Motorcycles In The Military
The
speed and manoeuvrability of motorbikes has been a huge asset to armed forces
throughout the world, with Harley-Davidson, Triumph and BMW all playing their
part.
The other day, I took the chance to watch again that
fantastic movie 'The Great Escape'. As I watched Bud Ekins take the place of
Steve McQueen, to jump the wire fence on his Triumph, I began to wonder about
the role of the motorcycle during wartime, so I did a little reading and was
surprised to find that motorcycles have played a huge part in military history.
Being able to go where other vehicles couldn't, they became the modern day
horses, with one great advantage; some bikes, such as the Enfield 'Flying Flea' or 'Airborne' as it was
also known, could be parachuted from an aeroplane along with troops.