenced the further use of motorcycles in the armies of many countries.
36:55The name of this event is Willys. Entering the troops in 1941, the all-wheel drive vehicle
37:01weighing about a ton, and with a payload of a quarter ton, largely replaced the motorcycle.
37:07Taking into account the Ford copies, a total of 659,031 Willys Model B vehicles were produced. The
37:16further development of such vehicles significantly reduced the role of the motorcycle in the troops,
37:20and as a result, their variety in number. The post-war period could no longer boast such
37:32crazy ideas as in the 20s and 30s. Time put everything in its place, showing the effectiveness
37:38of one type of equipment or another. Motorcycles in their classic form remained in service with the
37:45armies of many countries, but they were largely replaced by light vehicles. However,
37:50occasionally some strange designs would appear. Apparently, sometimes the creator still found
37:55pre-war stashes of drugs. An extremely interesting version of a combat scooter was presented in 1956
38:03by French engineers, who came up with the idea to equip the Italian 150cc Vespa scooter with an American
38:12recoilless 75mm M20 cannon. Moreover, the scooter driver would sit right on top of that very cannon while
38:21riding. The scooters could easily be dropped onto enemy territory, and then, once on the ground,
38:27paratroopers could make them combat ready. The two-wheeled self-propelled artillery unit Vespa 150 troops
38:34aeroporte can rightfully be considered the strangest weapon of its class. The scooter had no armor at all.
38:41The military focused on low weight, ease of air drop, and high speed up to 66 kilometers per hour
38:50across rough terrain. It was believed that hitting such a small and highly mobile target would be very
38:56difficult. The recoilless M20 gun mounted on the scooter had an armor penetration with shape charge
39:03rounds of about 90 to 100 millimeters. That was more than enough to fight against the enemy's light
39:09armored vehicles. The Vespa bazooka saw action in Indochina and Algeria. The combat crew of the system
39:17usually consisted of two gunners on two scooters. One was used directly for firing at the enemy,
39:24while the second was for transporting ammunition, which was stored in special containers on both
39:29sides of the seat. In total, the French army ordered and purchased about 800 of these scooters
39:36from the manufacturer. Why so few? It all came down to the shortcomings. The 150cc engine was honestly
39:43not enough to carry its own weight, plus the bazooka, plus the paratrooper. The narrow wheels created high
39:49pressure on the ground, which hurt its off-road capability. The vehicle performed well on the
39:55highway, but not on rough terrain. It got stuck in the African sands and sank in the mud of Indochina.
40:02Through off-road sections, the paratroopers had to drag this heavy equipment themselves. For this
40:08reason, soon the scooter began to be used for its intended purpose. Couriers and communications
40:13officers started using them, and the recoilless guns were removed. Italian engineers also presented
40:21interesting concepts after the war. At the end of the 1950s, General Ferruccio Garbari came up with
40:28the idea to replace the traditional mules used by the Alpini, the Italian mountain troops, with
40:34a mechanical means of transportation. To solve this issue, the military turned to the Motoguzzi Company,
40:41with which they had already worked several times. Motoguzzi assigned the contract to one of its most
40:47talented engineers, Giulio Carcano, and in 1959 he began working on it. In March 1960, a prototype of
40:56the tricycle was presented at the Geneva Motor Show. This was followed by another year of testing and
41:02improvements. And finally, in 1961, Motoguzzi signed a contract to supply 500 motorcycles,
41:09called the Mulo Meccanico. For this tricycle, Carcano developed a completely new V-shaped engine with a
41:17displacement of 750 cubic centimeters, which was named the Carcano V7. The 20 horsepower engine allowed the
41:25one-ton vehicle to accelerate up to 50 kilometers per hour and carry up to 500 kilograms of cargo. To
41:33improve
41:33off-road capability, the tricycle had two special levers with small wheels on the rear axles onto
41:40which metal tracks could be fitted when necessary. Mulo Meccanico had permanent drive to all three wheels,
41:46a six-speed gearbox, reverse gear, a disconnectable differential between the front wheel and the rear
41:53axle, and a disconnectable differential on the rear axle. In practice, the mechanical mule did not live up to
42:00expectations. Operating and repairing such a complex machine required advanced technical knowledge,
42:06and therefore, more qualified personnel. Another complaint from the military was insufficient safety.
42:13As a result, in 1963, production of the Mulo Meccanico was discontinued, although it remained
42:20in service until the 1970s. A total of 200 units were produced. Subsequently, in the second half of the
42:2870s, the mountain infantry unit Alpini received a number of half-track motorcycles, called Alpen
42:34Scooter from the company Pozo di Riccuaro, designed for movement both on snow and on the ground.
42:42In the Soviet Union, after the Great Patriotic War, the heavy motorcycle with a sidecar remained in
42:49service for a long time. Moreover, such equipment that was owned by civilians was also registered for
42:55military purposes. For the Army, models of motorcycles MV 750 and MV 750M were developed.
43:04The latter, because of the distinctive humped shape of its gas tank, was nicknamed the Camel by the troops.
43:11Training companies were equipped with outdated military motorcycles, the K755, which did not have
43:18drive to the sidecar wheel. It was believed that they were better suited for training young soldiers.
43:23As armament, they used a Kalashnikov machine gun for the gunner, and a modernized Kalashnikov assault
43:29rifle for the driver. In case of encountering enemy armored vehicles, some motorcycles were
43:35equipped with a rocket-propelled grenade, seven grenade launcher, and each motorcycle's ammunition
43:41load included anti-tank grenades. Soviet military motorcycle units were traditionally part of armored
43:48forces. And their motorcycles were classified as armored vehicles. By the 1990s, motorcycles were gradually
43:56phased out of the armed forces of the Soviet Union. By the 1970s, foreign militaries had already fully
44:02developed their vision of the military motorcycle and its use. To accomplish the assigned tasks, a lightweight
44:10enduro motorcycle with reliable components, simple to use and maintain, was sufficient. In fact, the
44:17concept hasn't changed to this day. Let me list the most well-known and interesting machines.
44:24The Swedish military officials believe that since 78 percent of the country's territory is covered by
44:30forests and 15 percent is located north of the Arctic Circle, a high-mobility motorcycle would be an
44:37excellent way to protect their shared borders with Norway and Finland. In 1973, the Swedish armed forces
44:45launched a tender for the development of a military multi-purpose motorcycle in which two companies,
44:51Husqvarna and Hagelin, participated. Both companies had previously supplied motorcycles to the Swedish army,
44:58and Husqvarna won the competition with this design featuring two removable side-spring-loaded skis.
45:05A contract was signed for the delivery of 1,000 Husqvarna motorcycle, 258 motorcycles. The equipment was
45:13quite unique. The skis could be attached both to the motorcycle and to the rider's legs. At the same
45:19time, the rear-wheel brake control was duplicated on the handlebar. By the way, the 250cc engine was paired
45:27with an automatic transmission. The Swedish army paid 6,000 Swedish kronor, about $1,200, for each
45:35motorcycle. 256 purchased in 1968. In 1977, the Swedish army ordered another 3,500 military motorcycles,
45:47and the United States army bought 1,000. The history of Armstrong military motorcycles began in the 1980s,
45:55when NATO forces needed a lightweight, reliable, and simple motorcycle for specific tasks.
46:02The British company Armstrong Clues Competition Motorcycles
46:05Motorcycles built several motorcycles for use by troops. During the Falklands War in 1982, and on a larger scale,
46:14the British began producing equipment from 1984. The motorcycle had limited use in the armed forces
46:20of the United Kingdom, Canada and Jordan, and about 3,000 units rolled off the assembly line in three
46:27years. In 1997, Armstrong Clues Competition Motorcycles sold the rights to design and manufacture the
46:34military motorcycle to Harley-Davidson, which wanted to get a lucrative share of the government defense
46:40contract. A separate production line was set up at the plant in Pennsylvania, after engineers spent a
46:47couple of years improving the 350 version, adding disc brakes and an electric starter. From 1999 to 2000,
46:57about 500 Harley-Davidson MT in 500s and just over 300 350s were produced. The long-awaited military
47:07contracts for the company never materialized due to the large-scale transition of all equipment to a single
47:12type of fuel, namely diesel. In the United States Army, you can also find vehicles like the Rokon.
47:20This two-wheel drive all-terrain motorcycle has been around since the 1950s and has hardly changed in
47:28design to this day. Austrian KTM made their mark in military motorcycle production in 1985 with a 250 cc
47:37engine. And in the 1990s with the 400 c4, Kawasaki also contributed with the KLR 250 model. We shouldn't
47:47forget about the formidable motorcycle units from India with their Royal Enfield. One of India's
47:55largest aircraft carriers allows them to exert influence in the Indian Ocean.
48:04The new millennium was marked by NATO forces switching to a single type of fuel. And under this
48:10pretext, Hayes Diversified Technologies won the tender and created the M1030 M1 motorcycle based on the
48:18Kawasaki KLR 650 with a diesel engine, a displacement of 611 cc, and a power output of 30 horsepower. It
48:28is
48:28noteworthy that the fuel consumption is only 2.5 liters per 100 kilometers. A fully fueled HDT, which is 16
48:37liters, can cover about 600 kilometers. The company needed several years to set up the production of
48:44diesel engines and to finalize the refinement of the equipment. And in 2005, the United States Marine Corps
48:51adopted the M1030 M1 and subsequently, over the next several years, purchased 440 units of this
49:00equipment. The motorcycle was also sold to the armies of the United Kingdom and other European NATO countries.
49:06In the summer of 2010, at the Eurosatory Exhibition of French Defense Contractors, the company HDT presented an
49:14improved version of the motorcycle called the HDT M1030 M2, law enforcement 670. But the expected contract did not come
49:26through.
49:26In addition to diesel two-wheeled vehicles, the United States Army also made room for a number of
49:32Cristini all-wheel drive, 450 military all-wheel drive motorcycles. In the 2000S, there was an attempt in
49:40Russia to have the military order an experimental batch of heavy motorcycles, which were planned to be
49:46equipped with anti-tank missiles and machine guns. The Erbit factory offered the Ministry of Defense a
49:52modernized version of a modernized version of the Ural Erbit motorcycle Zavod 8.1037 gear up, equipped with
50:00turrets for PKMB machine guns, Concurs M anti-tank missiles, and entrenching shovels. However, the parties were unable to
50:10reach a consensus. At the same time, the director of the Erbit motorcycle factory, Vladimir Kermachev, said that the
50:17last batch of 100 motorcycles was purchased by the Ministry of Defense for the border troops. Moreover,
50:23the factory waited about two years to receive payment for the delivered equipment. In the 2010s,
50:28electric motorcycles started to gain popularity at a rapid pace, which naturally attracted the interest
50:35of the military. After all, an almost silent and less visible in the thermal spectrum electric
50:41enduro motorcycle is the perfect option for a scout or a saboteur. Companies like Zero Motorcycles with
50:48their Zero MMX model and Alta Motors with the Silent Hawk stood out in this niche. In Russia, with a
50:56slight
50:56delay, an electric motorcycle for special forces produced by the Kalashnikov Concern was introduced in
51:032018. It is absolutely predictable and logical that further developments in this niche will appear in
51:10different countries. Well, my friends, at this point in the history of military motorcycles, we can put a
51:21bold, no, not a period, but a comma. In just 50 minutes, we have briefly covered almost a century and
51:29a half of
51:29the history of military two-wheeled vehicles. From exotic and extravagant designs, heavy motorcycles with
51:37sidecars and armored bikes, the military has gradually moved on to lightweight electric enduros.
51:43That's all from me. A lot of work has been done and I hope you enjoyed the video and watched
51:49it in
51:49one go. If you like this story and are looking forward to more videos like this, please support this episode
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