Hello everybody,

Last days I played with the idea to do some modeling with a prominent role for a bicycle in a vignette (probably triggered by Charles Reading excellent dio Poland 1958). As I'm from the Netherlands, over here is using a bike a common method of transport but also for leisure (i have a racebike and in spring till autumn I bike for fun).

However, bikes were also used as methods for transport during the war. I've seen pictures of Dutch soldiers riding bikes and warpictures with soldiers by bike are not uncommon.

So despite the theme is maybe for many of you a bit odd, I propose a (mini-)campaign around the theme of the bicycle. The bicycle should play an obvious role in a dio or vignette, as standalone bikes are a bit easy to build.

It is just an idea, which I like, so I was wandering of others are also in to do the same and maybe we can organize something.



Jelger

Sure, I would be doing some finnish jägers (armored infantry in fact) who used bikes.

That's already two. This evening i will look tor some pictures of ways bikes werd used in war. This will hopefully trigger more people tor join!




Jelger

Jelger,
Thanks for the compliment on my diorama! You can count me in on this one as I never get enough of those Aber PE sets for bicycles (call me crazy!)
Cheers,
Charles

Very interested. I have no idea where I can go with it (no puns intend), but I like bicycles.

Certainly is an interesting idea.

Hi everybody,

a quick search on Google results in quite a lot of information. Books have been written about the use of bicycles. Bikes have been used in many wars and bikes are used up to day by armies.

This is information is from Wikipedia.



Jelger

hey , i dont know if this is relevant enough, but here are some pics of a nicely mounted "bike" on front of a chevrolet 15 cwt of the R.e.m.e




can you spot the extra bikes in the pic?

He Jimmy,

thanks for posting these nice pics. Although the bike is not actually in use, it shows again that the use of bikes was not uncommon in war. If the bike wasn't meant for use, they propably got rid of it I guess.



Jelger

Interesting idea! Being a Dutchman in 'exile' I can only applaud this. Of course I don't have to tell the Dutch people here that the Germans 'stole our bikes', which has become somewhat of a running gag in Holland - to ask Germans to 'give back my bike'. And indeed, there are some pictures around of German trucks loaded with 'our' bikes.
The Germans used a lot of bikes - they didn't just take our bikes for the metal - and if I recall correctly, the north of the Netherlands was invaded on horseback and on bikes in 1940.
And in 1944-45, they used anything they could get their hands on to get back out again. Including bikes.

Sadly, being way too far away from hobby shops here in Calabria, I can't enter this campaign now. But good luck with it!

I would be interested in it. I have a small diorama/vignette in mind based on a picture that I remember seeing.

Do have an idea for a start and finish date?

HARV

I could be interested in this as well, but it will depend on the dates and how long it runs...my dance card is a bit filled at the moment...

Cheers,
Mike

Anyone else

HARV