Heavy Sidecar Motorcycles of the Wehrmacht


Book Description

All new photo collection covering BMW, Zndapp, NSU, DKW sidecar motorcycles on a variety of war fronts.




German Military Motorcycles in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht, 1934-1945


Book Description

This volume of photographs provides a documentation of the many motorcycle riders and their various cycles between 1934 and 1945, including requisitioned machines.




Operation Barbarossa: the Complete Organisational and Statistical Analysis, and Military Simulation Volume IIA


Book Description

Operation Barbarossa: Volume IIA concerns the Wehrmacht. All the significant German weapon systems and combat squads used in the campaign are analysed using the quantitative methodology detailed in Volume I, along with the contextual history. An assessment of each weapon system's inherent 'combat power' is provided, as well as attributes such as the relative anti-tank, anti-personnel and anti-aircraft values. Volume IIA then focuses on the detailed Kriegstarkenachweisungen (KStN, or TOE) for German land units (including those in the West), as well as the unit's actual organisation and equipment. All significant units in the German Army (Heer), Waffen SS, Luftwaffe and security forces are included; ranging from the largest panzer divisions, down to small anti-aircraft companies, military-police units, Landesschutzen battalions, and rail-road and construction companies. In all cases the data is presented in detailed tables, using the weapon systems and combat squads previously analysed.




German Motorcycles at War, 1939–1945


Book Description

Explores the crucial role of motorcycles in the Nazi war machine, enhancing mobility and tactical effectiveness during WWII. 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.




German Infantryman Operations Manual


Book Description

Between 1939 and 1945, close to 13 million men served in the German army - das Heer. The bulk of these men were infantrymen, who slogged their way, mostly on foot, from Finisterre to Moscow, Kirkenes to Tripoli. They swore unlimited obedience to Adolf Hitler and were ready to stake their lives for this oath: over 1.6 million men of das Heer were killed during the war and over 4.1 million were wounded.




The Complete Book of BMW Motorcycles


Book Description

The Complete Book of BMW Motorcycles offers a thorough year-by-year guide to every production machine ever built by Germany’s leading motorcycle manufacturer. From the first model, the 1923 R32 that launched BMW's motorcycle dynasty, to the latest (and fastest) superbike, the S1000RR, this book captures nearly a century of motorcycling excellence in a combination of historic and contemporary photos. Technical specs are provided for each model. This comprehensive review covers all of BMW's bike families: The side-valve machines from the early years The early overhead-valve performance bikes The modern Airheads and Oilheads The four-cylinder and six-cylinder touring bikes The early pushrod singles The modern overhead-cam singles The latest parallel twins, and inline-four cylinder sport bikes Among them, you'll find all the classic bikes—pre-World War II BMWs like the R5 that defined performance in that era; the military R12 that carried the Wehrmacht as it blitzkrieged its way across Europe; the Earles-forked R69S that offered the perfect platform for mounting a Steib sidecar; the R90S café racer; the K1 “flying brick”; and the GS (Gelände Sport) series that launched a dual-sport revolution right up to today’s world-class S100RR and retro-inspired R nine T. Like the other titles in Motorbooks' Complete Book series, this guide to BMW's motorcycle output offers the most complete reference to the subject available.




The German Fallschirmtruppe 1936-41 (Revised edition)


Book Description

The Fallschirmtruppe of the Wehrmacht won recognition for their valor and endurance not only from their fellow German soldiers, but from their former enemies as well. On the basis of careful and comprehensive research, including utilizing extensive unpublished documentary and personal materials, the author covers the history of the Fallschirmtruppe from its genesis and early training to its employment in combat in Scandinavia, the Albert Canal in Belgium, Holland, the Greek mainland and, of course, at Crete. The reasons for the remarkable successes of the German Fallschirmtruppe during this period are analyzed, as are also the conceptual weaknesses inherent in its formation and the faults in the command and control during its combat employment. The author, himself a former Bundeswehr Fallschirmjäger and General Staff officer, has also utilized accounts from those who fought the Fallschirmtruppe, and has thus been able to correct many errors perpetuated in previous books on this subject, besides providing more complete coverage. The text is supplemented by approximately 100 b/w photos and more than 25 detailed color maps. This is a remarkably detailed study, firmly based on documentary sources, and is destined to become one of the definitive works on its subject in the English language. This revised edition has been prepared exactly according to the author's instructions.




Two-Wheeled Blitzkrieg


Book Description

Paul Garson explores the fascinating role played by bicycles and motorbikes by the Third Reich with uniquely personal, largely unpublished images.




The Sidecar Technical Guide


Book Description

The Sidecar Technical Guide is for the sidecar builder and fitter. It contains a full sidecar setup section as well as full technical details on how to design and build your own sidecar along with subframe design and construction with plans and diagrams. Trail reduction with leading link forks and other front ends are discussed in detail. Everything about sidecar construction you need to build or modify your own outfit. Full details on sidecar electrics are included with wiring details along with the use of relays for accessories. The sidecar building book, filled with drawings, diagrams and pictures. . All 95 pages including a complete guide to building your own sidecar, are from the authors own experience as a sidecar company owner for many years.




The Art of BMW


Book Description

BMW began its life in aero-engineering--as anyone who’s ever ridden one of its motorcycles might guess. These are bikes as close to airborne as any get. And what’s more, fifty percent of all the motorcycles BMW has manufactured are still flying down the world’s roads. These are the best, and in this book, the best of the best get their due, with brilliant, full-color photographs of BMW’s classic models and detailed descriptions of their features, all located within the context of a concise history of this legendary marque. From the first of BMW’s bikes, the R32, through the models that catapulted the company out of the ruins of World War II, to the latest bikes with the revamped opposed-twin-cylinder “boxer” engines that brought BMW its first fame--these are the bikes that made history, and, better yet, gave the most demanding riders a taste for flight.