Self-propelled two-wheeled vehicles appeared in the 60s of the 19th century, initially they were equipped with a steam engine. These were the most distant ancestors of modern motorcycles. The first motorcycle with an internal combustion engine was built by German engineers Wilhelm Maybach and Gottlieb Daimler in 1885. Both engineers are the founding fathers of two major car brands that are known throughout the world today. Gradually, motorcycles developed, improved and by the beginning of the First World War they reached a level that attracted the attention of the military in many countries.
It is worth noting that until the outbreak of the First World War, the horse remained the main means of transportation in all armies. Horses were used in huge numbers in the armies, and they required daily grooming, they needed to be fed and watered. For example, in the Russian Imperial Army in 1916, 50 percent of all food products were horse feed: oats, hay, fodder straw. These were millions of poods of cargo, which were not only heavy, but also took up a lot of space. The advent of mechanized vehicles greatly simplified logistics, and they could not be treated like a living being.
The motorcycles were especially liked by the infantry, signalmen and messengers. During the First World War, motorcycles passed the baptism of fire and began to be used quite massively. They were used for courier communications, terrain reconnaissance, as a means of fast transportation of small cargo, and in some cases as military vehicles. Over time, weapons, small armor and camouflage paint began to appear on motorcycles. By the beginning of World War II, motorcycles were already massively used by all the armies of the world, and the image of a German soldier on a motorcycle with a sidecar became a textbook. Over time, designers began to offer unusual designs for combat motorcycles, up to armored monsters. Consider the most interesting of the unusual projects.
Armored motorcycle projects
The idea of equipping a motorcycle with a machine gun and minimal armor was proposed by Frederick Richard Simms back in 1898. This man, in fact, also founded the entire car industry in Great Britain. The project he created was something like a motorized wheelchair with a machine gun on board, which was covered with an armored shield. In modern terminology, his invention would be called an ATV. On it, he hoisted a 7, 62-mm Maxim machine gun. A notable feature of the development, dubbed the Motor Scout, was that, if necessary, the gunner could switch exclusively to pedal traction.
In the First World War, motorcycles began to receive weapons en masse. In the armies of many countries, models appeared with a machine gun installed in a wheelchair, which was covered by an armored shield in front. At the same time, a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on a motorcycle was designed in the Russian Imperial Army. This model did not have a reservation. At the same time, a standard "Maxim" machine gun was placed in a wheelchair on the installation for antiairplane fire.
After the end of the First World War, the American Harley Davidson, one of the most powerful and heavy sidecar motorcycles, became the basis for the creation of armored vehicles for many years. In the United States, back in the 1930s, police wanted to get armored motorcycles. Apparently, the need to confront the gangsters, who received at their disposal numerous Thompson submachine guns, had an effect. In fact, these motorcycles were the usual versions of "Harleys" with a sidecar, on which front armor was installed with inserts of bulletproof glass. The shields were similar to those that are used today by special forces soldiers during assaults and the release of hostages.
Much more advanced versions of armored vehicles were designed in Europe in the 1930s. The military of Belgium and Denmark considered the possibility of using such equipment in a combat situation. So the famous Belgian company FN (Fabrique Nationale) in 1935 created an armored vehicle for the Belgian army, which received the designation FN M86. The model for the armed forces received an engine boosted to 600 cubic meters and a reinforced frame. However, even such an engine, which produced 20 hp, gave way to additional armor, the weight of which reached 175 kg. The driver was covered in front by a massive armored shield, in which there was a window. In a combat situation, the window was closed and it was possible to follow the road through the viewing slot. The shooter in the wheelchair was protected by armor from three sides.
The military running capabilities of the motorcycle did not satisfy. The speed and maneuverability of the heavy vehicle left much to be desired. However, FN was expected to be successful in the international market. The model was sold to the Brazilian police under the designation Armored Moto FN M86. Both built motorcycles went to Brazil, as well as all the technical documentation for their release. At the same time, such armored vehicles were later purchased by other countries of Latin America, as well as Romania and Yemen. True, all batches were small; in total, about 100 of these motorcycles were produced.
The engineers of the Swedish company Landsverk went even further, who built the Landsverk 210 armored bike for the Danish army. The model was created in 1932 on the basis of the Harley Davidson VSC / LC motorcycle. On this model, the driver was covered with armor not only in front, but also from the back, and also partially from the side. At the same time, the armor also protected the motorcycle itself, all important components and assemblies, and even partially covered the wheels. In Denmark the model was named FP.3 (Førsøkspanser 3). However, the military was not impressed by the model, it was very difficult to drive the motorcycle, and at speed it was very skidding. A powerful engine of 1200 cubes, which developed up to 30 hp, did not save the situation, since the mass of armor and weapons placed on the model exceeded 700 kg.
Grokhovsky's armored bike
In the interwar period, the Soviet designer and engineer Pavel Ignatievich Grokhovsky proposed his own project for a combat armored motorcycle or simply an armored bike. Pavel Grokhovsky was primarily an aircraft designer and worked in the interests of the newly emerging airborne troops. As we already know, he was not a pioneer in the creation of an armored cycle, similar ideas in the 1930s were massively considered by the military of many countries. The designers offered numerous options for single-seat armored vehicles, as well as armored motorcycle models with a sidecar and machine-gun armament. Grokhovsky's armored vehicle differed from the developments of foreign designers primarily in the presence of a full-fledged armored hull that protected the fighter from all sides.
Grokhovsky's armored vehicle was a small single-seater armored car on a half-track chassis with a motorcycle-type front swivel wheel. The tracked mover was distinguished by the presence of only one belt, as well as two support wheels of small diameter on the sides. Armor is light, providing protection of the soldier and vehicle components from small arms fire and small fragments. The armored hull covered the entire motorcycle. The driver of the armored vehicle simultaneously played the role of a shooter, firing from a course machine gun installed in the frontal sheet of the body. The driver's seat was in a closed armored cab in the front of the car, followed by the engine compartment. To observe the terrain, the driver used the viewing slots in the vehicle body, as well as a hemispherical turret on the roof of the body.
Grokhovsky's armored bike was worked out in detail, but the project did not interest the military, therefore it was never implemented in metal. It is a pity, considering that its own version of a half-track motorcycle appeared and was widely used by Germany during the Second World War, however, it was a version without armor, which proved to be an effective light tractor-transporter. At the same time, like Grokhovsky's armored bike, the German SdKfz 2 was created primarily for the airborne troops.
Half-track motorcycle SdKfz 2
One of the most interesting, and most importantly effective and popular examples of unusual combat motorcycles is rightfully considered the German half-track motorcycle SdKfz 2. This model became one of the heroes of the Hollywood film "Saving Private Ryan". Mosfilm does not lag behind in this regard, SdKfz 2 is also presented in the Russian film "Zvezda", in which a Soviet reconnaissance group collides with a German patrol on a half-track motorcycle. From 1940 to 1945, 8,871 of these motorcycles were assembled in Germany, and after the end of the war, about 550 more machines were available.
This model was developed as a transporter and a half-track tractor for parachute and mountain-ranger units. The car was planned to be used as a light artillery tractor. At the same time, the undeniable advantage was that the motorcycle could be easily transported directly on board the main German military transport aircraft Ju-52. During the war, the half-track motorcycle was used in all parts of the German army. Usually it was used to transport light artillery pieces: mountain and anti-aircraft guns, small caliber mortars, various trailers. Also, SdKfz 2 could be used as a cable layer and even an aircraft towing vehicle at airfields.
Separately, one can highlight the fact that one of the factory delivery options was hinged armor, after the installation of which the half-track motorcycle turned into a combat reconnaissance vehicle armed with a machine gun. True, such a modification significantly increased the weight of the motorcycle, which negatively affected the speed characteristics and cross-country ability of the SdKfz 2. In the usual version, the SdKfz 2 half-track motorcycle could move over rough terrain at speeds up to 40 km / h, and on the highway it also gave out 62 km / h … At the same time, the standard carrying capacity of the model was 350 kg, the crew was up to three people.
Anti-tank scooter
One of the craziest projects in the history of military motor vehicles is the French Vespa 150 TAP anti-tank scooter. The model was built serially and was manufactured in commercial quantities - from 500 to 800 pieces. The unusual motor scooter was specially designed for the French paratroopers and was a carrier of an American-made 75-mm recoilless gun M20.
When creating this model, the designers took as a basis the Italian Vespa scooter with a single-cylinder two-stroke gasoline engine. The main advantage of this solution was mobility, the speed of the scooter on paved roads reached 66 km / h. At the same time, its frame withstood the weight of the American M20 recoilless gun, which, although it was not the crown of creation, still penetrated 100 mm of armor with the help of cumulative shells.
It was supposed to use such combat scooters in pairs. On one, the recoilless gun itself was attached, on the other, shells were transported to it. Two paratroopers, having such means at their disposal, had to effectively fight against light armored vehicles of the enemy. For firing, the recoilless gun from the scooter was naturally removed and placed on a machine resembling a machine gun for the Browning M1917 machine gun. At the same time, in an emergency, it was possible to shoot directly from the scooter, however, one could forget about the accuracy of the shooting.
