Bicycle infantry

Jump to navigation Jump to search
British Cycle Company drilling c. 1910, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England

Bicycle infantry are infantry soldiers who maneuver on (or, more often, between) battlefields using military bicycles. The term dates from the late 19th century, when the "safety bicycle" became popular in Europe, the United States, and Australia. Historically, bicycles lessened the need for horses, fuel and vehicle maintenance. Though their use has waned over the years in many armies, they continue to be used in unconventional armies such as militias.



American Bicycle Corps at Fort Missoula in 1897

Numerous experiments were carried out in the late 19th century to determine the possible role of bicycles and cycling within military establishments, primarily because they can carry more equipment and travel longer distances than walking soldiers. The development of pneumatic tires coupled with shorter, sturdier frames in the late 19th century led military establishments to investigate their applicability.[1] To some extent, bicyclists took over the functions of dragoons, especially as messengers and scouts, substituting for horses in warfare.[2] Bicycle units or detachments were in existence by the end of the 19th century in most armies. The United Kingdom employed bicycle troops in militia or territorial units, rather than in regular units. Essentially this reflected the popularity of cycling amongst the civilian population and the perceived value of bicycles in providing increased mobility for home defence units.[3]

In 1887 the first of a series of cyclist maneuvers involving British volunteer units was held.[4][5] In France, several experimental units were created, starting in 1886.[6] They developed folding bicycles, that could be collapsed and carried slung across the backs of their riders, from an early date. By 1900 each French line infantry and chasseur battalion had a cyclist detachment, intended for skirmishing, scouting and dispatch carrying. In the years prior to World War I the availability of an extensive network of paved or gravel roads in western Europe made military cyclists appear a feasible alternative to horse mounted troops; on the grounds of economy, simplicity of training, relative silence when on the move and ease of logistical support. The Dutch and Belgian armies, with extensive flat terrain within their national boundaries, maintained battalion or company sized units of cyclists. The Italian Bersaglieri expanded their established role as fast-moving light infantry through the extensive use of bicycles from the 1890s onwards. Even the Swiss Army found bicycles to be a useful means of mobility in rough terrain where horse cavalry could not be used. The Imperial Russian Gendarmerie used bicycles with outrigger wheels, to mount patrols along the Siberian Railway before and during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905.

In World War I, the level terrain in Belgium was well used by military cyclists, prior to the onset of trench warfare. Each of the four Belgian carabinier battalions included a company of cyclists, equipped with a brand of folding, portable bicycle named the Belgica. A regimental cyclist school gave training in map reading, reconnaissance, reporting and the carrying of verbal messages. Attention was paid to the maintenance and repair of the machine itself.[7]

In the United States, the most extensive experimentation on bicycle units was carried out by 1st Lieutenant Moss, of the 25th United States Infantry (Colored) (an African American infantry regiment with European American officers). Using a variety of cycle models, Moss and his troops carried out extensive bicycle journeys covering between 800 and 1,900 miles (1287 to 3058 km). Late in the 19th century the United States Army tested the bicycle's suitability for cross-country troop transport. Buffalo Soldiers stationed in Montana rode bicycles across roadless landscapes for hundreds of miles at high speed. The "wheelmen" traveled the 1,900 Miles to St. Louis Missouri in 40 days with an average speed of over 6 mph.

The first known use of the bicycle in combat occurred during the Jameson Raid, in which cyclists carried messages. In the Second Boer War military cyclists were used primarily as scouts and messengers. One unit patrolled railroad lines on specially constructed tandem bicycles that were fixed to the rails. Several raids were conducted by cycle-mounted infantry on both sides; the most famous unit was the Theron se Verkenningskorps (Theron Reconnaissance Corps) or TVK, a Boer unit led by the scout Daniel Theron, whom British commander Lord Roberts described as "the hardest thorn in the flesh of the British advance." Roberts placed a reward of £1,000 on Theron's head—dead or alive—and dispatched 4,000 soldiers to find and eliminate the TVK.[8]

World Wars[edit]

Photo showing Italian Bersaglieri before World War I with folding bicycles strapped to their backs.
German bicycle infantry during World War I
Most common bicycle used by Polish scout companies assigned to infantry divisions during the Polish Campaign

During World War I cycle-mounted infantry, scouts, messengers and ambulance carriers were extensively used by all combatants. Italy used bicycles with the Bersaglieri (light infantry units) until the end of the war. German Army Jäger (light infantry) battalions each had a bicycle company (Radfahr-Kompanie) at the outbreak of the war, and additional units were raised during the war, bringing the total to 80 companies. A number of these were formed into eight Radfahr-Bataillonen (bicycle battalions). The British Army had cyclist companies in its divisions, and later two whole divisions became cyclists: 1st and 2nd Cyclist Divisions.


Danish soldiers cycling to the front to fight the Germans during the German invasion of Denmark in 1940

During the Invasion of Poland of 1939, most Polish infantry divisions included a company of bicycle-riding scouts. The equipment of each bicycle company included 196 bicycles, 1 motorcycle with sidecar, and 9 horse-drawn supply carts, plus three to six anti-tank rifles and standard infantry equipment such as machine guns, rifles, pistols, and hand grenades.[9][circular reference]


SS troops advancing on bicycles. 1944.

The hastily assembled German Volksgrenadier divisions each had a battalion of bicycle infantry, to provide a mobile reserve.

Allied use of the bicycle in World War II was limited, but included supplying folding bicycles to paratroopers and to messengers behind friendly lines. The term "bomber bikes" came into use during this period, as US forces dropped bicycles out of planes to reach troops behind enemy lines.


Later uses[edit]


21st century[edit]

LTTE bicycle infantry platoon north of Killinochi in 2004


The Finnish Defence Forces still trains all conscripts to use bicycles and skis.[11]

The LTTE Tamil Tigers made use of bicycle mobility during the in Sri Lankan Civil War. The Sri Lankan Army also has a bicycle unit. They are mainly stationed and deployed in high security zones in the capital city Colombo[citation needed].

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Leiser 1991, p. 10.
  2. ^ Leiser 1991, pp. 11–16.
  3. ^ R. Wilson, page 32, "East York Volunteer Infantry 1859-1908", Fineprint Hull 1982
  4. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica 1911, Volume VII, page 685
  5. ^ An article written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in the Daily Express of 8 February 1910, argued the case for Yeomanry cyclists replacing mounted troops. Prime arguments given were numbers available, tactical advantage, rapidity, and relative cheapness
  6. ^ Leiser 1991, p. 11.
  7. ^ Pages 21-22 "Handbook of the Belgian Army 1914", prepared by the General Staff, British War Office, ISBN 978-1-78331-094-4
  8. ^ "Danie Theron". Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  9. ^ pl:Kompania kolarzy w 1939
  10. ^ Doole, Claire (11 May 2001). "End of road for Swiss army cyclists". BBC News. Retrieved 5 February 2008. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ http://yle.fi/uutiset/puolustusvoimien_polkupyorilla_ei_enaa_ole_merkitysta_sodan_aikana/5238523


  • Leiser, Rolf (1991). Hundert Jahre Radfahrer-Truppe, 1891–1991 [Bicycle Troops, 1891–1991] (in German). Bern, Switzerland: Bundesamt für Mechanisierte u. Leichte Truppen. OCLC 885590986.
  • Fitzpatrick, Jim (1998). The Bicycle In Wartime: An Illustrated History. Washington, DC: Brassey's Inc. ISBN 1-57488-157-4.
  • Koelle, Alexandra V. (2010). "Pedaling on the Periphery: The African American Twenty-fifth Infantry Bicycle Corps and the Roads of the American Expansion". The Western Historical Quarterly. 41 (3): 305–26. doi:10.2307/westhistquar.41.3.0305.
  • Fletcher, Marvin E. (Autumn 1974). "The Black Bicycle Corps". Arizona and the West. 16 (3): 219–32. JSTOR 40168452.