US ARMY BICYCLES IN MAGAZINES, ADVERTISING AND MOVIES

The use of bicycles in large numbers by the US Army did not go unnoticed and they were featured in many magazines and advertisements

 

 

 

Webmaster's Collection via Gerald Mlynek

 

Two Westfield Columbia adds from 1945 and an add for The Morrow Coaster Brake showing bicycles in military use.

 

 

 

Sgt Bill BRITCH and his bike

The IBT RoundUp newspaper featured an article about this cycling Sgt in their February 14th

 

 

From: RoundUp Vol IV/N°23 (For full version Click Here)

Most war movies use a large number of period vehicles but the use of actual WW2 US Army bicycles seems to be limited to two of them. Both '12 O'clock High' and 'From Here to Eternity' were made in the immediate aftermath of WW2 and had a large number of original props.

'12 O'clock High' featured a rather large number of bikes which are seen ridden by USAAF ground crews in the background of a lot of scenes. In 'From Here to Eternity' the use of a WW2 bike is limited to one scene which shows the details of the bicycle very well

 

 

 

Sills from '12 O'clock High', 20th Century Fox DVD

 

Original Army bikes as seen in various scenes of '12 O'clock High'.
Over a dozen bikes can be spotted in the movie

 

Still from 'From Here to Eternity', Columbia Pictures DVD

 

One of few original WW2 US Army bicycles shown in a movie was seen in Fred Zinneman's 1953 epic 'From Here to Eternity'.

 

A Sgt escorts Prewitt on a march after his refusal to enter a boxing contest.



 

 

HOW TO IDENTIFY A CORRECT WW2 US ARMY BICYCLE

 

Genuine US Army bicycles are quite difficult to identify since they were based on existing models readily available from civilian shops. Most bicycles you see today are assembled on civilian frames painted olive drab!!... Original WW2 military bikes are extremely rare and if you come across one, it is highly likely it has been restored with non-military parts. The only way to distinguish a real military bicycle from a civilian model is by looking at the number located on the frame underneath the front crank set. Frame numbers were hand stamped during WW2 and should not be aligned.

Columbia wartime Army bicycles have Serial Numbers starting with either 'MF' or 'MG' and are not dated contrary to Huffman made bikes, which are dated and have a Serial Number starting with a letter ('D' and 'H' have been observed) followed by a number

Serial Numbers on Columbia (top left) and Huffman (top right and lower pictures)
Note the difference in markings between the two brands and the year of

manufacture stamped either above or below the serial number  on the Huffman frames
(Huffman Frame images via Craig Johnson, G. Desmet and Rodger Armbrust)

 

 

 

Westfield Columbia also made bicycles with frame numbers preceded by 'MC'. These were made for the US Marine Corps and some might have been sent to China under Lend-Lease Agreements. While the 'MC' Model is very similar to the Army 'MG' bikes, the front fender has no holes for a headlight and the rims are flat and of the bead-lock type fitted with special US Rubber tires. These bicycles are generally encountered with a drop down rear stand.

 

Westfield Columbia Serial N° MC14625A.
The similarities with the MF/MG version are obvious

 

 

Westfield Columbia Serial N° MC14625A
(Bicycle and pictures above from Al berger at www.bergerwerke.com)

 

 

 

 

PAINT COLOUR

 

Like all other equipment of the US Army during WW2, bicycles were painted flat OD (QM Specification ES-N°474, Enamel, Synthetic, olive drab, lusterless flat). Although some unissued parts have been found in a darker Olive Drab, the NOS unissued items shown below cleary illustrate what color the parts were delivered in.

The flat OD color on the NOS Handlebars, tire rim and headlight is shown on these pictures.
The handlebars are marked 'Torrington'. Torrington also manufactured the pedals.
The headlight was made by Delta and is marked on the underside, contrary to civilian models

which were marked on the top.
The headlight is from the G. Desmet Collection.

 

 

 

 

MANUALS

WW2 US Army manuals issued with the bicycles were TM (Technical Manual) 10-1481 which described maintenance and parts, and SNL (Standard Nomenclature List) G-519 listing all parts.

MILITARY BICYCLES OF WORLD WAR II - US ARMY BICYCLES

Genuine WW2 US Army bicycles are amongst the rarest of vintage military vehicles around. Sure, you will see a lot of them at shows but when you have a closer look, hardly any of those are real, complete military production bikes. So few of them are left, especially in Europe, that a bicycle with provable World War 2 US Army use and in any condition is truly a very rare and expensive vehicle.
 

Gustaaf Desmet's very original and desirable Westfield Columbia Serial N° MG99828.
Note the USAAF sign attached to the upper frame tubes

Although the US Army had used bicycles for many years before WW2, none were standardized for procurement before 1942. The Army's official use for these bicycles was: 'To provide Transportation for Personnel engaged in Dispatch or Messenger Service'. Of course they were used for many other purposes. They proved a fast and economical way to get around Depots, Camps and Airfields.

The 'Bicycle, Military, Universal' was adopted in October 1942 by the Ordnance Department. It was a military version of the Westfield 'Columbia' and was equipped with heavy duty rims and spokes. It came with a D-Cell powered headlight on the front fender and basic tools were carried in a tool bag attached to the Persons saddle. A tire pump was clamped to the frame.

These bikes were manufactured by both Westfield Columbia and Huffman with only minor differences in parts. Huffman fenders were rounded as opposed to gothic ones on the Columbia, chain guards varied and Huffman front sprockets had a unique whirlwind design.... All parts were interchangeable. Early rubber pedal blocks were replaced with wooden ones later in the war. Early frames had a curved front tube but these were replaced with straight tubes on later models.

 

 

This image from the US Army's WW2 Bicycle's Technical Manual

shows a Huffman made bike.
Compare the front sprocket and chain guard to those on the MG above

 

 

The webmaster's MG138969 (rear) and G. De Groote's MG120037 (front) were both restored as near as possible to perfection.
Getting two original US Army bikes together is not an easy task.
There are only a handful of these left in Europe!

Late in WW2 Columbia produced a Women's model. Except for the frame, saddle and a smaller front sprocket, all of the parts are identical to the standard Men's type. Huffman did not produce the women's model.

MG141650 Female Model of the G. Desmet collection.
The metal basket has been welded to the handlebars and is not factory mounted.

At one point the US Army gave the designation 'M305' to the Men's model and 'M306' to the Women's model. The reason is not clear, nor is the date of introduction of these terms. The 'M' designation is however consistent with the Ordnance Corps nomination system of WW2.



 

TIRES

 

Tires mounted on the bike were of 26 x 2.125 Size which generally corresponds to modern day Mountain Bike tires. Although most of the tire companies of the period manufactured that size of tire (Good-Year, Firestone, BF Goodrich, etc..) it seems US Royal Master Tires were most commonly used. The US Rubber Company's Chain thread, known as US Royal Chain, may also have been used. Tubes were off the shelf, as were the Schrader valve cores and caps.

 

Markings of original 'US ROYAL MASTER' tires, note the marking 'WAR TIRE'
Tires are from the Craig Johnson Collection

 

 

 

 

Top: 'US ROYAL CHAIN' Markings on original tires
Bottom: Original tubes, Valve Caps and Cores and tire pump issued with each bike.

 

 

 

 

 

TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES

 

 All bikes were delivered with a Woodbridge Brass Co made tire pump clipped to the frame and a toolbag attached to the saddle. The toolbag was made by Persons, which also made the saddles. In the toolbag a Morrow wrench (rear axle brake combination wrench) was carried and riders would often add other tools like screwdrivers etc. SNL G-519 of 1943 only lists the Morrow wrench, but the 1949 edition of SNL G-519 also lists a 5" Auto Wrench and a general bicycle wrench.

 

 

The leather toolbag furnished with the bikes was made by Persons of Massachussets.  The set from the G. Mlynek collection shown right, came with the tools shown. The rider had added a shoestring, a small oil can and and a rag to the set.

To secure the bike when left unguarded, many riders carried a bicycle lock or piece of chain with a padlock.

 

A short length of chain and a YALE made padlock were often used to prevent theft of an unguarded bike. On the right a bicycle lock which  locked the wheel to the forks, also made by YALE

 

AMERICAN BICYCLES

Columbia / Westfield Bicycles

 

Westfield Manufacturing Company was a leader in the bicycle industry. Many of the bicycles sold by the Sears Roebuck and Co. were manufactured by Westfield (although not exclusively). Sears bicycles such as the famous 1935-8 Elgin Bluebird were made by Westfield. So was the 1934-36 Elgin Blackhawk and Falcon among many others. Columbia was the in-house brand name for the Westfield Manufacturing Company.

 

 Huffman – Huffy – Dayton Bicycles

 

The Huffman Manufacturing Company began making bicycles in 1934 and continues to this day. The most sought after collectible examples were made in the mid to late 1930′s. Many people confuse the Huffman brand name “Dayton” as the manufacturer. “Dayton” never made any bikes, but Huffman did make Daytons, among many other brands. Like many makers, their bicycles were branded for sale in numerous department and hardware stores. Names such as La France, National, Air Flyte, and Zephyr were used. In 1953 the “Huffy” brand name was created.

 

Sears Elgin and J.C. Higgins Bicycles

The Sears Roebuck and Company was responsible for some of the most outrageous and sought after bicycle designs. The Elgin Bluebird, Robin, Blackhawk, Flightlinger and Spaceliner were all Sears exclusives. Sears primarily used the Westfield Mfg. Co. and Murray of Ohio to produce their special bicycles designs. Sears bicycles sold before World War II were branded as Elgin, and after World War II as J.C. Higgins.

 

Monark Bicycles

Monark Silver King Inc. (formerly Monark Battery Co.) created some of the coolest bikes of the balloon tire era. Most sought after are the aluminum models, such as the Flocycle and Wingbar. One of the most popular models during the late 1940′s and 1950′s was the Monark Super Deluxe. Monark continued making bicycles into the middle-weight era, with some very stylish models. People often confuse “Monarch” with “Monark”. Monarch was a bicycle company from the 1890′s era and not related to Monark in any way.

 

Rollfast Bicycles

Rollfast bicycycles have a long and complex history that has close ties between two different company. The D.P. Harris Hardware and Manufacturing Company originated the name in the 1890′s, and later teamed up with the H.P. Snyder Manufacturing Company in the early 1900′s. Snyder was the primary manufacturer of the bicycles, while Harris provided some of the parts and marketed them. During the Great Depression, Snyder began manufacturing bicycles for other retailers such as Montgomery Ward who sold them under the Hawthorne name. Some sought after Snyder built Rollfast bicycles are the V-200 model and the Hopalong Cassidy bicycles. Snyder built Rollfast bicycles well into the 1970′s.

 

Roadmaster Bicycles

The Cleveland Welding Company, makers of Roadmaster bicycles, like other bicycle manufacturers made bikes for many different retailers. Often these bikes had very little differences between brands, but there were exceptions. The Cleveland Welding Company was not known for creating the best quality bicycles, but they did make a few models that are highly sought after by collectors. Most notable is the 1937 Roadmaster Supreme, with its bug-eye looking horn tank that has built in twin headlights, locking fork, rubber cusioned gooseneck, and other unique features. From the post World War II era, Roadmaster was responsible for the flashy Roadmaster Luxury Liner.

 

Hiawatha Bicycles

Hiawatha brand bicycles were sold by Gambles Hardware stores from the 1930′s through the 1970′s. Most Hiawatha bicycles were manufactured by the Cleveland Welding Company or the Shelby Cycle Company, however some were made by Murray Ohio and Huffman Manufacturing. The most sought after Hiawatha bicycle is the late 1930′s Arrow model, built by Shelby. It featured extreme styling and was similar to the Shelby Airflow model.

 

Shelby Bicycles

The Shelby Cycle Company is known for having produced some of the most desirable collector bicycles. In 1928 they manufactured and sold the “Lindy Flyer”, a bicycle with a Charles Lindbergh theme. In the late 1930′s they made the Shelby Speedline Airflo, a radically styled bike that is very sought after today. In the 1950′s Shelby was responsible for the Donald Duck bicycles, which were painted yellow and blue with a duck head on the front of the frame. Shelby, like other manufacturers of the time made bicycles for other retailers such as Montgomery Ward, Spiegel, Gambles stores, Firestone and Goodyear.