Overvalwagens!
Motorcycles
There were thousands of motorcycles in K.N.I.L. and other services in the Netherlands East Indies by 1942. Since the
early days most common brands had been used by both government, military and private users in the colony:
Motosacoche, FN, Indian, Harley Davidson etc.
As early as 1915 trials were held on Java
with motorcycle-sidecar combinations fitted
with machine guns. The motorcycle is the
Swiss Motosacoche, then in service with
K.N.I.L. Trials were not entirely satisfactory
however. Targets could be hit as far away
as 200 meters, but the firing in general
when riding proved inaccurate. It remained
an experiment (source of pictures
Heshusius publications).
During the 1920s
Indian Motocycles
were purchased in
the U.S., this
particular one
serving with the
Veldpolitie. It's an
Indian Powerplus
twin 1919-1921
model. The sidecar
is not the factory
one (thanks to
Gunnar Lindfors).
Picture from
Weerzien met Indie.
Dispatch riders
with their
assorted
motorcycles of
a Wielrijders
unit, crossing a
small river on
Western Java,
1924 Source:
Heshusius.
Another
nice
picture of
the 1920s.
A
4-cylinder
FN bike at
the
gasstation.
Source:
Heshusius.
The Dutch East Indies
civilian population counted
some passionate
motorcyclist. Tragic is the
story of 22-year old
Pauline Blom of
Modjokerto, Java. Pauline
was killed in a crash while
travelling on her Matchless
bike in June 1929. From
Orient Magazine.
At least the
Cavalry had
BMW
motorcycles in
the 1930s,
BMW R35s for
instance.
Picture left
from Batavia
Beeld van een
stad, picture
right from
Orient
Magazine 1941.
K.N.I.L.
troopers
on a British
BSA
motorcycle
during
festivities
at Malang.
Norton motorcycle-sidecar
combinations were used by
K.N.I.L. for reconnaissance
and by dispatch riders with
the artillery battalions.
When war came nearer K.N.I.L. started looking for extra and
more modern motorbikes. We have no information on trials nor
on pre-war or early war orders. This picture however, from a
Belgian magazine (courtesy Jacques Jost) shows K.N.I.L.
tested a whole line of FN products from Liege: from left to right
the FN M86mil (exported to many countries), an armoured
version of the same (exported to Argentina, China and Brazil)
and a Tricar (tested as staff car for the artillery). See The
Overvalwagen Forum for more information on the latter.
Presently we do not have any concrete info on K.N.I.L. orders in Europe prior to WW2, but such orders were likely
if we consider how K.N.I.L prepared itself for war in the late 1930s. What is sure is that K.N.I.L. was in dire need of
motorcycles (both solo and sidecar combinations) in 1940 and sought to place large orders in the US with both
Indian and Harley-Davidson. According to the US Mission Report of August 1941 K.N.I.L. had 1100 solo
motorcycles of all types plus another 500 requisitioned ones. Their were 450 sidecar combinations. Respectable
numbers but the NEI still needed a further 400 at least for both army and home guards. While many sidecar
combinations could be replaced by Ford GP jeeps, many solo bikes were still needed for narrow roads and paths
where even jeeps or combinations could not go. Eventually, the remaining order was negotiated with the US
Government and Harley-Davidson. Shown below are various Indian and H-D types in service in the 1940-1942
period with both Army and Stadswacht units (sources: Heshusius, Stabelan, Orient, Geeft Acht! and others).
Another user of motorcycles were the
Dutch Navy and Marine Corps. This
Harley-Davidson combination has been
fitted with a Lewis gun and probably
belonged to the Navy Battalion, active in
the Surabaya region in 1941-42 (picture
from Martens & De Vries). Other pictures
show: Navy/Marine officers on what
probably were their private bikes, another
H-D combination and another unidentified
combination (below right). All pictures from
a publication by the Mariniers Museum,
Rotterdam.
