20 BARBAROSSA ON A BIKE (or: how not to partlcipate in a global waf with industrial superpowers) by Clrts Prrr.glc INTRODUCTION PART I: THE HISTORY There is soinething particuldly glmorous abourrhe mounred soldier. b€ it the ho6ed cavalrymd cairying our a heroic charge or the tanl comander in his awesome steel chmiot. But for some reasonths gimour d@s not db off on the thousands of soldies who went to war on tharmost unmilirnry sreed - the bicycle. In this anicle I hopero give tbe bicycle its proper placein the dnals of we. I slan wirh a brief oveNiew of rhe history of bicycletrcps frcm Oe 1880s up ro 1945. The s*ond pan of rhearriclelooks in some detail a1 the bicycle forcesof the Hungdian aJmy. It finisheswith a historical scen{io for a banlefoughl by Hungarinn cyclisls in the Lkraine during Operation Btrbffosa in 1941. instead that in time of need, my available lroops could be mounted on requisitioned bicyclesfor a panicular nission (von Caemere. & von AJdenne, l9ll)- By comrar! tne French ar this time were raising bicyclecompaies which could be cohbined lo fom bicyclebattalions. Nonetheless, by the outbreak of wa. in 1914, the Gemans t@ bad incorponled bicycle conpaniesinto their force structurcs. The Grert War with millions of menmobilised in AugDst 1914, ir ; no sur?rise rbat within a monlh the French, Belgians. and Brilish had morc tban 250,000 bicycles at lhe ftont, facing similar numbeBof ceman machines (Caidin & Barbree. 1974). In the battles of mmoeuvreof the opening nonfts, la.ge bicycle forces scouted and Eided actively. However, the movenenrrale of bicycles throughwaist dep mud md shell craten is very limited. The role of the cylist was thereforesoon reduced to despatch nding, pat.oiling wherc the terain allowed, and Butcyclistsdid still playaninponant roleon theHome Front in the United Kingdom. He.e, where there were plenty of cleicben s 'good rcads . where the conditions rhat bothered von C&nntr€rcr d von Ardenne we.e relatively favourable, and where the terain was unscathed by trench warfe md oased anillery fte bicycle offered cheapmobility on a ldge scale. The $ftats to the Home Front were tbreefold: a Gemd ldding, Irish €bellion, or civil disturbances. By 1918, the B.itish forces deployed in lreland included 8 brigades (35 battauono of yeomanrycyclisrs, as well as 7 battalionsof n6r Irc cyclists.A nrnher 30 bicycle bartalions defended England includin8 one cyclisl division of 3 cyclist brigades (Oe K€ntIndependent Force) (Millmm. 1998). The Second World War By 1939, industrial development md mechdisation had prcgressed greatll Neilher Britain nor Fmce nade any significantmilitary useof bicyclesr nor did the olher industrial gianrs. the USA andthe USSR. Instead, it was orher nations - those a stage behind in induslrialisalion - which found rhey needed ro usebicycles as a half, measure towddshaline nodem,nobile amies. Tle cyclisK rolewas normally reconnaissdce (dunngoffedsives) or as local resefles (o. the defensive).ln the Iralid amy, Bersaglieri bicycle battalions seryed in 'Celere' divisions, helpingMusolini to believe he could emdate blilzkrieg on the cheap.Polish bicycle companies servedin infdry divisions andalongside lanceB in cavalry brigades. TheJapanese use of bicyclesdunn8 the invasionof Malaya n well-known (lhough they fright havebeen more etrectiveif they had nor routi.ely lashed their rifles ro their handlebes on the treh Spencer Cbapfran, 1953). Sone Finnish skj trcops rook to two wh@ls in summer The caseof Hungaryis exmined in dolail belov Gemdy desenesspecialmention as the grcatest bicycle power of the Second World war Unlike lhe other industrial gidrs, Gerndny's reamment wasrcstricted afterWWI by the Treary of VeBailles. when the Wehmachr was expanded, geat etrorts were lavished on Iully motorising the amoured speehead the PanterDivisions dd sone other mororised divisions - but it snll relied heavily on dimal trdspori This wassupplenenled by (you euessed ii) bicycles. Initially. cyclisc were foDnd in company strength as palr of tie reconnaissuce battalion of Gerinnn infanq divisions- DDring the cou6e of the we, while fte Allied dmies b@amenore and more mechanised, ihe Gemd forces actually regre$ed,fi6t as they found they needed more dd more nobility 10 cover the vdt expanses of the Soviel Union. nd lale. s Allied airpower rook its toll on motor vehicles dd fDel. Bicycle rcce conpanies were soon followed by bicycle battalions in cavalry jaeger, and mountain divisions. By 1944. Volksgrenadier divisionsincluded a bicycletusilier compary d well as a bicycle regimenf' (albeit underequipped onry one of its lwo baMlions actuallyhadbicycles).One of tle nost gloriousepisodes of military bicycling war performedby a very effective delachment of Volkssom rmkhunren, who pedaued dound EastPrusia in 1945 wilh PMerfaDsrsknocldngout Soviet tanks. Origins For n pre-mechoisedamy considering how to tEnsporl its t@ps, the bicycle has a nnmbe. of advantages over the hose. It is qDickerdd eaier to train a cyclist than a cavalrynan: bicycleshaveles needfo. forageor shelter:$ey fall sick lessoften and de easier 1o repniri rhey de not pdicked by shellfirc- And if you re nghfng disDounted,a cavalryunit need!to detach hoseholders bul you dont need ro detach Then tbere is the question of speed ud distace. YoD fral be $ surp.ised a I war lo readthat,according ro a Gemd mihary nanual. in good condidoqs thefollowin8 houdy movemenr rates dre nomal: Mounted troops, allematinS walk dd lrori Mounled t.oops ar the trot: 7.5 km/h lokm/h Furthemore, a nom.l day\ mdh fo. cyclists is 60,80 kfr. wheres cavalry cm onlyexpecr lo cover 5G60 kn (creiner& Degener, 1936). Bicycle lroops theGforc fi^t begd to apped on a large scale&ound 1880 when goodbicycles becme widelynvailable. Firstto use tlem {ere the Italians after 1870. whose successtul field Daneuvres of I E75led many olher counlriesto follow !uir. ConEnporary military obseneB weresceptical of their introduction in fte Brifth Amy: "Corps of Cyclists. chiefly volunteer,haveIately b@nstaited. bur it se€ms very quesriomble whefter rheywould everbe of dy use in ahostile countryexcept to carry mesages io andiio along good roads" (Gleichen.1890). Nonelhele$. Brilish cycle unirs proliferated.Tne pholograph accoDpanying ftis anicle showsBritish cyclists,suronddedby a zarcba' of their discdded nachines.foming squde to repelcavalry,.. it wasBritish cyclisls who fiBr sawncrionon a siSnificmt scale. during the B@r Wd of t899,190t {Caidin& Babree,1974). The scepdcs were strong in cemdy. After repeared experiments with bicycle conpanies at lhe drual KaiseFmanoeuvres around the tum of the century it was decided rhar there wa no poinr in mainraining such fomations on a pemanenlbasis: "our view is that lhe use of bictcle troops. however valuable they may be in certain circumslances. is too dependent on the condirionsof remin. weather and line of veu for it to be worthwhile". The Gemans reckoned
Transcript
20
BARBAROSSA ON A BIKE(or: how not to partlcipate in a global
waf with industrial superpowers)
by
Clrts Prrr.glc
INTRODUCTION
PART I: THE HISTORY
There is soinething particuldly glmorous abour rhe mounred soldier.b€ it the ho6ed cavalrymd cairying our a heroic charge or the tanlcomander in his awesome steel chmiot. But for some reason thsgimour d@s not db off on the thousands of soldies who went to waron thar most unmilirnry sreed - the bicycle.
In this anicle I hope ro give tbe bicycle its proper place in the dnalsof we. I slan wirh a brief oveNiew of rhe history of bicycle trcps frcmOe 1880s up ro 1945. The s*ond pan of rhe arricle looks in some detaila1 the bicycle forces of the Hungdian aJmy. It finishes with a historicalscen{io for a banle foughl by Hungarinn cyclisls in the Lkraine duringOperation Btrbffosa in 1941.
instead that in time of need, my available lroops could be mounted onrequisitioned bicycles for a panicular nission (von Caemere. & vonAJdenne, l9ll)- By comrar! tne French ar this time were raisingbicycle compaies which could be cohbined lo fom bicycle battalions.
Nonetheless, by the outbreak of wa. in 1914, the Gemans t@ badincorponled bicycle conpanies into their force structurcs.
The Grert Warwith millions of men mobilised in AugDst 1914, ir ; no sur?rise rbatwithin a monlh the French, Belgians. and Brilish had morc tban250,000 bicycles at lhe ftont, facing similar numbeB of cemanmachines (Caidin & Barbree. 1974). In the battles of mmoeuvre of theopening nonfts, la.ge bicycle forces scouted and Eided actively.However, the movenenr rale of bicycles through waist dep mud mdshell craten is very limited. The role of the cylist was therefore soonreduced to despatch nding, pat.oiling wherc the terain allowed, and
Butcyclistsdid still play an inponant role on the Home Front in theUnited Kingdom. He.e, where there were plenty of cleicben s 'good
rcads . where the conditions rhat bothered von C&nntr€rcr d vonArdenne we.e relatively favourable, and where the terain wasunscathed by trench warfe md oased anillery fte bicycle offeredcheap mobility on a ldge scale. The $ftats to the Home Front weretbreefold: a Gemd ldding, Irish €bellion, or civil disturbances. By1918, the B.itish forces deployed in lreland included 8 brigades (35battauono of yeomanry cyclisrs, as well as 7 battalions of n6r Irccyclists. A nrnher 30 bicycle bartalions defended England includin8one cyclisl division of 3 cyclist brigades (Oe K€nt Independent Force)(Millmm. 1998).
The Second World WarBy 1939, industrial development md mechdisation had prcgressedgreatll Neilher Britain nor Fmce nade any significant military use ofbicyclesr nor did the olher industrial gianrs. the USA and the USSR.
Instead, it was orher nations - those a stage behind ininduslrialisalion - which found rhey needed ro use bicycles as a half,measure towdds haline nodem, nobile amies. Tle cyclisK role wasnormally reconnaissdce (dunngoffedsives) or as local resefles (o. thedefensive).ln the Iralid amy, Bersaglieri bicycle battalions seryed in'Celere' divisions, helping Musolini to believe he could emdateblilzkrieg on the cheap. Polish bicycle companies served in infdrydivisions and alongside lanceB in cavalry brigades. The Japanese useof bicycles dunn8 the invasion of Malaya n well-known (lhough theyfright have been more etrective if they had nor routi.ely lashed theirrifles ro their handlebes on the treh Spencer Cbapfran, 1953).Sone Finnish skj trcops rook to two wh@ls in summer The case ofHungary is exmined in dolail belov
Gemdy desenes special mention as the grcatest bicycle power ofthe Second World war Unlike lhe other industrial gidrs, Gerndny'sreamment was rcstricted after WWI by the Treary of VeBailles. whenthe Wehmachr was expanded, geat etrorts were lavished on Iullymotorising the amoured speehead the Panter Divisions dd soneother mororised divisions - but it snll relied heavily on dimaltrdspori This was supplenenled by (you euessed ii) bicycles.
Initially. cyclisc were foDnd in company strength as palr of tiereconnaissuce battalion of Gerinnn infanq divisions- DDring thecou6e of the we, while fte Allied dmies b@ame nore and moremechanised, ihe Gemd forces actually regre$ed, fi6t as they foundthey needed more dd more nobility 10 cover the vdt expanses of theSoviel Union. nd lale. s Allied airpower rook its toll on motorvehicles dd fDel. Bicycle rcce conpanies were soon followed bybicycle battalions in cavalry jaeger, and mountain divisions. By 1944.Volksgrenadier divisions included a bicycle tusilier compary d well asa bicycle regimenf' (albeit underequipped onry one of its lwobaMlions actually had bicycles). One of tle nost glorious episodes ofmilitary bicycling war performed by a very effective delachment ofVolkssom rmkhunren, who pedaued dound East Prusia in 1945wilh PMerfaDsrs knocldng out Soviet tanks.
OriginsFor n pre-mechoised amy considering how to tEnsporl its t@ps, thebicycle has a nnmbe. of advantages over the hose. It is qDicker ddeaier to train a cyclist than a cavalrynan: bicycles have les need fo.forage or shelter: $ey fall sick less often and de easier 1o repniri rheyde not pdicked by shellfirc- And if you re nghfng disDounted, acavalry unit need! to detach hoseholders bul you dont need ro detach
Then tbere is the question of speed ud distace. YoD fral be $surp.ised a I war lo read that, according ro a Gemd mihary nanual.in good condidoqs the followin8 houdy movemenr rates dre nomal:
Mounted troops, allematinS walk dd lroriMounled t.oops ar the trot:
7.5 km/hlokm/h
Furthemore, a nom.l day\ mdh fo. cyclists is 60,80 kfr. wherescavalry cm only expecr lo cover 5G60 kn (creiner& Degener, 1936).
Bicycle lroops theGforc fi^t begd to apped on a large scale &ound1880 when good bicycles becme widely nvailable. First to use tlem{ere the Italians after 1870. whose successtul field Daneuvres ofI E75 led many olher counlries to follow !uir.
ConEnporary military obseneB were sceptical of their introductionin fte Brifth Amy: "Corps of Cyclists. chiefly volunteer, have Iatelyb@n staited. bur it se€ms very quesriomble whefter rhey would ever beof dy use in a hostile country except to carry mesages io and iio alonggood roads" (Gleichen. 1890). Nonelhele$. Brilish cycle unirsproliferated. Tne pholograph accoDpanying ftis anicle shows Britishcyclists, surondded by a zarcba' of their discdded nachines. fomingsqude to repel cavalry ,.. it was British cyclisls who fiBr saw ncrion ona siSnificmt scale. during the B@r Wd of t899,190t {Caidin &Babree, 1974).
The scepdcs were strong in cemdy. After repeared experimentswith bicycle conpanies at lhe drual KaiseFmanoeuvres around thetum of the century it was decided rhar there wa no poinr inmainraining such fomations on a pemanenl basis: "our view is that lheuse of bictcle troops. however valuable they may be in certaincircumslances. is too dependent on the condirions of remin. weatherand line of veu for it to be worthwhile". The Gemans reckoned
2 l
Also worth €mtrKng is fte action of 7l llh Infant.y Divjsion. Thisqas^ bo.lenttdendis. lsraric gdison) dilision, refomed after debatin France, and had been gdisoning the Netherldds: it had beenbrou8hl up lo slrengrh with naval pe6o.ne1. nan], sdll in fteir bluenalal unifoms. In Jdualy I 945, ir *ds \enl to Hungar) to lake pan inOperation Konrad (fte relief oi Budapest) alongside 2nd SS PanzerCorps. On 6th January: Amazingly. they managed ro effect abreatthrough at the last weak spot in the Ru$ian fronr.In view offtetact that no one had expecred any achievemenls fron rhis unn ftn caneas quile a suArise ... Seleral unirs of the 7 I I L D. had Dutch biclcleswith them on which. slipping and sliding o\ er rhe sno$ and ice co\ ered.oads, rhey were ablc ro proceed flsrer rhan rhe roops mo\ing on ibor.Tlus n was thal Eszlcrgom (Gran) ... fell inro Gernan heds (Pie.it.1996).
(In 19,r4 the Germans reqDisilio.ed Dutchbicyclesin large nnmbers.A Dutch hend reliably infoms me thal il is stiu cuslondy to greetGeman tourisrs in Holland wirh a frlendly cry oi give back our
PART II: HUNGARY'S BICYCLE FORCES
HunBaJ_a was perhaps the najo. user of bicycle roops during fteSecond Wodd Wd ' not in absolute numbed (surely Gemdy nDsihave had the oosi), but in fte sense that fte ldEest independent bicyclefodations were those used by the Hungdians. and also in the sensethat b'cycle tr@ps were a ldge propodion of Hungary\ best equipped
Like Germd). Hungaq, aas on fte losing side in rhe Gieat Wd. and.like Cernan) s. Hung4\ lm! ras severely liniled by feary (rheTrear: ofT.ianon). Ii \as only able m begin reming in 1938. wharsas eNisa_eed ar rhar time. under rhe Huba Pld , was an amy of 25infanq divisions. t calalry dilision, 2 mounrain brigades. I fronrierrifles b.i8ade, ad 2 dmoured divisions (Adonyi Ndedy. 1970).
Wllar was .ctually rchieved by fte tine Hungdy enleed fte wd inJune 1941 was rather les: innead of 1 calalry dd 2 moureddivisions, Hungary poslessed 2 cdldlrl bngades and 2 mobnsedbngades. Of rhese. I cavalry and ? motonsed brjgades invaded the
G.nnan bidcle co,npan\'. 1902
22
USSR- They fomred the GMfflzdrerr. or "Fa$ Corps', the elire of fte
Each of fte 8 other corps of fte Hungdian dmy posessed onebicycle barlalion. The cyoBhadre$ wa! much Dore lavishly eqnipped.Each motonsed bngade po$esed 6 conbal banalions: 3 moronsedintdrf, I tank. I reconnaissdce, and I bicycle. The cavalry brigndehdd ?: ,1 calalry I moured reconnaksance. and 2 bicycle. Thus 4 outof 19 battalions were cyclists.Also. intheinilial siages of the invdion.the Fast Corps was supported by attached lroops from other Co.ps.including the l5th and the (Dnde6treng$) VIrh and VtIIth Bicycle
The bicycle infantry battalion (kerekpdor zaszloalj) comprised:Motorised Field Telephone Plat@nMotorised Pioneer PlatoonMotorised Anri-Tank Plat@r (4 x lTmm PAK 35)Tmkere Platoon (5 x Ansaldo CV3/33 ranke etMobnsed Artillery Battery (4 x l05mm FH18)3 Bicycle Infmlry Companies (each with 12 x LMc model 30M.2 x light monm,2 x 20mm Solothum AT rifle9I Motonzed Machinegun Company (12 x Schwdlose 07/12 MG,4 x EInn morta6)
(Niehonler 1998)
The inclusion of inlegral amour and anillery elenenb suggesrs thalwhen they were origiially designed these Dnils were inended to havefte ability to acl independently and otrensively. ln July l94l that isexaclly what HungaJy\ l51h Bicycle Battalion did.
Drsh to the Dni€sierThis is a wtugme scendio in which the Hungmian bicycle trcops gerto demonstnle the etreclivenes of ften rnobiliry and firepower Ir isdesigned for use with my own Tac: wwII rules. bu should beadaplable for any rule system baled o! platoon sized elemenrs.It lendsitself rc solo play aSain$ randomly generated Sovier opposilion.
The Hungdid Amy invaded the Sovier Union on 28 June 1941when Eth Frontier Rifles B.igade advanced acrcss Viszkov and vereckeprsses over the Carpa{hids (in presenr-day Ukaine). By 30 June aftertwo dayt lighling,lhe Brigade had linked up with advdcing Gemansal Tu.ka. had brcken thiough the Soviet rcaryudd! bDr had e$austedirs componenl battalions. Nonerh€les the Brieade adlanced againstonly light resistmce Io Dolina dound 3 4 Jtrl'.
To exploir this breakthrcugh. 15th Bicycle Barulion was Dnleashedupor the Red Amy. On 5 July rhe cyclisls reached Stmistav (nowIvano F6nlivs'kl. The following day, the Ceman troops advdcingalong the nonlem bank of the Dniester coDld not believe rheir eyes,when on 6 July, at Nizniow. they @ into a Hungeian bndeehead. TheHonveds of the 151h Bicycle Ba alion (pan of 8rh Fronner RiflesBngade) were clanering across the struts of the demolished Dniesterbridge. On rhe nexr day the same battalion, reinforced by VItrrhBicycle Battalion which had uived memwhile. advanced inro theenemy s red as fa d Tluste (Adonyi N@dy).
Of th€ opposing Red Army at this time, a HunE&ian of6cer said .,wepressed afier their relrea! conslanily sedhinS for one vasr amy. bulfor fte tine being found nofting apart fiom a few isolaBd riflemen orone or two cannon (quoted in Torh).
To wdgame this l00km ddh fron Dolina lo the Dniester. use rhefolowing dithmetic- In good conditions. ciclhrs could cover 60-80kna day at l2km. In the noi-so-g@d conditions of Uk€inid roads.10knh might be average: if moving deployed rather thm in colunn ofmdch, their movement rate wonld halve ro 5knh. For the pDrposes ofthe gde it is stipulated that the toops should be able io qork for l0hom a day, whether cyclirg or fighring. The Hugdim comnfuder istherefore allowed two days - 20 working hou6 in which to reachNizniow atrd cros the bridge.
As tbe Soviet opposition wd so light dd scaftered, rather thd fighrselpiece actions splir the roDre inro l0 x 10km sections. For €achsetion, 6rst the terair is mdomly deremined: then the Sovier playersmtly deci.les what redgudd wa! present if ey; then the Hungariatr
player states whetbe. his force n novine in column of mdch (akingone hour to crcss rhe secdon) or deployed (takinS two hom). If noSoviels @ presen! record time spent. proceed to the next lokm
lection, dd Epeat the procedure. If Soviets are pesenl, d acrion i!
The baric emin is a melre squde lable wi$ a road running lbroughlhe middle frcm Easi (o WesL A single roll ofa 2o-sided die (D20) ftenshows whai olher lerain war present:
9 open wood (abour l5cm squde)l0 li village (about IftD square)l2-13 gentle hill (abour 25cm acro$)l+15 wood dd village16 l7 village and stream running North Soulb ac.ors whole width of
16 w@d and strem19 viuage. woDd md sreafr20 hiu, viua8e. w@d ed streamThe Soviet play€r places ihis lerain however he wishes in the Edtetu
After fie final l0km sedion, an llth table should be ser up forNiznio$ itseli The eastern edge of the table n bounded by the Dniesternve., crcssed by the road bndge. On the river bank is Niuliow.represented by two villa8es, with rwo open woods and lwo locm sqDeesecions of fields of crops.
The wealhe. is overcast or mining. so De gaDe should take place inconditions of reduced visibiliry.
In lhe lml90kd, the only Soviet trcops available are one rifle plat@n,one MMG platoon, and one 76.2mm infdry eun platoon. eachofwhich may only be used once. These may be deployed individDallyor two or all three logether In dl ca!e. each or all elements on a givensecrion e trcated as a conpay for cofrnand and morale purposes.The Sovier commander decides whefter lo defend a section once he hasplaced fte ren?in. al which poinr one or nore chosen eleDents may besecredy placed in selected positions. Alremarilely, if playing solo,defende( are delemined rmdomly for each section using a D20:l-2 RiUe platoon (low firepowet3-1 MMG plaroon5-6 76.2mm infant_v gun platoon7-20 no Sovier lorce presentSoviet t.@ps my be placed anywhe.e in lhe Eas(em half of Oe table.They are entrcnched dd in prepared defence. They have good moralebur poo. tactical competence (Tac rdting 7).
The 6nal lable contains a Sovier coopany, enlrenched defendingNiuriow while enSinees rig the Dniester bridge for demolition- This.ompd) compdse\ 2 rifle plaroonr. one MMC plaroon. one engnr.rplabon, and an infanlry gun platoon. The engineer platoon mDst be ar
The Hnngdid player hd the whole of l51h Bicycte BanatioD,orgmised d desfibed above, with d HQ elemem in a truck. Reprcsentthe infmtry conpanies by 4 average fftpoqer nfle platoons dd rheMG compmy by one morlar and 2 MMG plaloons. Optionally, youmay wdi to omir $e Cv3/33 rankenes (they proved alnost useles);you may wdl to add a motorcycle @ce platmn {some Hungdidbrigade eslablishnenrs included motorcycle t@pq but only a quarterof the necesary moto.cycles were available in June l94l). The roopsall bave eod norale, and re better tEined thd the SovieB - Tac rating
In colum of mmh, the Hungarian force deploys on ih€ road only.in llreh mode, wilh its lead etenent 20cm ftom my en€my prernt.
r deployed, the Hungarians my deploy across rhe whote widti ofthe table in bold altack or defaulr mode, at leNt 20cm ion any enemy.
23
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Fighiing the actionsIf ftere e Sovie$ presenl, once the Hunelnans arc deployed fighreach acrion s nomal unde. the rules you are using. Start from thepoint in $e sequeDce of play at which the Hungarians would hav€ juslmoved imo sight aqd range of the Soviets, Rememberlhe poor {ealherand visibility: if using Ia., use the oplional detectioM@ation rule-Each action ends whenthe Solietcompdy is deslroyed or is forced torelire by morale failue.
Keep a record of hos the 20 hou6 available are used and how DuchdhtDce is covered. Conbal acions againsl the Soviet rearguardelements oill rale dde: under Tac. an hour js losl ior every 4 game
If the Hrngdians take 20 hou6 of less to cover the i00kD and to elictrhe redgudd fiom Nizniow. ihey have natched the historicalachievement- Ifftey cover l00km in 15 hoursorless before fighring inNizniow. rhey m conside€d ro have reached n in rine lo intetu theSovier engireeB .nd ro prevenr rhe brid8e demolirion, unless theenginees rcll 7 or more on Dl0. (Thiscompey redgDdd aclion didnol take place but is an embrciderinS to add a climd to lhe wdgane.)
Barba.ossa revealed lhe deflciencies of bicycle lroops. Wh G€iner &Deeeneis comparison of cav.]ry and cyclisrs neglecled to mention isthe facl that the ho6e caries the cavalryman bul the cyclisr has ropower lhe bike. AccordinS ro fte HunSdim genenl sratr rpon on theC)od,a/rerrt opemlions in 1941, on the nmh the biclcle troopsheld trp the re$ of the fomation: at night they had 10 be protected whiletbey resled: lhey invariably reached encounter baltles late andexhausted: their bicycles quickly wore our dd they had insuficientpuncture repair kits (ciled in Toth. 1985).
Ii rhis anicle has whened your .ppetne for infornation about thecxploits of lhe GroBl'ddtert in Barbarcssa, the author's own lilr8arl ]''Fast Corps : I94l ptovldes backgrou.d information, TO&8, and 12historical scendios for battalion to briEade sized actions. This and theTa.: WWII tules are available from IreBular Mioiatures, 3 ApolloStreet. Heslinglon Road. York YOI 5Aq Englmd.lel. (rrl4) (0) 19046 7 1 l 0 l .The author has not ridden a bike ior I 5 yea$.
REFERXNCES
Adonyi-Naredy, F., Ungan$ Arntee nr Z\|enen Weltktieg, l97O-Caidin. M.. & J. Balbree, rrd./?s !)' Waf. New York: HaMhorn, 1974-Gleichen, Tlle Amies oJ Etnpe luslrate.l. Lo on: Clowes, 1890.Gireiner & De8ener, Tdktik ,n Rdhtften .les *rstde*ten lt{onterieAarairorr. Bedin: Otrene Worte, 1936.Millman, B.. "British Home Defence Phnning and Civil Dissert, l9 l71918-.ia wor ond Histo.r- 5(2). London: Amold.l998.Niehorster. L., Rdal HunEanon A4l, 1996. h1F:www.lieeporl-
Pienk. P.. HLnBaa 194-1915: nie Fo,aotten Trasedr. Nietwelein.
Note: use sources with ctre for instance, quite ditreEnt impresionsof fte sme events eill be gained frcm readine Toth (writien inHDngdy under a ComdDrisr regine) and fron Adonyi-Naredy(wriften in the safery ol ihe Wesr)-
