How come no German motorcycle troops?

[blindseye]

I tried to do a search but it keeps timing out. Didn't the Germans have motorcycle units? I am sure this has been discussed, but does anyone know why there are no German motorcycle troops modeled in CMBO, and if BTS plans to model them in CMBB or CM2?

[gatpr]

I think by 1944 motorcycle troops, who were pretty offensive-minded, were not very big in the German defensive scheme. They were more widely used earlier by the Germans.

[Maj. Battaglia]

My understanding on the use of motorcycles by the Germans, especially in the time period covered by CMBO, was that they were limited and there really weren't whole units mounted on them. Certain recon units may have used them as their primary mode of transport. The early war recon battalion in a German infantry division (later known as a Fusilier battalion or company in the VG divisions), actually relied more on cavalry and bicycle, with the cavalry being later phased out. Some light divisions and mountain units might have had motorcycle companies in their recon battalion. The armored divisions relied mostly on armored cars.

The use of motorcycles in large formation would have been more prevalent during the Blitzkrieg, as gatpr mentions, with such units riding in the vanguard. There did exist motorcycle battalions attached to corps or army HQ.

So while there might be a motorcycle company in the recon elements (depending on the division type), for the most part larger infantry formations were not motorcycle mobile. Once encountering resistance, I'm sure motorcycles would have been dismounted.

One source I consulted to double check is the Handbook on German Forces written by the US govt toward the end of the war. It is interesting to see how much the Germans used bicycles as a mode of transport.

They may be relevant, even if rare, though, for other time periods.