Subject:
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Re: Military Question: Tanks and Motorcycles
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.fun
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Date:
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Tue, 11 Dec 2001 13:45:54 GMT
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Viewed:
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273 times
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Mr L F Braun wrote:
>
> In lugnet.off-topic.fun, Richard Marchetti writes:
> > Hey Y'all:
> >
> > I know almost nothing about the manner and techniques of outfitting an army,
> > and I find that I have no idea where to look for the information except some
> > google searches that didn't yield much of interest. What I want to know is
> > the whys and wherefores of tanks and motorcycles (esp. circa WWII?). I have
> > images in my head from movies that seem to always pair tanks and motorcycles
> > together -- but why is that an obvious pairing? Is there a strategy behind
> > this pairing?
>
> What's usually the context of the appearance? Usually, IIRC,
> motorcycles were used by couriers--so they should only appear
> with armor when the army is on the move, and the entire mechanized
> force is in transit. Motorcycles would also be used when no other
> vehicles were available for infantry, or transfer, or so forth.
> Do you have specific cases in mind?
>
> Also, motorcycles are the symbols of rugged individualism--which
> often fit in with the older, heroic war movies. They're convenient
> for individual action. I'm not aware of the actual incidence of
> motorcycles in combat, though. I'd think they would be singularly
> poor vehicles for anything but pacification duties. The infamous
> German machinegun sidecar really fell into that category, I'd bet.
I suspect you're right, though early in the war they may have been used
for real transport. I recall pictures of the forces moving into Poland
with rows of motorcycles.
The motorcycle with sidecar and machinegun would make a nice vehicle to
patrol behind the lines.
> Just generic ramblings, really--but if you want to move particular
> individuals or physical data in wartime between mobile military units,
> couriers on motorcycles are the best thing to use.
Armored cars get used for this alot also.
As I've understood it, armored cars and motorcycles etc. replaced the
light cavalry of old (in fact, many historic "cavalry" divisions became
modernised in this way, and continued to be called cavalry). A bit of
web research suggests early WW II mechanised units did include large
groups of motorcycles. Here's a page with some information on French
units in 1940:
http://france1940.free.fr/armee/dlc.html
Later in the war, I suspect motorcycle use was mostly for courier duty,
and I seriously doubt they were paired with tanks as the movies depict.
Of course the motorcycle is an extremely romanticised vehicle so it's
obvious the movies would place more focus on them than reality.
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Military Question: Tanks and Motorcycles
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| (...) What's usually the context of the appearance? Usually, IIRC, motorcycles were used by couriers--so they should only appear with armor when the army is on the move, and the entire mechanized force is in transit. Motorcycles would also be used (...) (23 years ago, 11-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
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