Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Pictures of bicycles in WW II

Search
Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Pictures of bicycles in WW II

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 04-17-24, 05:11 PM
  #1  
jonwvara 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
jonwvara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Posts: 3,778

Bikes: 1966 Dawes Double Blue, 1976 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1975 Raleigh Sprite 27, 1980 Univega Viva Sport, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1984 Lotus Classique, 1976 Motobecane Grand Record

Mentioned: 77 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 765 Post(s)
Liked 660 Times in 351 Posts
Pictures of bicycles in WW II

If anyone here has an online subscription to The Atlantic, there's an interesting photo feature today of bicycles being used, one way or another, in World War II. I tried to upload a sample, but no dice--file was "not an approved image."

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/20...war-ii/678086/
__________________
www.redclovercomponents.com

"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
jonwvara is offline  
Likes For jonwvara:
Old 04-17-24, 05:38 PM
  #2  
flangehead
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 896

Bikes: 2017 Co-op ADV 1.1; ~1991 Novara Arriba; 1990 Fuji Palisade; mid-90's Moots Tandem; 1985 Performance Superbe

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 390 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 332 Posts
There weren’t any pictures from what I understand was the most effective tactical use of bicycles in WW2 by the Japanese against the British in Malaya:

https://www.welovecycling.com/wide/2...le-blitzkrieg/
flangehead is offline  
Old 04-17-24, 06:02 PM
  #3  
oneclick 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 2,825
Mentioned: 49 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1108 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,329 Times in 785 Posts
Originally Posted by jonwvara
I tried to upload a sample, but no dice--file was "not an approved image."
pic assist:


oneclick is offline  
Likes For oneclick:
Old 04-17-24, 06:58 PM
  #4  
Chuck M 
Happy With My Bikes
 
Chuck M's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 2,188

Bikes: Hi-Ten bike boomers, a Trek Domane and some projects

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 884 Post(s)
Liked 2,309 Times in 1,119 Posts
^^^^^^

Those heavy bikes, the uniforms, the masks... Those guys had to be tough.
__________________
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke

Chuck M is offline  
Likes For Chuck M:
Old 04-17-24, 07:37 PM
  #5  
bikingshearer 
Crawlin' up, flyin' down
 
bikingshearer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Democratic Peoples' Republic of Berkeley
Posts: 5,666

Bikes: 1967 Paramount; 1982-ish Ron Cooper; 1978 Eisentraut "A"; two mid-1960s Cinelli Speciale Corsas; and others in various stages of non-rideability.

Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1032 Post(s)
Liked 2,537 Times in 1,064 Posts
In the years after WWII, the North Vietnamese/Viet Minh used bicycles very effectively, not as personnel transport, but loaded down with hundreds of pounds of supplies and pushed. They supplied their army at Dien Bien Phu that way in 1954, and they moved tons of supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail that way in the 1960s and 1970s.
__________________
"I'm in shape -- round is a shape." Andy Rooney
bikingshearer is offline  
Likes For bikingshearer:
Old 04-17-24, 08:09 PM
  #6  
Reynolds 
Passista
 
Reynolds's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,603

Bikes: 1998 Pinarello Asolo, 1992 KHS Montaña pro, 1980 Raleigh DL-1, IGH Hybrid, IGH Utility

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 870 Post(s)
Liked 722 Times in 397 Posts
Great photos, thanks!
Reynolds is offline  
Old 04-17-24, 09:56 PM
  #7  
merziac
Senior Member
 
merziac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PDX
Posts: 13,086

Bikes: Merz x 5 + Specialized Merz Allez x 2, Strawberry/Newlands/DiNucci/Ti x3, Gordon, Fuso/Moulton x2, Bornstein, Paisley,1958-74 Paramounts x3, 3rensho, 74 Moto TC, 73-78 Raleigh Pro's x5, Marinoni x2, 1960 Cinelli SC, 1980 Bianchi SC, PX-10 X 2

Mentioned: 269 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4519 Post(s)
Liked 6,403 Times in 3,683 Posts
Originally Posted by Chuck M
^^^^^^

Those heavy bikes, the uniforms, the masks... Those guys had to be tough.
As well as scared and psycho, failure was not an option.
merziac is offline  
Likes For merziac:
Old 04-18-24, 01:03 AM
  #8  
t2p
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2022
Location: USA - Southwest PA
Posts: 3,130

Bikes: Cannondale - Gary Fisher - Giant - Litespeed - Schwinn Paramount - Schwinn (lugged steel) - Trek OCLV

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1411 Post(s)
Liked 1,914 Times in 1,100 Posts




BSA folding paratrooper bicycle

used by British and Canadian troops in conflicts during WWII including D-Day

https://bsamuseum.wordpress.com/1942...cle-para-bike/

.

Last edited by t2p; 04-18-24 at 01:09 AM.
t2p is offline  
Likes For t2p:
Old 04-18-24, 03:48 AM
  #9  
Aardwolf
Wheelman
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Putney, London UK
Posts: 851

Bikes: 1982 Holdsworth Avanti (531), 1961 Holdsworth Cyclone

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 298 Post(s)
Liked 680 Times in 343 Posts
Damn fine article.
Some decent photos too.


Aardwolf is offline  
Likes For Aardwolf:
Old 04-18-24, 05:54 AM
  #10  
jonwvara 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
jonwvara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Posts: 3,778

Bikes: 1966 Dawes Double Blue, 1976 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1975 Raleigh Sprite 27, 1980 Univega Viva Sport, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1984 Lotus Classique, 1976 Motobecane Grand Record

Mentioned: 77 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 765 Post(s)
Liked 660 Times in 351 Posts
Originally Posted by Aardwolf
Damn fine article.
Some decent photos too.


That was one of my favorites--great lighting and such a wonderfully swoopy bicycle
__________________
www.redclovercomponents.com

"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
jonwvara is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 06:01 AM
  #11  
jonwvara 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
jonwvara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Posts: 3,778

Bikes: 1966 Dawes Double Blue, 1976 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1975 Raleigh Sprite 27, 1980 Univega Viva Sport, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1984 Lotus Classique, 1976 Motobecane Grand Record

Mentioned: 77 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 765 Post(s)
Liked 660 Times in 351 Posts
Originally Posted by bikingshearer
In the years after WWII, the North Vietnamese/Viet Minh used bicycles very effectively, not as personnel transport, but loaded down with hundreds of pounds of supplies and pushed. They supplied their army at Dien Bien Phu that way in 1954, and they moved tons of supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail that way in the 1960s and 1970s.
On of the national museums in Washington DC--I forget which one-has several such bikes, wheels heavily reinforced with wooden slats. They were used like pushcarts. A wooden push handle was inserted in place of the seatpost, and a wooden extension was attached to one end of the handlebars so it could be steered from behind where the person was pushing. A full load might weigh 500 lbs or more.
__________________
www.redclovercomponents.com

"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long."
--Ogden Nash
jonwvara is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 06:38 AM
  #12  
thinktubes 
weapons-grade bolognium
 
thinktubes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Across the street from Chicago
Posts: 6,349

Bikes: Battaglin Cromor, Ciocc Designer 84, Schwinn Superior 1981

Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 987 Post(s)
Liked 2,390 Times in 895 Posts
Thanks for sharing! The Atlantic allows 2 free articles per month.

thinktubes is offline  
Likes For thinktubes:
Old 04-18-24, 07:25 AM
  #13  
Lamont Cobb
Junior Member
 
Lamont Cobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2023
Posts: 159
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 63 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 48 Times in 36 Posts
I must have used up my two free articles because the article wouldn't download. That's okay, I got the gist of it reading this thread.
Lamont Cobb is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 07:45 AM
  #14  
RB1-luvr
I don't know.
 
RB1-luvr's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: South Meriden, CT
Posts: 2,019

Bikes: '90 B'stone RB-1, '92 B'stone RB-2, '89 SuperGo Access Comp, '03 Access 69er, '23 Trek 520, '14 Ritchey Road Logic, '09 Kestrel Evoke, '08 Windsor Tourist, '17 Surly Wednesday, '89 Centurion Accordo, '15 CruX, '17 Ridley X-Night, '89 Marinoni

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 317 Post(s)
Liked 858 Times in 449 Posts
The guy standing by the street sign looks like he has an Adidas logo on his sleeve.
RB1-luvr is online now  
Old 04-18-24, 08:06 AM
  #15  
ScottCommutes
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2023
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 584
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 372 Post(s)
Liked 279 Times in 179 Posts
Originally Posted by flangehead
There weren’t any pictures from what I understand was the most effective tactical use of bicycles in WW2 by the Japanese against the British in Malaya:

https://www.welovecycling.com/wide/2...le-blitzkrieg/
Good article, but completely, factually wrong in paragraph two about the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
ScottCommutes is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 08:12 AM
  #16  
Chuck M 
Happy With My Bikes
 
Chuck M's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 2,188

Bikes: Hi-Ten bike boomers, a Trek Domane and some projects

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 884 Post(s)
Liked 2,309 Times in 1,119 Posts
Originally Posted by ScottCommutes
Good article, but completely, factually wrong in paragraph two about the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Time zone difference of 18 hours between Singapore and Hawaii.
__________________
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke

Chuck M is offline  
Likes For Chuck M:
Old 04-18-24, 08:14 AM
  #17  
Chuck M 
Happy With My Bikes
 
Chuck M's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 2,188

Bikes: Hi-Ten bike boomers, a Trek Domane and some projects

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 884 Post(s)
Liked 2,309 Times in 1,119 Posts
Originally Posted by thinktubes
Thanks for sharing! The Atlantic allows 2 free articles per month.
Thank you for the heads up on this otherwise I might not have attempted to view it. The pictures posted thus far are just the tip of the iceberg.
__________________
"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." -- Heinz Stücke

Chuck M is offline  
Likes For Chuck M:
Old 04-18-24, 08:28 AM
  #18  
ScottCommutes
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2023
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 584
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 372 Post(s)
Liked 279 Times in 179 Posts
Originally Posted by Chuck M
Time zone difference of 18 hours between Singapore and Hawaii.
My apologies. I guess the 8th of the month actually does come before the 7th.
ScottCommutes is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 08:47 AM
  #19  
WaveyGravey
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 378
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 138 Post(s)
Liked 131 Times in 90 Posts
Fascinating! Bikes were so cumbersome compared to todays bikes.
WaveyGravey is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 09:05 AM
  #20  
Aardwolf
Wheelman
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Putney, London UK
Posts: 851

Bikes: 1982 Holdsworth Avanti (531), 1961 Holdsworth Cyclone

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 298 Post(s)
Liked 680 Times in 343 Posts
Originally Posted by jonwvara
That was one of my favorites--great lighting and such a wonderfully swoopy bicycle
The caption is "A Civil Defense air-raid warden stands beside a street sign during a blackout, circa 1943"

I was presuming it's somewhere in UK, probably London.
But the sign says "Cedarbrook St" and "Greenwood St", can't find that anywhere.
And it looks like an American bike.

Did the USA ever have blackouts in 1943 ?
Aardwolf is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 09:40 AM
  #21  
bikingshearer 
Crawlin' up, flyin' down
 
bikingshearer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Democratic Peoples' Republic of Berkeley
Posts: 5,666

Bikes: 1967 Paramount; 1982-ish Ron Cooper; 1978 Eisentraut "A"; two mid-1960s Cinelli Speciale Corsas; and others in various stages of non-rideability.

Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1032 Post(s)
Liked 2,537 Times in 1,064 Posts
Originally Posted by ScottCommutes
My apologies. I guess the 8th of the month actually does come before the 7th.
Funny thing, that International Date Line . . . .
__________________
"I'm in shape -- round is a shape." Andy Rooney
bikingshearer is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 10:06 AM
  #22  
ScottCommutes
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2023
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 584
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 372 Post(s)
Liked 279 Times in 179 Posts
Originally Posted by Aardwolf
The caption is "A Civil Defense air-raid warden stands beside a street sign during a blackout, circa 1943"

I was presuming it's somewhere in UK, probably London.
But the sign says "Cedarbrook St" and "Greenwood St", can't find that anywhere.
And it looks like an American bike.

Did the USA ever have blackouts in 1943 ?
Not that much of a blackout either if we can see light lighting up the warden and his bike.
ScottCommutes is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 10:16 AM
  #23  
Aardwolf
Wheelman
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Putney, London UK
Posts: 851

Bikes: 1982 Holdsworth Avanti (531), 1961 Holdsworth Cyclone

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 298 Post(s)
Liked 680 Times in 343 Posts
Originally Posted by RB1-luvr
The guy standing by the street sign looks like he has an Adidas logo on his sleeve.
Well spotted.
Blown up:



According to Google that's a WW2 American Civil Defense Air Raid Warden armband.
Aardwolf is offline  
Likes For Aardwolf:
Old 04-18-24, 10:17 AM
  #24  
merziac
Senior Member
 
merziac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: PDX
Posts: 13,086

Bikes: Merz x 5 + Specialized Merz Allez x 2, Strawberry/Newlands/DiNucci/Ti x3, Gordon, Fuso/Moulton x2, Bornstein, Paisley,1958-74 Paramounts x3, 3rensho, 74 Moto TC, 73-78 Raleigh Pro's x5, Marinoni x2, 1960 Cinelli SC, 1980 Bianchi SC, PX-10 X 2

Mentioned: 269 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4519 Post(s)
Liked 6,403 Times in 3,683 Posts
Originally Posted by Aardwolf
The caption is "A Civil Defense air-raid warden stands beside a street sign during a blackout, circa 1943"

I was presuming it's somewhere in UK, probably London.
But the sign says "Cedarbrook St" and "Greenwood St", can't find that anywhere.
And it looks like an American bike.

Did the USA ever have blackouts in 1943 ?
Kinda looks like it might be from a movie?
merziac is offline  
Old 04-18-24, 10:20 AM
  #25  
Aardwolf
Wheelman
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Putney, London UK
Posts: 851

Bikes: 1982 Holdsworth Avanti (531), 1961 Holdsworth Cyclone

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 298 Post(s)
Liked 680 Times in 343 Posts
Originally Posted by merziac
Kinda looks like it might be from a movie?
It does, but I'm fairly sure it isn't - photo credit is "Harold M. Lambert / Getty"
Aardwolf is offline  
Likes For Aardwolf:


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.