The Role of Bicycles in War

[Tumbleweed]

I wonder if any of the bikes mentioned in this thread are at the James Hall museum?

[DJR]

This is the before and after of a restoration project I did last year. It is a Hercules.

 

It's not a war bike, because it was made in the period between WW1 and WW2 and it spent its time peacefully in SA, but I see it is virtually identical to the ones BSA built for the British military during WW2.

[Tumbleweed]

That's awesome work, DJR!

[DJR]

Bike Bombings - more common than I thought - says Wiki

 

 

United Kingdom[edit]

• The IRA used the bicycle bomb twice in Northern Ireland and (it is believed) once at a British military installation in Germany.^[1]
  
  • On 25 August 1939 an IRA bicycle bomb exploded in Coventry, killing five people. The bomb had been left in the basket of a bicycle.^[2]
    
  • In 1979 a bomb exploded in package carried in a mailbag on a postman's bicycle in Streatley, Berkshire.
    
  • 13 August 1994 Two bombs were planted in bags placed on bicycles in Brighton and Bognor Regis. The Bognor one detonated damaging shops but no casualties, the Brighton one was defused.^[3]
    
  • No information is available on the bomb detonated at a British military installation in Germany.
    

• On 8 August 1976, a member of the Parachute Regiment, Private Robert (Bob) Borucki, was killed by the explosion of a bomb planted inside a basket of a bicycle at Crossmaglen. Borucki is buried in the cemetery in the village of Wales, near Rotherham. A year later, a sangar named after the soldier was built on the spot.^[4] The facility was removed in the early 2000s as part of the Belfast Agreement.
  

 

Sri Lanka[edit]

• On 30 August 2001 a time bomb tied to a bicycle exploded in the coastal town Kalmunai, killing two policemen and a bystander.
  

Pakistan[edit]

• A bicycle bomb exploded in a suburb of Quetta on 24 May 2004, wounding 15 police and militiamen traveling in a police truck.
  

 

Afghanistan[edit]

• In Kandahar in the main square at least 15 people were wounded by a bicycle bomb.^[5]
  
• In February 2006 in the city of Kunduz as a result of a bicycle bomb two Afghans were killed and a German Bundeswehr soldier (from ISAF) was injured.^[6]
  
• In Kabul on 10 October 2006, a bicycle bomb exploded near a police bus, wounding 11 police officers and civilians.^[7]
  

Germany[edit]

• In 1989, Alfred Herrhausen, chairman of Deutsche Bank, was killed by a sophisticated bomb hidden in a parked bicycle.
  

 

Iraq[edit]

In the Iraqi city of Baqubah according to the police at least 25 people were killed in a bicycle bombing on 26 June 2006.^{[citation needed]}

• August 2009, a bicycle bomb explodes near a restaurant in Baghdad killing two people.^{[citation needed]}
  

India[edit]

• In the Indian city of Jaipur a series of seven bomb blasts took place within a span of twelve minutes on 13 May 2008, killing at least 90 people and injuring hundreds more.
  
• In Ahmedabad, largest city of the state of Gujarat, 45 were killed in a series of 17 blasts which took place within 1 hour on the evening of July 28, 2008.
  
• Twin bomb blasts at Dilsukhnagar ( Hyderabad )on Feb 21st,2013, 18 Killed and 40 Injured.
  

Russia[edit]

• On August 21, 2009, in Grozny, Chechnya, alleged suicide bombers approached police checkpoints on bicycles before blowing themselves up, killing and wounding several people.^[8]
  

Jugoslavia Apocryphal - requires confirmation[edit]

• Sarajevo 1948, bomb in frame of bike exploded sending saddle out for seat tube for several hundred feet, bike reported otherwise still rideable.
  

Palestine[edit]

• Bikes were placed in market and other areas, in positions where they would be moved (obstruction/nuisance) triggering the device. In the event of finding a suspect bike with luggage, the best action is to avoid moving it.
  

[Tractor]

Some pics of bikes in combat

[Tumbleweed]

Bored at work, so been googling:

 

It was announced earlier this week that the Canadian Armed Forces would be taking a portion of their $21.8 billion annual budget and investing it in newground transportation. They’re not however buying new tanks or armored cars, the C.A.F. is outfitting all 35,000 soldiers in the Canadian Army with the MB 2000 - a tactical mountain bike. To learn more about this recent purchase, host Pat Kelly spoke with the commanding officer in charge of this new strategy Lieutenant-Colonel Alex Gould of CFB Sicamous.

http://www.beezodogsplace.com/2013/01/10/canadian-army-introduces-combat-bicycle/

[fabs]

This is interesting for use of bicycles in war ......

 

"Italian cycling champion Gino Bartali was recognised as “Righteous Among the Nations” by the Israeli museum of Yad Vashem, which has formally added him onto the honour list of the gentiles who helped Jews escape the Holocaust, media reported Monday.

Yad Vashem wrote on its website that the three-time Giro d’ Italia champion and two-time Tour de France winner, who died aged 85 in 2000, “came to play an important role in the rescue of Jews” during World War II, Xinhua reported citing media reports.

Tuscany-born Bartali acted as a courier for a Jewish-Christian network set up following the 1943 German occupation in Italy, transporting forged documents hidden in the frame of his bicycle, though he knew that he was risking his life.

This network saved the lives of hundreds of Jews, the Holocaust memorial said adding that Bartali never spoke of his underground work after the war and hence many of his courageous endeavours remained unknown.

Bartali will be honoured in a ceremony in Italy which has yet to be scheduled. His son Andrea said that he and his mother have been invited by the Israeli government for a cycling event named after the champion next month."

 

Dated Sept 2013

[Tractor]

Nice post fabs

[DJR]

Nice post fabs

What he said

[CDK]

OK here is the story:

The first Bicycle to be used in a war was during the Spanish War of 1898, when Lt James A Moss of the US Army, had to rush a 100 black cyclist to help control a riot in Havana Cuba.

After the report of this reached South Africa, Danie Theron and a friend of his, Koos Jooste, met the Transvaal Government to try and persuade them to start a cycling corps. Pres Kruger and Commandant-General Piet Joubert had a interview with the two men, their main point was a horse needs to drink, eat and sleep, while with a bike all you need is a pump and some oil. The General jocularly said and it does not even bite or kick. Jooste showed them that to avoid punctures he used a piece of untanned leather; this was one of the areas the British struggled tremendously, as the thorny bush did not help them at all.

Pres Kruger said he will only believe it if they had a race. So Jooste raced a “Martiens” tot the Crocodile river and Jooste won. Theron was instructed to start a new corps.

“Wielrijders Rapportgangers Korps”

The confusion regarding the Jameson raid was that Danie Theron was part of the party to arrest the Jameson Raid.

There is a book written regarding the use of cycles in the Boer war,

 

Bicycles during the Boer war, 1899-1902 / by D.R. Maree.

 

 

 

 

Publisher

Johannesburg : South African National Museum of Military History, 1977

[CDK]

 

 

 

[CDK]

 

 

During Marshall law in the Cape Colony, people had to hand in their Bicycles, as not to help the Boers. Here is one of those places.

[DJR]

During Marshall law in the Cape Colony, people had to hand in their Bicycles, as not to help the Boers. Here is one of those places.

 

They would have caused another war if they tried to take my bikes! Lucky for them it was before my time.

Edited January 7, 2014 by DJR

[Thorn199]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_Campaign

[Tractor]

Some really interesting posts, keep them coming ...

[johanpre44]

 

 

During Marshall law in the Cape Colony, people had to hand in their Bicycles, as not to help the Boers. Here is one of those places.

 

Now that's a lot of bicycles!