Bicycle infantry are infantry soldiers who maneuver on (or, more often, between) battlefields using military bicycles. The term dates from the late 19th century, when the "safety bicycle" became popular in Europe, the United States, and Australia. Historically, bicycles lessened the need for horses, fuel and vehicle maintenance. Though their use has waned over the years in many armies, they continue to be used in unconventional armies such as militias.
The development of pneumatic tires coupled with shorter, sturdier frames during the late 19th century led to the investigation of possible military uses for bicycles. To some extent, bicyclists took over the functions of dragoons, especially as messengers and scouts, substituting for horses in warfare. Bicycle units or detachments were in existence by the end of the 19th century in most armies. The United Kingdom employed bicycle troops in militia or territorial units, rather than in regular units. Essentially this reflected the popularity of cycling amongst the civilian population and the perceived value of bicycles in providing increased mobility for home defence units.
In 1887 the first of a series of cyclist maneuvers involving British volunteer units was held. In France, several experimental units were created, starting in 1886. They developed folding bicycles, that could be collapsed and carried slung across the backs of their riders, from an early date. By 1900 each French line infantry and chasseur battalion had a cyclist detachment, intended for skirmishing, scouting and dispatch carrying. In the years prior to World War I the availability of an extensive network of paved or gravel roads in western Europe made military cyclists appear a feasible alternative to horse-mounted troops; on the grounds of economy, simplicity of training, relative silence when on the move and ease of logistical support. The Dutch and Belgian armies, with extensive flat terrain within their national boundaries, maintained battalion or company sized units of cyclists.
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Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the activity of using / riding bicycles, (at least partially) human-powered, wheeled vehicles (typically by foot pedalling), for purposes including transport, recreation, social interaction, exercise, sport, therapy, other purposes, or any combination thereof. Persons engaged in cycling are called cyclists, bikers, or sometimes bicyclists. They typically either dress for where they are going, or for the cycling, sometimes having another set of clothing with them, or arranged.
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the Malay Operation, was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units and the Imperial Japanese Army, with minor skirmishes at the beginning of the campaign between British Commonwealth and Royal Thai Police. The Japanese had air and naval supremacy from the opening days of the campaign.
Johor (dʒəˈhɔːr; d͡ʒoho(r)), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang and Malacca to the north and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime borders with Singapore to the south and Indonesia to both the west and east. Johor Bahru is the capital city and the economic centre of the state, Kota Iskandar is the seat of the state government and Muar serves as the royal capital of the state.
Encouraging a modal shift from individual transportation to less polluting modes such as public transport, walking and cycling, is now a key recommendation of the UN to reach the goals set by the Paris Agreement. Achieving this ambitious goal requires a de ...
Social change is at the center of solutions to the problems of the environment. Yet social change is sometimes elusively described. Through empirical inquiries guided by socialization theories, the present article aims to identify different types of indivi ...
2020
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More than 16, 000 people reach the EPFL campus every day by public transport, private car or non-motorised transports. According to the EPFL "Mobility Survey 2019", 22% of students commute by bicycle (compared to 20% of staff), but still 30% of the staff c ...