Para Bike

Just saw this on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Danish-Milita ... 3ce12b9aff

As a keen cyclist, this is something I would love to have. Sadly I cannot possibly afford it. Excellent price for one of these though.

Nice. I seem to recall that someone found a container of these somewhere overseas a couple of years ago. Looks like it might be one of them.

Just as a random bit of hopefully usefully info' - the easiest way to tell a genuine wartime Brit' para bike from a post-war Dannish one (even it's it's been pained up to be passed off as a Brit' one) is...

...Brit' bikes fold to the left, Dansih bikes fold to the right!

Just as a random bit of hopefully usefully info' - the easiest way to tell a genuine wartime Brit' para bike from a post-war Dannish one (even it's it's been pained up to be passed off as a Brit' one) is...

...Brit' bikes fold to the left, Dansih bikes fold to the right!

Pfft. ten minutes with the angle grinder and welder will sort that right out.

Just a mo, that means that the British ones fold with the oily chain on the outside? That's a bit of a design flaw isn't it?
I guess during the war the underground wasn't running, so the fact that the chain was on the outside when folded and thus failed to meet Transport for Londons guidelines for accepting folding bikes, wasn't an issue. I guess we now know the real reason they had no bikes at Arnhem, they didn't want oil on their nice clean parachutes.
I did read an interesting article about the Parabike and it's absence from Arnhem. The theory is that if they had the bikes, they would have gotten to the bridge in larger numbers before the Germans cut off all access and may have captured both sides. There are pictures of the tanks from XXX Corps with parabikes attached to the back, if those had been supplied to some of the US airbourne, the last stretch to Arnhem could have been achieved faster with infantry keeping up with the tanks and because more British troops made it to the bridge, they would have still been holding out.

I did read an interesting article about the Parabike and it's absence from Arnhem. The theory is that if they had the bikes, they would have gotten to the bridge in larger numbers before the Germans cut off all access and may have captured both sides. There are pictures of the tanks from XXX Corps with parabikes attached to the back, if those had been supplied to some of the US airbourne, the last stretch to Arnhem could have been achieved faster with infantry keeping up with the tanks and because more British troops made it to the bridge, they would have still been holding out.

A bit OT but....I can understand the enthusiam for the role of lowly bicycle, but as two of three access routes into Arnhem were blocked by German troops it wouldn't have helped to mount the para brigade on bicycles, they would still have had to dismount to fight through and Frosts battalion got where they were going by walking anyway.

wrt Nijmegen, despite the scene in the film, there was literally only Lord Carringtons troop across the river for some time and all the motorised infantry (who could quite happily keep up with the armoured regiments) were busy clearing the rest of the city. Again, putting US paras on bikes wouldn't help unless they took them with them on the assault crossing, which doesn't seem very practical.
It was too late by then in any case as the Germans had already recaptured Arnhem bridge.

What might have been useful was issuing the 82nd with bicycles for the initial drop to get into Nijmegen sooner so Guards Armoured didn't actually have to capture the bridge when they got there, and it is anyones guess whether they could have forestalled Graebners battalion getting their first. It still wouldn't have helped with intelligence failings which had the bulk of the division sitting on Groesbeek waiting for an armoured attack out of the Riechswald which never happened rather than trying to capture the bridges in the city.

Ah, Market Garden, such a rich source of speculation

Cheers
Martin

What might have been useful was issuing the 82nd with bicycles for the initial drop to get into Nijmegen sooner so Guards Armoured didn't actually have to capture the bridge when they got there, and it is anyones guess whether they could have forestalled Graebners battalion getting their first. It still wouldn't have helped with intelligence failings which had the bulk of the division sitting on Groesbeek waiting for an armoured attack out of the Riechswald which never happened rather than trying to capture the bridges in the city.

Ah, Market Garden, such a rich source of speculation

Cheers
Martin

Yes the problem with the 82nd was they had more objectives than troops that could deal with them, so Nijmegen as an objective was left untill after the drop zones were secured, no thunderclap surprise so to speak.

Actually the best theory I heard was that the next bridge west of Arnhem could have been taken by just 1 Sherman. The troops guarding it had apparently been thinned out to reinforce the attack on the British at Oosterbeek. It was discovered after the war from German records and eye witnesses that about 6 Germans was all that stood in the way of securing a crossing. I guess by then everyone had tunnel vision, concentrating on that one bridge.
My real interest in these bikes is that they are one of the earliest folding bikes. I have to get to games by train and bike and folding bikes don't need a bike reservation on trains. If I could ever get one and fit the frame bag, front carrier and rifle rack, it would get me to games in style and could maybe come in handy in certain games Annoyingly I almost bid on one a few years ago that sold on ebay for £50 in the end. It needed a fair bit of work and my bike mechanic skills weren't up to it at that time.

Actually the best theory I heard was that the next bridge west of Arnhem could have been taken by just 1 Sherman. The troops guarding it had apparently been thinned out to reinforce the attack on the British at Oosterbeek. It was discovered after the war from German records and eye witnesses that about 6 Germans was all that stood in the way of securing a crossing. I guess by then everyone had tunnel vision, concentrating on that one bridge.

Unfortunately the Germans had blown that one up, although if you are going to cross a river, an existing bridge site is best as it already has roads leading to the rivers edge etc. The ferry site was also an obvious spot to cross, although by the time British units were on the south bank the Germans had captured the northern crossing site. There just wasn't the will for a major assault crossing, although it was quite feasible - an option examined by Martin Middlebrook in 'Arnhem 1944'.

Nowadays there is a huge motorway bridge west of Arnhem, which would have been quite handy in 1944.

My real interest in these bikes is that they are one of the earliest folding bikes. I have to get to games by train and bike and folding bikes don't need a bike reservation on trains.

I didn't realise that, it is a long time since I've taken a bike on a train though. These fold up a bit bigger than a Brompton though don't they? You'd might want some better brakes on it if you are planning on using it seriously. My Truppenfahhrad is coming along OK but I certainly wouldn't want to ride it in any sort of city traffic, it has the stopping distance of an oil tanker.

Cheers
Martin