Welbike

Welbike

The Welbike is a light, single-seat motor scooter developed in 1942/1943 that could be dropped in a container with a parachute . It was developed by Station IX , the Inter Services Research Bureau based in Welwyn for the SOE . However, he was never used in this special unit. Many of the vehicles were used in Arnhem for Operation Market Garden by airborne troops.

Technical specifications

The Welbike developed by Major John Dolphin was produced in a number of 3853 by the motorcycle manufacturer Excelsior . The vehicle weighed 32 kg and could travel around 140 km with the 3.7 liter tank. The horizontally installed Villiers Junior Deluxe engine had a displacement of 98 cm³. The top speed was 45 km / h. The frame has been reinforced to better survive the impact in the dropping container. The vehicle fit into a standard container with the dimensions 1.30 m × 0.38 m × 0.30 cm. The seat and handlebars were removed. The small diameter of the wheels of only around 30 centimeters restricted mobility in poor terrain.

commitment

Paratroopers put together a Welbike during an exercise in 1944.

The original plan was to use this vehicle to increase the airborne troops' range of action. However, larger cargo gliders were soon developed that could also transport motorcycles, off-road vehicles and even smaller tanks, so that the Welbikes were only used sporadically.

The Welbike been in operation for the first time in 1944 " Market Garden " dropped and only took part in few other operations.

Others

Around 3600 Welbikes were produced in two variants, whereby the type II was equipped with a larger fuel tank and a splash guard on the rear wheel.

After the war, the Brockhouse Engineering company produced somewhat more comfortable vehicles called "Corgi". These are considered the forerunners of the popular monkeys of the 1960s.

The name Welbike is derived from the development site, Station IX in Welwyn . All projects that were created there begin with Wel . Other projects were Welman and Welrod .

literature

• Peter Miller: The Famous James Military Lightweight , Amberley Publishing, 2016, ISBN 978-1-4456-5397-6 .

Web links

Commons : Welbike  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The National Motor Museum Trust: Welbike ( Memento from September 30, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Colin MacGregor Stevens: Welbike ( Memento from September 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive )