Modern/Post-War Photos

Bikes were an important part of every army

gsellars

Bicycles have been used in the military since WWI and if anyone has spent anytime at an Army-Navy Surplus you have undoubtedly ran into a couple. The Japanese, Brits, Canadians, Italians, Germans, Danes, and Chinese all had airborne bicycle divisions to get troops into enemy territory. They were cheap, most were foldable, required no fuel and were virtually silent. However, no military utilized the bicycle more so than the Bicycle Grenediers of the Swiss Army. Apparently, the US military was not as keen on outfitting their airborne troops with bikes strapped to them. That said, Huffman and Westfield Columbia both made excellent bikes for the US military. The Westfield Columbia models are the most desirable and are quite rare. These were mainly used to get around the bases, airfields, depots and I suspect a great many beer runs.