Via: Oakleaf Militaria

Via: Lionel A. Smith

Life During Wartime.

An unnamed rider Women's Royal Air Force, Netheravon Camp, 1918. Via: Pictures of the Past

Gallery: Life during wartime with the Welbike.

NCRS follower Phillip kindly sent us this great link on the Welbike Parascooter. Created for use in the second world war, the Welbike was meant to be dropped from aircraft in their own containers (see above) for soldiers to use to cross battlefields just a tad faster.

True Grit.

Private Robert J. Vance, Via: Marshall Astor

Gifts from above: The flying Flea.

Largely a copy of the German DKW RT98 motorcycle, the Model RE, as it was officially known, was enlisted for military service. In particular, its light weight meant it could be dropped by parachute in a tubular crate (above pict) Royal Enfield also produced. The nickname Flying Flea was a natural.

In theory, the "light weight" of the motorcycle also meant it could be lifted over obstacles like stone walls and fallen trees, making it a truly cross country machine. A soldier in action could lift the Flying Flea, if only barely. It weighed 125 pounds.

Via: Royal Enfield Motorcycles

Life during wartime.

Two riders, one from an unknown Belgian unit and another of the Canadian Army. The Belgian Sergeant on the left rides an FN (Fabrique Nationale) Mk XIII Motorcycle with special front fork suspension. The WLC on the right is a standard 43WLC 'Export' version with the rear luggage carrier removed. Via: The Liberator

The land of the rising sun.

Via: artepfau

Gifts from above: The Welbike.

Via: memorial grove

"The Welbike was developed at the Frythe, Station 9 in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, a top secret SOE establishment for design and research. Other items they designed, some with limited use and effect, also carried the "Wel" prefix. A couple of other examples being the Welrod, a silenced pistol, believed to still be in use to this day by Special Forces, and the Welsub, a one-man submarine. The original concept and design of the Welbike was by the Frythe's Harry Lester, his brief was to design a small folding motorcycle that would fit within a cylindrical drop container, of no more than 15 inches in diameter and be able to be dropped by parachute. It is believed that six prototypes were built, however they did not receive acceptance for their role intended by the SOE, this being to provide motorised transportation for an Agent parachuted into occupied territory.

The Welbike did not however flounder as a result of this apparent and seemingly unrecorded rejection by SOE; instead it found a new ally in the newly formed Parachute and Airborne Regiments. They used them on numerous occasions, with varied success. It is claimed that a Paratrooper could remove the Welbike from its special green container, marked in white lettering with the words "Motor Cycle" and its identifiable colour parachute, and be mobile within 11 seconds. Photographs exist that were taken in wartime showing the Welbike in other varying uses, this includes being carried from Landing Craft at Normandy by Commandoes on D-Day. The Welbike weighed in at 70lbs, had a top speed of some 30mph and a fuel capacity for a range of approximately 90 miles."

war veteran: a unrestored Welbike

The armoured Vespas of the Algeria and Indochina conflicts.

Via: Dark Roasted Blend

"After World War II, there was little money for defense spending while the nations of Europe rebuilt their industry and society. When there was some cash to spend, one had to be creative to stretch it as far as possible. The French probably accomplished the most astounding example of that with the ACMA Troupes Aeról Portées Mle. 56. Deployed with their airborne forces, this was essentially a militarized Vespa scooter outfitted with a 75mm recoilless rifle. Five parachutes would carry the two-man gun crew, weapon, ammunition, and two scooters safely to earth, and the men would load the weapon on one scooter and the ammo on the other, then ride away. More impressively, the recoilless rifle could be fired effectively on the move by the best of the gun crews. Total cost? About $500 for the scooter and the recoilless rifle was war surplus. Were they successful military machines? Well, the French Army deployed about 800 armed scooters in wars conducted in both Algeria and Indochina."