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| British RAF Airmen with Bicycles and Lancaster Bomber |
When people talk about military bikes in World War II, hobbyists often think immediately of the BSA Paratrooper folding bikes, or perhaps the American-made Westfield paratrooper folding bikes. People tend to think first of elite paratroopers dropping behind enemy lines just before D-Day, unfolding their bikes, and then bravely completing their missions under cover of darkness.
What often is forgotten is that the majority of bicycles serving with the allies during the war were far more mundane, civilian-style roadsters pressed into service on army bases and airbases. These bikes did not equip elite paratroopers, rather they served as hard-working, daily transportation for mechanics, airmen, soldiers, and officers. These bikes often stand out in old, black-and-white photos with their dark paint and white-tipped rear fenders.
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| American airmen with damaged B-17 on their roadsters |
Some of these English bikes were produced during wartime as stripped-down models. Others were pre-war civilian bikes pressed into service. Some bikes were cable brake Sports models. Other bikes used in this way were rod brake roadsters or cargo bikes for delivering supplies, parts, or mail. Caliper brake sporting bikes and rod brake roadsters seem to have been popular with both RAF and USAAF airmen, and soldiers in British Army and the U.S. Army.
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| American armorers prepare a P-47 fighter, with an English roadster bike |
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| English roadsters at an allied base |
The Americans certainly brought some of their own bikes with them. Balloon tire bike enthusiasts often seek out military-specific balloon tire bikes, such as an olive drab colored Westfield. While American-made balloon tire military bikes certainly also played a role, far more common was the basic English roadster from before the war, pressed into service as an all-purpose transport on the American or British base.
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| Commonwealth forces on rod brake roadsters |
These English bikes lived hard lives, often being parked against buildings or fences and left out in the weather. They were utilitarian vehicles for life on the base. Many must have had inner tubes patched many-times over... But these bicycles satisfied the need for reliable transportation in a difficult time of war and privation in England. We should not forget the vital supporting role they played in the allied war effort, often behind the scenes.
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| American airmen with English roadsters and a B-17 bomber |
These hard-working roadsters and sporting bikes pressed into service were popular with soldiers and airmen, to the point that there was a mini-boom in English bikes in the USA after the war ended. Soldiers and airmen who enjoyed these bicycles in England thought they might also be useful back at home in the USA. Although this increase in popularity did not last, we should not forget the important role English utility bikes played in the allied effort to defeat nazi Germany and fascist Italy between 1939 and 1945.
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| Base personnel with Lancaster bomber and English bicycles |
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| Airmen head to their planes among parked English bicycles |
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Australian RAF aircrew with Lancaster bomber and English bicycle 
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| U.S. aircrew member on an airbase with his English bike |
