Carlo
Kickstart Enthusiast
The "Flying Flea" of WWII fame, dropped during the Normandy invasion with British Troops.
These bikes are based on the DKW RT125, which most vintage bikers know was also the basis for the BSA Bantam and Harley-Davidson Hummer", created with tooling taken from Germany as war reparations.
But, how did Royal Enfield produce these before Germany had even been invaded?
One of the more interesting (and sad) motorcycle related stories coming from the turbulent years before the war:
The Dutch importer of Royal Enfields had shipped a DKW RT125 in 1938 to the Enfield factory in Redditch, England with a request that it be copied and reproduced for sale in The Netherlands. This came about because the importer was a Jewish-owned company, and had their access to the RT125, their best selling motorbike, cut off by the Nazi government. This company was one of Enfields best customers, so they were happy to oblige, and provide them with a replacement for thier staple product.
So when England began gearing up for war production, Enfield had a very well-engineered and reliable small bike to be provided to airborne troops for "despatch" service.
These bikes are based on the DKW RT125, which most vintage bikers know was also the basis for the BSA Bantam and Harley-Davidson Hummer", created with tooling taken from Germany as war reparations.
But, how did Royal Enfield produce these before Germany had even been invaded?
One of the more interesting (and sad) motorcycle related stories coming from the turbulent years before the war:
The Dutch importer of Royal Enfields had shipped a DKW RT125 in 1938 to the Enfield factory in Redditch, England with a request that it be copied and reproduced for sale in The Netherlands. This came about because the importer was a Jewish-owned company, and had their access to the RT125, their best selling motorbike, cut off by the Nazi government. This company was one of Enfields best customers, so they were happy to oblige, and provide them with a replacement for thier staple product.
So when England began gearing up for war production, Enfield had a very well-engineered and reliable small bike to be provided to airborne troops for "despatch" service.
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