Swiss Light Bicycle Infantry for Mountain Warfare

More pics of the Swiss Bicycle Regiments are on the web page below:

http://www.combatreform.com/atb.htm

Caidin/Barbree's otherwise flawless book, "Bicycles in War" doesn't cover the Swiss bicycle regiments which would have been the most compelling case to end their book with. This video goes a long way towards showing how a modern Light Bicycle Infantry (LBI) could be. Then Major Stephen Tate's CGSC Master's Thesis goes into greater details as he explains their mobility options as either a 30 mile sprint in a couple hours or 100 miles in a day. Tate rightly called for U.S. Army Light infantry to be fully ATB-mobile to have organic mobility and not just be foot sloggers without adding to strategic USAF airlift sorties.

http://www.combatreform.com/HPVsforLightInfantryOperations.pdf

http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA211795&Location=U2&doc=...

http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&ide...

Accession Number : ADA211795

Title : Human Powered Vehicles in Support of Light Infantry Operations

Descriptive Note : Master's thesis Aug 1988-Jun 1989

Corporate Author : ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS

Personal Author(s) : Tate, Stephen T.

Handle/proxy Url : http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA211795




Report Date : 02 JUN 1989
Pagination or Media Count : 188

Abstract : This study examines the suitability of using bicycles to enhance the mobility of U.S. light infantry units. Initially the study defines mobility problems encountered by U.S. light infantry units as a result of force design. The study presents historical examples of previous military cycling operations at the turn of the century, during both World Wars, and the Vietnam Conflict. The tactical use, mobility, speed, distance, and load carrying capacity of bicycle troops during each of these periods are discussed. The present use of three bicycle regiments in the Swiss Army is examined. The impact of recent technological improvements in the bicycle industry is examined for possible military application. Keywords: Bicycle; Light infantry; All-terrain bicycle, Mobility; Soldier's load; Vietnam, Swiss army; Strategy; Tactics; Derailleur; World War II; Logistics; Military operations.

Descriptors : *MOBILITY, *LOGISTICS, MILITARY OPERATIONS, MILITARY PERSONNEL, WARFARE, GLOBAL, INDUSTRIES, ARMY PERSONNEL, CAPACITY(QUANTITY), INFANTRY, TERRAIN, CYCLES, MILITARY APPLICATIONS, LIGHTING EQUIPMENT, ARMY, VIETNAM, SWITZERLAND.

Subject Categories : MILITARY OPERATIONS, STRATEGY AND TACTICS

Distribution Statement : APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• swiss
• army
• mountain
• troops
• light
• bicycle
• infantry
• stephen
• tate
• soldier's
• load
• iraq
• afghanistan
• lightfighter
• paratrooper

[uersugredu]

Hätte doch nie gedacht meinen Ex-Kadi als Leutnant auf youtube in einer US-TV Sendung zu sehen... :-)

[dynmicpara]

TRANSLATION:

"Had never thought of my ex-Kadi on youtube as a lieutenant in a U.S. TV show to see ... :-)"

[5cal5]

cycle troops could work in some situ's.

kind've like the summer equivalent of ski troops.

but british troops who took their bikes ashore on D-day found them a hindrance and ditched them en masse a few days in apparently, so its not a catch-all solution to upping lt inf mobility.

[dynmicpara]

You draw the wrong conclusions on D-Day bike use. Moving inland the Brits ran into German panzers (tanks) and did not have a way to recover their bikes for maneuver once the enemy's lines and strong points were breached. Every infantry squad should have a tracked tank "mother ship" like a Bren gun carrier (WW2) or a high-technology M113 Gavin today.

[dynmicpara]

ShatteredH writes:

"I think that if cops use bikes on patrols, then Soldiers should have that available as well. I'd study whatever law enforcement uses and I'd apply that to peace keeping missions of the like. But I bet you all my money, that some Soldiers would say that riding a bicycle would make them look stupid. How do you get around their pride?"

[EarlMcCrackin]

Yeah! Onward pedaling soldiers.

[dynmicpara]

And electrically motoring Soldiers...

[beastofblurdon]

well id mount a 2machine gun's on it front and back

[TheRcmodder]

>>>and peter griffin is in the back of the fleet with a card in his bike tire or making motorcycle sounds with his mouth<<<

[MrTerryKay]

LOVE THAT SADDLE!!!

If I'm cycling miles over varied terrain, I'd much rather bounce about on those bedsprings than saw my Private Johnson in half on our modern bone crushing seats.

[danmcdonalds]

song in the beggining??

[SirCrapsAlotTheThird]

1994!?!? That's ages away!

[lukastrange]

World War Bicycle Man!!!!

[uersugredu]

Thanks for the hand... :-) The reply was too spontaneous to think of writing it in english...

I was doing my military time in switzerland as a cyclist and the lieutenant in the movie (Adrian Ill) was my "Hauptmann" (guess its captain) for most of the time

[LightAge2007]

50Lbs is not that bad my M4 Battle Sleeker is about 45LBs