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This is just one of the great stories from the early days of the Guards Para Company told to me by two different members who were there on the jump.

During the Autumn of 1961 Guards Company jumped onto a DZ in Germany at Schleswig-Holstein with the 

Para Reg on an exercise to simulate the battle at Arnhem. They were followed by the heavy drop of vehicles and pallets of bicycles.

No1&2 Troops jumped in as the Pathfinders the rest of the company came in with the Parachute Regiment.

Someone high up in the command had the great Idea of dropping Commando fold up bikes to the Guards Company so as they could attach themselves to long ropes fixed to the company’s Champs and Land-Rovers so as they could be pulled along by the vehicle’s.

The well thought out plan was to hang onto the rope and be pulled along by the vehicle at about 10-15 MPH   there-by moving the company into battle faster than ever before.

It transpired that If the bikes were pulled along a straight path then all was well except for a few falling off but when the vehicles came to a bend then the rope always took the straightest path thereby putting the unsuspecting lads on the outside up the bank or into the nearest ditch and the inside lads under the rope and onto the road beneath. 

It was quickly established that this way of operating was never going to be a success and was therefore abandoned.

However when the Company returned to Pirbright the bicycles were either being sold off or given away to people at the Depot. Every morning RSM’s and Drill Sergeants amongst others could be seen emerging from the married quarters of Beech Grove and other roads along the main Pirbright road biking to work on green fold up commando bikes!

The Picture below shows the practice run of the bikes on the lanes near the DZ at Schleswig-Holstein with members of the company on the ropes.