Overview
The success of fast-moving Blitzkrieg tactics by the Nazi war machine depended on high mobility. With their on- and off-road capabilities, motorcycles became an important component of the Nazi war machine's arsenal making a particularly significant impact in French and Russian campaigns. The motorcycles were used in a variety of roles including patrolling, intelligence gathering, and police duties in occupied Europe. Motorcyclists could be found in every unit of an infantry and Panzer division including headquarters which had a motorcycle messenger platoon. Their versatility also enabled them to survey enemy positions until coming under fire before reporting back with vital intelligence relating to enemy locations and strengths. The German industry produced wide range of motor-bikes for military use. By 1938 some 200,000 motorcycles were produced in Germany and occupied territories. The principal makes included BMW, DKW, NSU, Triumph, Victoria, and Zundapp. Sidecar combinations, often mounted with an MG34/42 machine gun, also made the bike a very effective weapon. By describing in words and contemporary images the role of the German motorcycle and motorcyclists during the Second World War, this Images of War book fills an overlooked gap in coverage of Nazi military capability. It emphasizes that the German military perfected the use of motorcycles and employed them more widely than any other army. AUTHOR: Ian Baxter is an avid collector of WW2 photographs. His previous books in this Seriesinclude Hitler's Boy Soldiers, Nazi Concentration Camp Commandants and German Armyon the Eastern Front The Advance, German Army on the Eastern Front The Retreat andNazi Concentration Camp Commandants, The Crushing of Army Group (North) and the SSWaffen Division series including SS Leibstandarte Division and SS Totenkopf Division AtWar. He lives near Chelmsford, Essex. 200 b/w illustrations
Full Product Details
Author: Ian Baxter
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Imprint: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781036100568
ISBN 10: 1036100561
Pages: 128
Publication Date: 02 October 2024
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Not yet available
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Author Information
Ian Baxter is an avid collector of WW2 photographs. His previous books in this Series include Hitler’s Boy Soldiers, Nazi Concentration Camp Commandants and German Army on the Eastern Front – The Advance, German Army on the Eastern Front – The Retreat and Nazi Concentration Camp Commandants, The Crushing of Army Group (North) and the SS Waffen Division series including SS Leibstandarte Division and SS Totenkopf Division At War. He lives near Chelmsford, Essex.
