WW2 Motorcycles Only

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by Drew5233, May 2, 2009.

  1. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Thanks Rich. :salut:
     
  2. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    One more that came in the post.
    Keith
     

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  3. The Cooler King

    The Cooler King Elite Member

    I took these images in the Royal Signals Museum in Dorset - thought that I would share them.
     

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  4. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Interesting background to the two wheelers.It casts my mind to a trip to Brittany in 1992, where we stayed as self caterers quite close to L'Orient.Shopping at a nearby supermarket,in the car park close to the building was a collection of ex military motor bikes on display.One caught my eye was a Zundapp.restored to a high standard...must have been liberated when the Germans were pushed out of Brittany

    I remember in the late 1950s a work shift engineer colleague of mine decided that powered transport was better than using a bike for shift work and finally bought a Zundapp autobike. I remember "J" doing abundant research from the catalogue of Clarkes of Brixton who dealt in mail order and then buying this autobike.Me.I bought a Lambretta but the experience of the 1962/3 winter made me convert to four wheels in the summer of 1963.
    .
    It would appear that Zundapp resurrected their business postwar and started with this type of product....the brand appears to have been lost since.

    Apologies for digressing.
     
  5. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    One photo that came in the post. Norton? that's been hit with the WH number plate on, you can see a part of it's C number ? and one that i put on epay. British army in Austra at the end of the war.
    Keith
     

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  6. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    Harry, Zundapp resurrected their flat twin postwar with the KS601 "Green Elephant", the bike (and sidecar) that kickstarted the legendary Elephant Rally in Bavaria every February, a bike rally that is NOT for the fainthearted!!!

    They also got into mopeds and small twostrokes...a slew of German manufacturers did...and Zundapps were still available until 1984 when the company passed away. They were a very common sight when I was on holiday in Munich in 1983. Quite cute for 50cc bikes I thought.
     
  7. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    Hi Guys, the man in the photograph is Henry William Collins who served with South Wales Borderers 2nd battery C troop, army number 3966645. Henry was my uncle and I think the number on the fuel tank reads C947958 although the last number isn't very clear. I don't know anything about motorbikes so any information will be appreciated.

    Lotus7
     

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  8. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    The bike is a straightforward identification - apart from anything else, it has telescopic forks which in British usage can only mean the Matchless G3/L. Contract C12633 covered census numbers C947522 - C947921 so the number probably falls in this group. These seem to have been late 1942 deliveries. These 400 numbers were issued to the RASC part of the contract (at this stage, RASC were still responsible for the issue and maintenance of all '2nd echelon' vehicles).
     
  9. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the info Rich it's much appreciated, the photo was taken in Germany 1945.
    Henry went on to be a dispatch rider at the Nuremberg trails.
     
  10. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    That's a coincidence. My Dad was at Nuremburg from November 1945 with 9 Tele Op Sect. Royal Signals. They were responsible for sending back the reports from the British and Commonwealth press reporters. I'm intending to start a thread at some point as I've scanned a lot of his documentation from that period.
     
  11. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    That's good Rich, look forward to the thread. I hope to do some research on my uncle for my cousin at some time later in the year

    Cheers
     
  12. DaveB

    DaveB Very Senior Member

    This photo just popped up on the Reddit site - Floyd Johnson RCAF of 2TAF on his motorcycle as a despatch rider 1944/45


    Seems too good an image not to share
     

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  13. The Cooler King

    The Cooler King Elite Member

    Here are all of those images that I took from the Royal Signals Museum:-
     

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  14. DaveB

    DaveB Very Senior Member

    Nice pics - which reminds me that I took some shots in SA recently
     

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  15. hendrix17

    hendrix17 Active Member

    Hi not sure if this is the right place to ask but in a war diary for my grandads unit (the 1823 platoon of the 105 bridging coy) it notes him riding m/cycle 4854118. Is there a way to trace this serial number to find out the model? The war diary only refers to vehicle/truck models. It also says that the motorcycles were 'robbed' of parts around the battery :)
     
  16. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Motorcycles used the WD serial prefix 'C' and 4854118 was issued to a contract for Triumph 3HW motorcycles (Contract C13948 - C4852501 - C4854129). This contract was delivered from July 1942 and was the first to feature the economy cast iron chaincase.

    I'm afraid that I don't have much in the way of photos of 3HWs showing a clear serial number. Many 3HWs were used in Italy and the Far East. They don't seem to feature much in the NW Europe campaign.
     
  17. hendrix17

    hendrix17 Active Member

    Wow. Thanks. He served in Sicily and Italy from 43 all the way until August 45.
     
  18. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Not really WWII but close.

    Beautiful custom Royal Enfields

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYzuqAX2A3A
     
  19. campfollower

    campfollower Member

    Bike from the Brussels Military museum ( a barking mad place - free to enter and just astonishing - but WWII has been recently redone and is quite modern) SDC10511.JPG
     
  20. tal

    tal Junior Member

    Can anyone identify this bike for me please?
     

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