Bike Origin

 The 1st Owner - the South African Defence Force

After the outbreak of the Second World War against Germany in September 1939, two South African motorcycle companies, No's 1 and 2, were formed by the ‘Armoured Vehicle Battalion’ of the Union Defence Forces.  Simultaneously, the Defence Force purchased motorcycles (mainly BSA’s) from existing dealers in the Union.  These were augmented by the acquisition of other machines of various makes commandeered and bought from civilian owners.  By June 1940, when Italy declared war against the Allies, a third motorcycle company, No 3, had been formed and 93 motorcycles and 30 motorcycle combinations were by then mobilized for each company.

Two months later the South Africa Defence Force placed a massive order for 156 drab olive-green 1200 cc Harley-Davidsons with side-cars and 2 350 of the 750 cc solo machines, to be delivered by the factory in Milwaukee, USA. This was followed in April 1941 by another order of one thousand 1200 cc Harleys with side-cars and another thousand 750 cc solo machines - making this a formidable total of over 4 500 Harley-Davidsons purchased by South Africa to help fight the war, a very sizeable order by any standards. 

The 750 cc (5/7) solo Harleys used by the South African Forces were ‘civilian models’ (WLs), ordered before the United States entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbour early in December 1941.  A unique feature of the 1200 cc Harley-Davidsons purchased by South Africa was that they were built with side-cars fitted on the left-hand side of the motorcycle.

A photo of a Harley Davidson WL in military colours, courtesy of the South African Military History Society

Training of enlisted riders for No 2 Motorcycle Company was done at Voortrekkerhoogte and subsequently at Zonderwater, and at Voortrekkerhoogte for No 1 Company.  They were ridden in campaigns in the arid wastes of Kenya, at times in torrential rain, in mud and slush, in scrub and bush, in the mountains of Abyssinia, in the rough terrain of Madagascar, in the energy-sapping intense heat of up to 44°C, and in the hot Khamsin wind and the dust of North Africa, where they served with the South African Tank Corps in the Western Desert in 1941 and 1942.  In short, these Harley-Davidsons experienced some of the worst imaginable roads and conditions; this world-famous motorcycle brand made its presence felt in all the African theatres of war.  Tough and durable and virtually trouble-free (in spite of receiving minimum maintenance at times) the reputation of the Harley-Davidson for reliability and performance became legendary.

The Harley-Davidsons motorcycles played an important role in the various theatres of war on the African continent during the Second World War.  The frontier between northern Kenya and Italian East Africa was their first wartime destination, as this was where the initial exchanges of war in East Africa occurred.  After undergoing extensive training in South Africa, Nos 1 and 2 Motorcycle Companies sailed from Durban to Mombasa in September 1940.  Campaign headquarters were established at Gilgi1, north-west of Nairobi and, in early 1941, the action moved on to Moyale, Nanyuki and the Chalbi Desert in northern Kenya before crossing the border into southern Abyssinia (now Ethiopia).  Addis Ababa, the capital, was captured in April 1941 and Italian East Africa surrendered the following month.

Battling on into Abyssinia, where they had to contend with intermittent shelling for days, the motorcyclists rose to the action with distinction in spite of the extremely difficult geographical conditions with which they had to contend: torrential rains, skidding through mud and sometimes becoming bogged down to such an extent that some could not pull their machines out, while others had to resort to walking with their motorcycles between their legs with engines revving and exhaust pipes and silencers burning their legs.  At times, machines fell on top of the riders in their effort to ‘battle on’.  Others struggled without avail to extricate their motorcycles from the deep mud and had to walk back to camp on foot.  They would return in the days that followed to try to salvage their bogged-down machines - not always with success.

In a mere three months, Nos 1 and 2 South African Motorcycle Companies had ridden in the region of 1 700 km through Kenya and onwards through to southern Abyssinia and back in heat and rain, and over indescribably bad roads and tracks.  In March 1941, part of No 1 Motorcycle Company was despatched by road to Mogadishu and thence to Addis Ababa for police duties.  They arrived there after a long and gruelling journey towards the end of April 1941 and were stationed in Addis Ababa to maintain law and order and to patrol the streets in that town, duties which they performed admirably until August 1941, when the newly formed Civil Police took control.  On leaving Addis Ababa, some of the company’s motorcycles were handed over to the Civil Police by the South African authorities for the town’s police patrols.

The island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean was considered of possible importance to the Allies as a strategic wartime base for supplies to and from the Middle East.  For this reason, as well as the threat posed by the activities of the Japanese in the area and the fact that the island’s government at the time was pro-Vichy, British and South African forces invaded the island in May 1942.  The British captured Diego Suarez in the north in June 1942 and, in September, mounted an invasion of the whole island.  The South African government co-operated by providing infantrymen, armoured cars and motorcycles which were shipped to Diego Suarez.

A demonstration of the Harley-Davidson WL's in Madagascar, courtesy of the South African Military History Society

In the fighting on Madagascar, the South African armoured cars and accompanying motorcycles were often in the lead and battled against the enemy on mountainous forested terrain, at times in heavy rains and again on atrocious roads.  There were road blocks, machine guns, snipers and blown bridges to contend with, compounded by outbreaks of malaria which infected half the soldiers.  Nevertheless, the Vichy French were deftly defeated within two months of campaigning.  The Allies captured Majunga, Tamavane, the capital Tananarive and continued on to the south of the island where an armistice was reached.  The proud South African contingent returned home to Durban early in December 1942, their mission accomplished.

When the East African campaign ended, part of No 1 Motorcycle Company left with No 2 Motorcycle Company for the Middle East in September 1941, where they were seconded to the South African Armoured Cars for participation in the operations against the German General Rommel in Egypt and Libya in the Western Desert of North Africa.  No 1 Motorcycle Company, as part of the 1st South African Brigade, was shipped to Alexandria in Egypt via the Eritrean port of Massawa.  From there, they were assembled further westwards in Mersa Matruh.  Once there, the soldiers were instructed in desert navigation and wireless (W/T) procedures.  These men served admirably in operations later in the year, when Rommel’s army started advancing towards Egypt.  Air attacks and shelling by enemy tanks, along with the country’s searing heat, shortage of water and minimal food was their lot, but the motorcyclists emerged with great credit from their operations, many subsequently being decorated.

A tired looking Harley-Davidson from the North African Campaign in 1941 to 1942, photo courtesy of the South African Military History Society

It has been said that the Harley-Davidson is the motorcycle that helped to win the war, a somewhat boastful statement, yet one not altogether untrue.  They undoubtedly earned the admiration of all formations with whom they served.  These heavy V twins, with their foot clutch, hand gear-change and low centre of gravity, were admirably suited to their task.  They could stand up to kilometre after kilometre of continued hard riding in the worst of environments, even though they were at times unwittingly neglected and abused.  They had tremendous low-down torque and were manufactured of the best durable materials available at the time, thereby ensuring very low wear rates.  Ruggedness and reliability was very much the forte of these work horses.

Note: Adapted from an article of the South African Military History Society titled 'Harley's in Khaki' (http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol101em.html)