>I am looking for any and all infromation on US Airborne Bikes...
>Were they all made by Westfield? If not, who else made them?
-- Columbia (dba Westfield) made medium-weight and heavy-weight (balloon
tire) paratrooper bicycles. They are charactersized by a single large
downtube from the headset to the crank with a large "butterfly" nut in
the middle and a telescoping joint which pulled apart so the bicycle was
in two pieces, front and rear. The Westfields are relatively common.
-- Huffman (dba Dayton) also built a Model HF-777 folding bicycle. It had
a conventional diamond-shaped frame hinged in the center to fold. The
handlebars folded, as did the pedals.I have a copy of a manual, TAC
ES-No. 737, "Tank and Automotive Center Tentative Specification," which
shows this bike but it is not known if an example exists.
>Was there a serial number and if so, where was it stamped?
-- The serial number is usually stamped on the bottom of the crank
housing. Columbia products of the WWII era generally begin with the
prefix MG or MF.
>Were there any bright metal parts on them or was the whole assembley painted
>OD?
-- Photos published in Leatherneck Magazine show Marines with bicycles
that appear to be black with standard chrome trim, but most surviving
examples are all OD with Parkerization of some parts, but no chrome.
>What kind of a seat did they have?
-- Most bikes had a russet leather Persons saddle.
>How were they marked?
-- Marking varied according to the unit: I have one NOS bike with no
markings, probably never issued, and another with just a simple "US"
stenciled on the rear fender.
>Where can I find a good colored picture of one?
-- I have never seen vintage color photos. Some of the current bicycle
owners have nice color photos of their own bicycles.
>Are there any good books or articles about them available?
-- The Army bike "overview" published in ARMY MOTORS a couple of years
ago comes to mind. Army bikes are mentioned in a few books, but not in
any detail.
----------
Here are some general indicators of a "real" military bicycle:
+ Huffman, Dayton, Columbia, Westfield, BSA, and -- to a lesser extent --
Monark and Manton & Smith manufacture.
+ Electrically welded frame, rather than brazed.
+ Heavy duty spokes, almost motorcycle size.
+ Tires marked "War Tire"
+ Late war bikes may have wooden handgrips and pedal blocks rather than
rubber (late in the war, rubber and chrome became more essential to the
war effort).
+ Painted OD (sometimes over civilian colors) with no chrome.
Although companies such as Arnold Schwinn apparently were engaged in
other aspects of the war effort and had no contracts for bicycles, some
of their bikes may have been purchased off-base on the civilian economy
for use by military units. Additionally, civilian bicycles abandoned
on-base may have been impressed into military service.
Most bikes were, and still are, used for general courier transportation
on air and naval bases although some bikes, mostly British and German,
appear to have been used in combat at least in the early days of the war.
==========
Jerry Cleveland
MVPA SUPPLY LINE Editor
www.mvpa.org
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