Tactical Employment of the Military Motorcycle

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The origin of the military motorcycle can be traced back to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 in which bicy-t the eve of World War II. U. S. air trained to use bicycles. In photo above, a trooper fires his then-modem M1 Garand rifle from prone position in training at Fort Benning.. Thousands of Harley-Davidsons served during WWII. Tactical Employment of the Military Motorcycle by Lieutenant Colonel Craig S. Harju, Sr., Sergeant First Class David F. Wilson, and Richard B. Armstrong cles, the forerunner to the motorcycle, were used to cany dispatches. The U. S. Army formed the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps in 1896 and continued to use bicycles through the early 1900s.

With the introduction of small efficient gasoline engines, the bicycle evolved into the motorized bicycle, or motorcycle. The Army’s interest in motorcycles increased dramatically with the outbreak of World War II. In early 194Os, the Army purchased Harley Davidson and Indian motorcycle models. Armored units used the Harley Davids of the cor 45-cubic-ik.,,. u,m5xn. U. llrunv, yu..--son produced the WLA motorcycle form 1940 through 1945 and from 1950 through 1952. Military historians such as Roy Bacon have noted that the World War I1 military motorcycle “played its part in all fields to cany messages, marshal convoys, police troops, and act as a mobile tighting unit.”

Today, the military motorcycle (MILMO) is not currently apart of the Amy inventory, although many cavalry units have acquired them through local purchase. There is also a proposal to add four motorcycles to the tank and mechanized infantry battalion scout 1 employing mlulary rnoivrcycies are LO The prima Y -1-.. LJ yuuu.0, ILAUIIILCL.”. IIu.vIIIUmm,, y.3-vide liaison between adjacent units, and restore communications between units. )latoon. y purposes for tacticall 1111--. ___ Ion WLA, a military version nmercial model featuring a enable mounted scouts to conduct de tailed reconnaissance, conduct secu i a ARMOR - An extra hand might have been essential to this 1930s corporal of cavalry, at left, whose military motorcyde mounted a drum-fed Thompson submachinegun. The "high-technology testbed' 9th Infantry Division trained with Kawasaki-based military motorcydes in the mid-1980s In terms of reconnaissance, the scout platoon leader can use a motorcycle scout team to reconnoiter potential areas of interest before dedicating a BFV or other crew vehicle to that reconnaissance. However, a single motorcycle scout should never be employed beyond the line of sight of an overwatching vehicle or fellow scout. Amounted scout, while moving, is constrained by having to control his motorcycle and requires protection from enemy elements.

Motorcycle scout teams may also be employed to conduct security patrols. For example, they could patrol routes between observation posts that have been emplaced for extended periods of time.

A third use for the motorcycle scout is to facilitate a unit's movement. Amounted scout may function as a guide during a passage of lines, relief in place, or other unit movement. Again, the use of the motorcycle scout team provides speed and flexibility without requiring the platoon leader to dedicate a full vehicle crew. During complex unit movement, the scout may function as a traffic control point. In this scenario, the scout uses the motorcycle to move from location to location without having to coordinate pickup after the traffic control point is no longer needed.

A fourth use for the motorcycle scout is to provide liaison between adjacent units. Motorcycle scout teams can rapidly deploy to contact points and establish face-to-face communication to coordinate linkups, passage of lines, and other operations requiring secure, in-depth coordination. Along similar lines, motorcycle scouts can restore communications in situations in which enemy tactical operations, NBC, or intense conventional fire strikes have created gaps between adjacent units. In this scenario, the scout may have the mission to locate friendly units that may have suffered damage. If radio communications have been damaged, the motorcycle scout may also act as a messenger-The motorcycle scout may be used in other functions too, such as quartering party activities. Indeed, the platoon leader's use of the military motorcycle is limited only by his tactical creativity.

The military motorcycle has proved its usefulness throughout military history, even during Desert Storm. The Army must continue to work toward ARMOR - MayJune 1992 19