Almost as soon as a viable metal-framed bike was invented, it was
put to military use, offering a much cheaper, less fragile and less
logistically demanding alternative to horse transport. Widely used
in many armies from the late 19th century, through both world wars
and beyond, the bicycle really is the forgotten war machine. John
Norris traces traces the development of military cycling from first
experiments, including early (often flawed) designs for armed and
multi-passenger versions. He explains how any why bikes were used
for rapid movement of infantry units as well as carrying messages
and other tasks. First used in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71,
then by both sides in the Boer War, they were widely adopted
throughout Europe before the First World War. In the Second World
War, the Japanese used over fifty thousand bicycles in the conquest
of Malaya and the German army used over three million, relying on
them increasingly as petrol shortages immobilized motor transport.
The Allies famously made use of folding and air-dropped bikes in
Operation Market Garden and in Normandy. After WW2 bikes were used
extensively in Vietnam, particularly along the Ho Chi Minh trail
and some European armies maintained specialist bicycle units
throughout the Cold War and into the 21st century. Specialized
military bikes, collapsible for use by parachutists, are still
being made for Special Forces units. John Norris examines the whole
history of pedal-powered warfare and illustrates it with an array
of high-quality photographs.
General
Imprint: |
Pen & Sword Military
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
March 2021 |
Authors: |
John Norris
|
Dimensions: |
246 x 172 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
256 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-5267-6351-8 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
1-5267-6351-6 |
Barcode: |
9781526763518 |
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