Question about bicycle troops

[DRG]

Originally Posted by Kiwikkiwik

A man riding a bike is no taller than a man standing, maybe make the bicycle units size 1?

Can you not see that 12 men on bikes would be a bigger target than 12 on foot ??

On top of that they were made larger so people wouldn't by all bike troops for their extra speed

[Imp]

Could do it much like cav @ motorcycle units if really wanted.
Dismount would use same weapons speed 6 & have squad size reduced.
Bicycle unit would consist of men removed from squad to stay with bicycles & would be armed with a rifle/carbine (same first slot weapon) as above plus a pistol or grenade.
Firepower is therefore now far worse when on the bicycles.
Cant get round the fact leaving a few men to stay with horses/motorbikes they could conceivably move them. Bicycles probably not which could be why its not being done.
They should definitely be size 2 larger & can predict path well its not a person dashing from cover to cover.

[Kiwikkiwik]

Yes I see they are a bigger target. Cavalry is also size 2, I thought the bicycles are closer in size to infantry than cavalry. Size two takes more casualties than size 1. Ok for horses but a bike is smaller and doest amount to much as a target for vision or bullets, it is only a frame. I thought it might be easier to make them size 1 than create dismountable. If people want too many maybe make them more expensive? I have been reading the old posts this is a really great community.

[IronDuke99]

The Japanese made extensive use of bicycle troops in Malaya early in the war in the far east. On occasion, when ambushed and caught mounted, they got badly shot up, because the one thing you cannot do on a bicycle is use a weapon...

[IronDuke99]

PS
Mounted cavalry did actually see a fair bit of action in WWII (not just Poland and the largely mythical lancer attacks on German Panzers) but especially on the Eastern Front where Germany, Italy and Russia all used cavalry (some of it armed with swords as well as rifles) and also in the Sino-Japanese war.

I also know of at least one cavalry charge by British led local mounted forces in Burma against the Japanese.

[Mobhack]

A bunch of cyclists cannot sneak about like infantry do, when mounted. They take casualties worse than infantry do as well, hence size 2. The same applies to some conscript riflemen who can be size 2 due to being inept (USSR factory militia for Stalingrad IIRC is one).

The original SSI game only had the mounted icon for cyclists, cavalry and motorcyclists. We added formations with dismounting crews to some OOBs a decade (?) or so back. So if you want dismounting size 1 passengers, take one of those formations if your OOB has them. The original types really only remain since some scenarios used them, or or those who want "charging" cavalry (lancers do more melee damage on infantry and mounted, if they survive to do so. I rather like Polish lancers for cutting down fleeing riflemen, myself!)

[jp10]

Some countries fielded folding bicycles that could be backpacked across difficult terrain. Some mainly used them for scouting or communication duty while some had a bicycle unit attached to Light Infantry formations to move ahead and seize a position and wait for the other companies to arrive. Once in a defense they could be pulled back as a mobile reserve.
In an attack situation, Belgian and Italian doctrine roughly had one man per 9-10 bicycles stay with the cycles so it was about a 90% effective attack force when dismounted.

[IronDuke99]

WWII British Paras were issued some folding bicyles and, from early 1944(?) folding motorcycles. Not that I think they are worth putting in the game.

[Mobhack]

But bicycles need to be size 2 as with cavalry as they are taller and so easy targets and also easily spotted. Making a carrier (2 man) element size 1 wont work for when the section is mounted with 12 guys pedalling. That the nominal men left with a pile of dismounted bikes might be smaller is irrelevant. The mounted case wins out since size is fixed.

[Mobhack]

Its a very minor point regarding a few units that dont follow the guidelines. If there is time to look into it while doing next years patch work then we may. But its low priority.