Whats it like to drive a half track?

KFZ Not a lot to tell about Bikes. While we were in Holland they asked for volunteers as part time Despatch Riders. They had lost quite a few I was told. So this stupd idiot took one pace forward and volunteered.....All the bikes were khaki painted...So I saddled myself with DRs duties as well as our own.

The DR often has to be out on the roads and being we were damn near always within shelling and mortar range..I leave it to your imagination.

For sure, that volunteering did me for good. But on reflection, I may not have come home at all, For a great many of my mates remain behind...Bless them!

 

Oh I would add this...If you wanted some excitement? I was sent out on the Isalnd between Nijmegen and Arnhem, at the worst time to find a potential harbour area for the company shosuld they move up. The shelling was a bitch and straddled the road...I got near Arnhem as I could, found the right place to "harbour our halftracks carriers etc, and set off back. mighty relieved to get away in one piece.When I giot back to where we were they promtly set off in the opposite direction towards Overloon and Venraij. Where we took a horrible bashing.... and where later my war was to end.
Sapper

 

And hands up everyone who Really really wants a Kettenkraftrad?? Demag's are pleasing too, nice and small and look like a 30's car that's been through the 'Mad Max' treatment.


Ooh! Me Sir! That looks like fun with a captial F!
As to bikes in the war, one ofthe few things my grandfather ever said was that he also did a stint as a despatch in Europe. For some reason his bike also had a sidecar (Sapper, was this usual?) and that if you judged it right on a corner you could lift the pram off the road and take the corner on two wheels. Sounds like the man was crazy.
Kitty

 

I briefly had a sidecar outfit myself [this was in Surrey in the 1980's, not Arnhem in '44]. I don't think I ever got it on two wheels round a corner, but I once forgot I had the sidecar fitted, hit the kerb with the wheel and very nearly catapulted my passenger across the street.

Adrian

 

Damn, missed it again.

 

KFZ Not a lot to tell about Bikes. While we were in Holland they asked for volunteers as part time Despatch Riders. They had lost quite a few I was told. So this stupd idiot took one pace forward and volunteered.....All the bikes were khaki painted...So I saddled myself with DRs duties as well as our own.

The DR often has to be out on the roads and being we were damn near always within shelling and mortar range..I leave it to your imagination.

For sure, that volunteering did me for good. But on reflection, I may not have come home at all, For a great many of my mates remain behind...Bless them!

Did you not know what the bikes where???

Not much you can say to that Sapper, you get called Hero's and I know its a crap hollywood word amd you guys hate it but for us Civvies whose farthers where born after the war ended there isnt a great deal of words to use....

Kev

 

:sign_stupid:

 

Just looking at that pic Some feartures that come to mind.

The crossed inner and out wheels for better more even loading of the tracks, Different wheels inner and outer must be harder to make. The front drive sprock is in front the motorcyle engien gearbox output shaft. the front wheel is solid, not triadional motorclye spoked. you got some heavy weighrt dgirder forks up front with what looks like a sidecar tyre.

The little switch it the top of the headlight is the ignition and lighting switch, really typical German motorcycle feature, in fact my Mz (Mz was captured War booty by the soviets, ex DKW) in the eighties had one just like that.

 

You could also say interleaved wheels are better for trapping mud, freezing solid in winter, making maintenance difficuilt and being a generally overcomplicated way of doing things.


Also the spoke design on these would really clog up unlike the same design used on Tanks with solid wheels, prob less prone to cloging.

Thinking about this vehicle. The Italian airforce also had a go in the 50's for something very simaler a tracked motorcycle tractor. I'll dig a pic out.

 

Moto Guzzi Mule. Sorry early 60's pretty much an unsuccessfull attempt at 3x3 tracked tractor for the Italian airforce.

 

Moto Guzzi Mule. Sorry early 60's pretty much an unsuccessfull attempt at 3x3 tracked tractor for the Italian airforce.

3x3? Is the front wheel driven?

 

Ouch, that does have to be complicated. Just hope all the effort was worth it. :mellow:

 

Moto Guzzi Mule. Sorry early 60's pretty much an unsuccessfull attempt at 3x3 tracked tractor for the Italian airforce.

Obviously an inferior design, no back seat

 

Nah it wasnt. It never really came of anything.

 

The German model looked a damn sight more fun.

 

There was a small vehicle used by the Bundeswehr Airbourne forces in the 70s/80s that looked very much like the forerunner of the modern Quad Bike. I've been trying to find a picture of one on the net without sucess, but I'm sure someone out there can do a better job than me.

Hope that's not too far of thread.