Swiss Army Bike Battalion!

[BashaBasher]

Strange But True, The Swiss Army have an Infantry Regiment that uses MOUNTAIN BIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Very-Rare-199...QitemZ7233490537QQcategoryZ7298QQcmdZViewItem

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Swiss-Army-bikes_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZ0QQftidZ2QQtZkm

http://www.benvanhelden.nl/Condorclub/Fiets/Switserland/MO93/model93.html

http://www.combatreform.com/atb.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_infantry

They were on the news too, 110 years of cycling and now being disbanded.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1325485.stm

http://list.massbike.org/archive/200104/0081.html

 

[been_there_before]

Yep, saw loads of them at BLMF last year. I Think they were part of the Heli Det though.

 

[LankyPullThrough]

IMHO doesn't beat the 1914 Belgian Army with their dog-drawn wheeled HMGs.

Four legged effort has to be better than two!

 

[chocolate_frog]

Up until recently there was a bike event in the Swiss Raid Commando using these sort of bikes, I have been told they use modern mountain bikes now.

I beleive on demob all Swiss got a bike, a rifle and their kit. Come the time, they cycle to the nearest muster station and form up into units. It must be, or have been, an effective way to move individuals to where they were needed with a limited amount of kit.

Didn't the British use mountain bikes for patrolling in Afganistan? I think there was an article in Soldier about it.

 

[chocolate_frog]

Everyone must read "combatreform", sorry, but I just giggle when a bike is referred to as a "human power transport" or "Extreme Terrain vehicle".

Just call it a bike FFS.

 

[mistersoft]

Strange But True, The Swiss Army have an Infantry Regiment that uses MOUNTAIN BIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't that a bit over the top.

Edited to say, it's probably easier going through the pass.

 

[A_Knocker_Till_The_End]

nothing new there fella i have seen loads of units full of BIKES within the british forces

 

[Escape-from-PPRuNe]

IMHO doesn't beat the 1914 Belgian Army with their dog-drawn wheeled HMGs.

Indeed. They were after all intended to fight the Sausages, so dogs were ideal.

 

[putteesinmyhands]

Two panniers - must be an FFR.

 

[brighton hippy]

read something in cycling plus yonks ago
there equipped with quite serious mountain bikes £1000 plus retail disc brakes and suspension forks
coould even strap some sort of 84 like thing to the rear rack.
the journo reckoned there were seriously fit and this was from some lyrca cald weirdo

 

[themaadone]

The bike Bn has been disbanded but units keep bikes and use them.

After basic training swiss soldiers get their SG (Sturmgewehr) and take it home to keep under their bed or in the airing cabinet. Oh, and some ammo.

They are then part of the Miliz and are all Eidgenossen.

Fancy taking your SA80 home all the time, what a hassle!

But the gun laws are lax there compared to here!!!

http://www.waffen-huerlimann.ch/Dokus/Rechtlich.pdf

Swiss gun law pdf

 

[longtimeout]

Sorry to disappoint you all, but I think you'll find that the bicycle infantry were disbanded some years ago.

My girlfriend's Father was a battalion commander. You still see the bikes around Switzerland often. Apparently they are almost indestructible. They come with all sorts of different attachments and panniers to accept infantry weapons. A friend of mine was a MG gunner. He still has his bike, with the gubbins for carrying his MG.

Apparently they were regarded as a kind of elite. They had a very high leve of fitness required. My Father in Law to be still goes for a 250km "recreational" ride most Saturdays. At approaching 60!

It does make sense. The intention as I understand it was never to fight on the bikes, they were only a form of transport - not reliant on sealed surfaces or fuel. He has told me stories about moving a battalion 100 km overnight, with a full load, cross-country across mountains, without vehicles.

 

[CutLunchCommando]

Not only the Swiss...Uncle Sam dabbled too!

 

[black_maskers]

Did that 'SWIZZ raid cdo' last millenium, as a bit of a jolly, as you do, week in switzerland on the p1ss.

what a bunch of walts the swiss are

got off a TRAIN! to be met by hundreds of old push bikes 'on ya get then' and start peddling.
we found two rifles that had been left by them

proper embarrasing!

still, got a genuine swiss army knife though....

 

[Grumblegrunt]

the germans had bike battalions in ww2 and the para's were also issued folding bikes

the latest gen of swiss bike is based on a mountain bike with only three speeds though and does have rack mounts for 2 AT weapons. most swiss kit is excellent and if upset can mobilise evey bloke between 18-45 which at a population level of 8 million puts us to shame big time.

the sig rifle is rated out to 800m and they're trained to shoot that far. thats why hitler never tried to take them out

 

[Forks]

I'm quite impressed, the Swiss could certainly punch far above their weight.

 

[rockape34]

Not only the Swiss...Uncle Sam dabbled too!

You sure they're not LoF?

 

[cdo_gunner]

and both the German and Austrian army still use mules for their mountain troops.

Linky


Sensible fellows, BVs and Helos can't get everywhere and they cost a fortune. What do we do? Give our lads bigger bergans

 

[CutLunchCommando]

You sure they're not LoF?

Absolutely!
A) Uniformity of Turnout.
B) Pax in Straight Lines
C) No splitters apparent.

Edit: More ORs that Officers. Deffo no LOF.

 

[jonwilly]

Thai Army has a Mule Sqdn in Chiang Mai.
john