Thread: Bike Infantry
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Old 07-07-2018, 12:41 PM
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Finnish Jaeger infantry used bicycles to increase their marching speed during Continuation war. In early stages of continuation war, it was found that bicycle infantry could easily keep pace with Vickers and T-26 tanks that army used in first months of war.

Yes you could drive to ambush with your bicycle, but even then man driving a bike wasn’t easy target, after all bicycle marching speed (10-12 km/h) is good running speed and if you’re not very close to target, it’s likely that you miss. You don’t drive thru ambush with bicycle, you should immediately dismount and open fire . After that it was normal infantry action move, shoot and communicate.

In home front security units used bicycles to hunt parachute or long range patrol desantniki. There was not simply enough fuel, trucks or even horses for home guard units. Idea was simple, usually local security platoon tried to make educated guess in which direction desantniki unit tried to escape. After that security unit raced ahead desantniki unit. Usually only observation post could be established in open areas like rivers, fields or meadows. Idea was to ambush enemy patrol on open ground and usually other platoons and squads joined in combat after their heard sound of gunfire.

Today Finnish Defence Forces units are of course motorized. Only small tip of spear is mechanized and if you are not member of tank crew or panzer grenadier, you will do a lot of marching. Every member of armed forces should able to do 100 km a day bicycle march, even in air force or navy. Troops on bicycle wear their helmet, flak vest and combat vest. Backpack is on carrier and mortar crews have to even haul their mortars and ammo with them! Yes you can transport 81 mm tube if you use leather straps and attach it to bikes top tube.

It’s nice to see all those shiny trucks and APC:s when you return to your barracks while trying not to faint due exhaustion. Finnish officers firmly believe a motto “the more you sweat and suffer in training - the less you bleed in battle”.
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