Мотоциклы рейха. BMW R75

The video tells the story of the creation, design features and use of German BMW R75 motorcycles during World War II. The story is accompanied by relevant photos and chronicles. Give a German a wrench and a screwdriver, and he will build a machine that the whole world will want to ride. However, their motorcycles are also excellent. This was the fate of one of the symbols of the Nazi occupation, the BMW R75 motorcycle, which, ironically, soldiers on all Allied fronts valued more than the Germans themselves. Back in the early 1930s, many European armies seriously considered improving the mobility of their troops. Thus, by 1935, the concept of military motorcycle infantry had developed, according to which a motorcycle with a sidecar had to deliver three fully equipped soldiers to the front line in the shortest possible time. The first military motorcycles were ordinary civilian models, repainted in camouflage. Naturally, such motorcycles required good maintenance, which was often impossible in war conditions. In addition, in off-road conditions and severe weather, the driving characteristics of such equipment were not the best. The Germans were among the first to realize the importance of creating special military motorcycle equipment. Thus, in November 1937, the Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht Ground Forces, together with two titans of the motorcycle industry - BMW and Zundapp - formulated the main requirements for a military "all-terrain" motorcycle: tires from Volkswagen (16 x 4.5 inches); fenders of appropriate sizes to allow the installation of anti-skid chains on the rear wheel and sidecar wheel (drive); the volume of the gas tank should provide a range of 350 km; the maximum speed of a fully equipped motorcycle is 95 km / h, the average speed on the highway is 80 km / h; ground clearance - at least 150 mm; load capacity of 500 kg, of which 250 kg - for the sidecar, 250 kg - for the motorcycle itself and panniers. In 1939, Zundapp and BMW presented their prototypes KS750 and R75, respectively, to the Wehrmacht command. Both motorcycles had the same engine capacity, 750 cm3, as indicated by the indexes 750 and 75 in the names of the presented models. After numerous tests, German military leaders recognized the Zundapp KS750 as more sophisticated from the technical side, and therefore more suitable for the army. However, the command offered BMW to establish production of the KS750 under the Zundapp license. The ambitious and proud Bavarians, without thinking, rejected the offer, however, the Wehrmacht insisted that BMW and Zundapp unify the main components and mechanisms of their motorcycles. Thus, 70% of the parts of the KS750 and R75 are identical. As a result of unification, the BMW motorcycle lost the side valve arrangement in favor of the upper one, and also received hydraulic brakes on the rear wheel. BMW decided not to stop there and continued to work on improving their model. As a result, in 1941, thanks to the efforts of designers Josef Hopf and Alex von Falkenhausen, a motorcycle was released that surpassed the KS750 in its characteristics and became one of the main vehicles of the Wehrmacht mobile troops. Von Falkenhausen's racing experience gave the motorcycle ideal controllability and reliability. Regardless of whether the R75 was crawling in a convoy, overcoming a water obstacle or racing along the autobahn, it always worked stably, without the slightest complaint. As already mentioned, the BMW R75 was created specifically for the needs of the German army, that is, it was originally intended for use in off-road conditions, remoteness from maintenance and supply bases. The BMW R75 turned out to be simply indispensable in conducting mobile operations. These motorcycles were primarily used by elite units of the Wehrmacht, SS, Luftwaffe, as well as infantry and tank corps, their reconnaissance and separate motorized rifle units, field gendarmerie, medical battalions and police. The R75 was also used as a communications vehicle, transporting senior officers to the front lines and back to headquarters. The BMW R75 was one of the main modes of transport for the German airborne troops, it was often delivered to the landing site on the external suspension of the Junkers. For its versatility, maneuverability and reliability, this motorcycle was forgiven for its main drawback - its high cost. SOURCE: https://pikabu.ru/story/bmw_r75__kava... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- My public VK https://vk.com/anubyslive ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Musical compositions - Eye of the Newscaster - Out To The World, A Sophisticated Affair - Gavin Luke, All That You Will Be - Gavin Luke, Dauntless - Jo Wandrini, Pulsar - Jakob Ahlbom - belong to http://www.epidemicsound.com and are used under license for Scalelab.