000_moto_0511_064
“Suppose my neighbor has a house on fire, and I have a hose. If a neighbor takes my hose and extinguishes the flame, that means he can handle the fire with my help. Did I tell him: "Neighbor, you know, I paid $ 15 for the hose, so pay me for using the hose"? No, I just need a neighbor to return the hose when the fire is extinguished,”US President Franklin D. Roosevelt lucidly explained to the reporters at a news conference on December 17, 1940. And this is especially true when a fire threatens to spread to your home. And in Europe one of the most terrible “fires” in the history of mankind was already raging - World War II. “Let no one imagine that the Americans will be able to stay away, that no one will touch America, that the Western Hemisphere will not be subjected to aggression,” the president warned.
The Lend-Lease Bill (from the English lend - “to lend” and lease - “to lease, for rent”) is a government program under which the United States, for the most part, donated ammunition, equipment, food, strategic raw materials to its allies, etc. with subsequent return or compensation for lost. The idea came to the U. S. Treasury Department in the fall of 1940, when legal advisers E. Foley and O. Cox discovered in the archives the 1892 law (passed under President Benjamin Garrison) stating that the U. S. Secretary of War "when it’s at his discretion, it’s in the interests of the state, may lease the property of the army for a period of not more than 5 years if the country does not need it.” In January 1941, they submitted the draft to Congress, and on March 11 it was adopted.
001_moto_0511_064
US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The Lend-Lease was intended for countries that had already entered the war with Germany - primarily Great Britain (as a result, 44 states participated in the program). It was her prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who became the main initiator of the program’s spread to the Soviet Union, proclaiming in a radio message to his compatriots on June 22, 1941: “We will provide all possible assistance to Russia and the Russian people!” And it was the British who sent the first naval convoy to the USSR, which received designation PQ-00 Dervish, which arrived in Arkhangelsk on August 31, 1941. As soon as the British realized that the threat of invading Britain had passed, since Russia had taken the brunt of the blow, they were ready to share literally everything with the Soviets. It was a “secondary Lend-Lease” - Britain shared with us what the Americans sent to it, and in addition, added its products. The United States did not sign an agreement with the USSR until October 1, 1941.
At first glance, Roosevelt was driven into a loss-making business:
- materials destroyed, lost or rendered unusable during the war were not payable;
- materials suitable for civilian needs after the war were paid in full or on a long-term loan;
- the client country could receive materials not received before the end of the war, including on credit.
But, on the other hand, the United States, with their weapons in the hands of the allies, fought with Germany, getting the opportunity to create their own powerful military-industrial complex in case they themselves were attacked. In addition, an opportunity was opened up at the expense of state orders to support our own economy, which was pretty limp after the Great Depression.
“The Lend-Lease program, we thought, may completely ward off aggression from our territory, but even if this does not work out, we will gain the precious time, which is so necessary for the creation of our own defense,” Lend-Lease. Weapons of Victory”, Secretary of State and Head of the Office for Compliance with the Law on Lend-Lease E. Stettinius. And the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator George, explained the need to extend the program in 1943: “The nation now spends about 8 billion a month. If it were not for the preparations that we made in these months, having won time, the war, I am convinced, would have continued for a year longer. Every year we spend up to $ 100 billion on war, and besides, we could lose a huge number of lives of the best sons of the nation. Even if we reduce the war only by half a year, we will save $ 48 billion, spending only 11 billion, and the blood of our soldiers, the tears of our mothers, cannot be estimated at all …”In a word, the essence of American foreign policy - grabbing chestnuts from the fire with the wrong hands - always remained unchanged.
But do not belittle the real size of military assistance. The Lend-Lease program was mutually beneficial for both the United States and the USSR (and other recipient countries). A continuous flow of goods has gone into our country, from stewed meat and boots to tanks and aircraft. It is believed that between 1941 and 1945, the Soviet Union received 16.7 million tons of strategic cargo worth $ 9.6 billion (according to the Americans, 11.3 billion). Arms and materials worth £ 318 million (15% of the total amount of aid) were delivered from Great Britain to September 45th, and from Canada in 1943 to 167.3 million Canadian dollars (6.7%). The long list of goods included motorcycles.
029_moto_0511_064
In the USSR, in the pre-war period, motorcycles were not widely used. They were produced at factories in Leningrad, Izhevsk, Podolsk, Taganrog, and only before the war in Serpukhov and Moscow. The total volume of production is small (for example, in 1940 about 6, 700 units). So, by the beginning of World War II in the Soviet Union, a motorcycle was even more exotic than a car. Nevertheless, the military leadership, blindly copying foreign (primarily German) experience, headed for equipping mechanized parts with motorcycles. According to the principle of "catch up and overtake" in the composition formed in 1940-1941. mechanized corps included motorcycle shelves. But how to use them, the Soviet commanders did not really understand.
The situation was different in Western Europe. In 1920-1930, she was experiencing a real motorcycle boom. Motorcycles have become available to the general public. In Germany, for example, by 1940 there were 1, 860, 000 motorcycles! And during the war they became a kind of cavalry, one of the symbols of the blitzkrieg. Armed with machine guns (and sometimes mortars), capable of carrying ammunition and canisters of fuel, Wehrmacht motorcycles included in mobile strike groups (reinforced by a tank or armored personnel carrier) achieved great success both in Europe and on the Soviet-German front during the initial period of the war.
After the outbreak of the war, part of the Soviet motorcycle plants refocused on the production of other products, part was evacuated to the east - to Irbit, Tyumen, Gorky. As a result, in the fall of 1941, motorcycle production almost ceased. The situation was slightly better in the 42nd, when only 3028 motorcycles left the workshops. In 1943, the Soviet factories produced slightly more - 3, 760 cars, in the 44th - 5, 380 units, and finally in 4 months of 1945 - 1, 595 motorcycles. Thus, in the four years of the war 13, 763 motorcycles were manufactured.
016_moto_0511_064
Units of the 4th motor regiment on the march. In the foreground is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with an M-72 sidecar. Romania, August 1944. Units of the 4th motor regiment on the march. In the foreground is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with an M-72 sidecar. Romania, August 1944.
017_moto_0511_064
In 1942, M-72 wheelchairs were tested for various weapons, such as a flamethrower, PTR Simonov and 82-mm mortar (pictured). But they did not get wide distribution. In 1942, M-72 wheelchairs were tested for various weapons, such as a flamethrower, PTR Simonov and 82-mm mortar (pictured). But they did not get wide distribution.
018_moto_0511_064
In the English port of the motorcycle from the French 2nd Armored Division General Leclerc, waiting for loading for shipment to France on July 29, 1944. In the English port of the motorcycle from the French 2nd Armored Division General Leclerc, waiting for loading for shipment to France on July 29, 1944.
020_moto_0511_064
021_moto_0511_064
022_moto_0511_064
Of course, in comparison with tanks or aircraft, the role of motor vehicles on the battlefields is not so great, but it is also worthless to belittle it. Motorcycles effectively performed the functions of escort and combat support, reconnaissance and communications. And already in 1942, the USSR asked the Allies for motorcycles, and it was with a stroller, which the US did not produce in series. To fulfill the tasks that the Red Army (as well as the Wehrmacht) were solved with the help of motorcycles, jeeps were used in the US and British armies. They were advised by Secretary of State E. Stettinius, Ambassador M. Litvinov. Ours tried and soon requested more. In total we received 51 503 Willys MB cars and similar Ford GPWs. But unlike the Allied armies, they could not dominate the motorcycles.
The Main Armored Directorate came to the logical conclusion that it is not rational to use the “loners” on the front, because the “wheelchair” is a full-fledged combat unit (3 soldiers + machine gun), moreover, it is stable and load-bearing. Therefore, on the instructions of the GBTU, knots of fastening to imported motorcycles strollers from the domestic M-72 were manufactured. Most motorcycles came packed in boxes. Since April 1943, Moscow (MMZ Iskra) and Serpukhov (SMZ) motorcycle plants, as well as BRTZ No. 20 repair plant, were engaged in their assembly and equipment with wheelchairs. According to the GBTU, before May 1, 1945, they transferred 29, 690 imported motorcycles to the Red Army. Note that the discussion above was only about motor vehicles that passed military acceptance. In total, according to the Allies and Lend-Lease Museum, 35, 170 motorcycles arrived in the USSR. About 5, 000 vehicles received other structures - the NKVD troops, police, etc.
002a_moto_0511_064
002_moto_0511_064
Harley-Davidson WLA 42 became the most famous and massive: having received the nickname Liberator (Liberator), he became the symbol of victory in the West. A heavy motorcycle with a two-cylinder V-shaped lower-valve Flathead engine with a volume of 739 cm³ and a power of 23 hp..; 3-speed gearbox; complex circulating lubrication system; duplex frame; short front fork. According to the Lend-Lease Shipments Act, Section 3B, the total number of WLAs shipped to the Allies was 38, 103, of which 26, 670 were shipped to the USSR. We equipped it with an M-72 stroller and rear seat. According to the personnel, this was the best motorcycle with a sidecar - quite reliable, unpretentious, consuming even Soviet fuel, but had a low landing, and the cross-country ability left much to be desired. By the way, if it weren’t for military supplies, then, quite possibly, at that time Harley-Davidson would breathe history. Harley-Davidson WLA 42 became the most famous and massive: having received the nickname Liberator (Liberator), he became the symbol of victory in the West. A heavy motorcycle with a two-cylinder V-shaped lower-valve Flathead engine with a volume of 739 cm³ and a power of 23 hp..; 3-speed gearbox; complex circulating lubrication system; duplex frame; short front fork. According to the Lend-Lease Shipments Act, Section 3B, the total number of WLAs shipped to the Allies was 38, 103, of which 26, 670 were shipped to the USSR. We equipped it with an M-72 stroller and rear seat. According to the personnel, this was the best motorcycle with a sidecar - quite reliable, unpretentious, consuming even Soviet fuel, but had a low landing, and the cross-country ability left much to be desired. By the way, if it weren’t for military supplies, then, quite possibly, at that time Harley-Davidson would breathe history.
003_moto_0511_064
Another American "legionnaire" was the Indian 741V with a twin-cylinder V-shaped 492 cc engine with 15 hp and a chassis from Sport Scout. Also used with a stroller. Despite the outward resemblance to Harley, he was criticized: heavy, low landing and poor maneuverability, fussy about fuel and, most importantly, unreliable. It is not surprising that he did not compete with WLA, both in quality and quantity - a little more than 5, 000 were delivered to the USSR. (less than 1/5 of the total number of 741V delivered to the allies). The American army also did not get much of these motorcycles: she preferred the more reliable Harley-Davidson WLA42. Another American "legionnaire" was the Indian 741V with a twin-cylinder V-shaped 492 cc engine with 15 hp and a chassis from Sport Scout. Also used with a stroller. Despite the outward resemblance to Harley, he was criticized: heavy, low landing and poor maneuverability, fussy about fuel and, most importantly, unreliable. It is not surprising that he did not compete with WLA, both in quality and quantity - a little more than 5, 000 were delivered to the USSR. (less than 1/5 of the total number of 741V delivered to the allies). The American army also did not get much of these motorcycles: she preferred the more reliable Harley-Davidson WLA42.
004_moto_0511_064
Harley-Davidson 42XA: A 2-cylinder boxer engine with a 4-speed gearbox and drive shaft drive combined with a typical "Harley" chassis. In 1943 he was equipped with a telescopic fork. They were released a little (about 1000 pcs.), Although the universal joint drive perfectly proved in the sands of North Africa; He also did not compete with WLA42. Harley-Davidson 42XA: A 2-cylinder boxer engine with a 4-speed gearbox and drive shaft drive combined with a typical "Harley" chassis. In 1943 he was equipped with a telescopic fork. They were released a little (about 1000 pcs.), Although the universal joint drive perfectly proved in the sands of North Africa; He also did not compete with WLA42.
005_moto_0511_064
Military model Harley-Davidson 42WLC (Canadian version). Military model Harley-Davidson 42WLC (Canadian version).
006_moto_0511_064
The single-cylinder BSA was supplied in two models: WM30 with an overhead valve 15-horsepower engine with a capacity of 350 cm³ and WM20 (in the photo - BSA M20WD) with a lower-valve 12-horsepower engine with a capacity of 500 cm³. The latter, with a weight of 170 kg, accelerated to 105 km / h and became the leader among British military vehicles in terms of output - 126, 000 units. The single-cylinder BSA was supplied in two models: WM30 with an overhead valve 15-horsepower engine with a capacity of 350 cm³ and WM20 (in the photo - BSA M20WD) with a lower-valve 12-horsepower engine with a capacity of 500 cm³. The latter, with a weight of 170 kg, accelerated to 105 km / h and became the leader among British military vehicles in terms of output - 126, 000 units.
007_moto_0511_064
Velocette MAF350 had a single-cylinder 18-horsepower engine with a capacity of 350 cm³. Lightweight and nimble, it was used mainly as a "loner". Velocette MAF350 had a single-cylinder 18-horsepower engine with a capacity of 350 cm³. Lightweight and nimble, it was used mainly as a "loner".
008_moto_0511_064
Matchless G3L with a single-cylinder 350 cc engine, dynamic and reliable, was one of the most numerous British military vehicles - more than 80, 000 units were produced during the war years. Already at that time it was equipped with a telescopic fork. Matchless G3L with a single-cylinder 350 cc engine, dynamic and reliable, was one of the most numerous British military vehicles - more than 80, 000 units were produced during the war years. Already at that time it was equipped with a telescopic fork.
009_moto_0511_064
Triumph 3HW 350 with a single-cylinder 350 cm³ single-valve engine with a capacity of 15 hp in terms of output, twice (40, 000 pcs.) was inferior to Matchless. Triumph 3HW 350 with a single-cylinder 350 cm³ single-valve engine with a capacity of 15 hp in terms of output, twice (40, 000 pcs.) was inferior to Matchless.
010_moto_0511_064
Other motorcycle models also fell into Soviet Russia, such as the English Ariel W / NG (pictured) and even the Welbike folding landing scooter. But their number was calculated in units. Other motorcycle models also fell into Soviet Russia, such as the English Ariel W / NG (pictured) and even the Welbike folding landing scooter. But their number was calculated in units.
011_moto_0511_064
012_moto_0511_064
013_moto_0511_064
014_moto_0511_064
015_moto_0511_064
Welbike is a lightweight folding motorcycle developed by USO (British intelligence and sabotage service). In the period 1942-1945. 3853 pieces were produced. Most of the Welbike was used by paratroopers in Arnhem, the Netherlands, during Operation Market Garden. Designed for use in special operations, it could be parachuted in a cylindrical container with a diameter of 38 cm, and collected in 15 seconds. Engine - 98 cc Villiers, direct transmission, weight - 32 kg, fuel capacity - 3.7 l, speed - up to 50 km / h, cruising range - 145 km. Welbike is a lightweight folding motorcycle developed by USO (British intelligence and sabotage service). In the period 1942-1945. 3853 pieces were produced. Most of the Welbike was used by paratroopers in Arnhem, the Netherlands, during Operation Market Garden. Designed for use in special operations, it could be parachuted in a cylindrical container with a diameter of 38 cm, and collected in 15 seconds. Engine - 98 cc Villiers, direct transmission, weight - 32 kg, fuel capacity - 3.7 l, speed - up to 50 km / h, cruising range - 145 km.
The vast majority of motorcycles are American Harley-Davidson and Indian. According to E. Settinius, the United States sent 32, 200 motor vehicles from the USSR. Great Britain supplied BSA, Velocette, Triumph, Matchless, as well as civilian versions of motorcycles of these and other brands donated by ordinary British people, which makes it difficult to determine their exact number. Presumably during the years of the war, 3, 000-4, 000 British motorcycles fell into the USSR. Their quality was fully consistent with the requirements, but the "mottling" made it difficult to repair, especially in the field. According to GBTU, Velocette (2383 pcs.), BSA (559 pcs.) And Matchless (31 pcs.) Were collected at the MMZ, KhVZ and warehouses of the People's Commissariat of Defense (NPO).
To determine the exact number and complete lineup of the two-wheeled “foreign legion” is an almost impossible task. These publications are inconsistent, accounting has not always been maintained, and archives are sometimes lost. Firstly, motorcycles were not included in the first supply lines, and after the war they were not returned. Secondly, the amount of equipment sent and received upon the fact was different, because ship caravans often became a target of hunting for the German Air Force and submarines. In addition, the incoming equipment was collected in a number of organizations: at the SMZ, MMZ, KhVZ, in the warehouses of NPOs No. 511, 942 and 3708, in the 14th and 15th motorcycle training regiments, etc. According to the GBTU, out of 29, 690 imported motorcycles, 11, 642 are assembled with wheelchairs, and 18, 048 are “loners”. And according to the recollections of veterans, the latter were extremely rare at the front. In addition, these organizations were engaged in the repair of both Lend-Lease and trophy motorcycles (only a few thousand were repaired at the MMZ and SMZ).
In the post-war years, in the context of global confrontation between the Soviet Union and Western powers, Soviet political and military leaders, as well as “lured” historians artificially underestimated the role (and real volume) of Lend-Lease deliveries, assessing it as insignificant and hypocritical. The first official assessment (which, however, was not officially revised) was given in 1948 by the chairman of the State Planning Commission, N. Voznesensky, in the book “The Military Economy of the USSR during the Patriotic War”: “… if we compare the size of allied supplies of industrial goods to the USSR with the size of industrial production at the enterprises of the USSR for the same period, it turns out that the proportion of these deliveries in relation to domestic production during the period of the military economy will be only about 4%.” This figure was published without comment, and even then raised many questions - although in itself it is very significant. The author of the book was soon arrested and shot in 1950, so we will never know the methodology for his assessment. Although in fact only Harley-Davidson WLA 42 sent 26, 670 units to the USSR, which is more than 2.5 times higher than the production of M-72 by the Irbit motor factory (9800 units) and almost double the total output of motorcycles of all Soviet motor factory (13 763 pcs.).
019_moto_0511_064
“We never believed that our Lend-Lease assistance was the main factor in the Soviet victory over Hitler on the Eastern Front. It was achieved by the heroism and blood of Russian soldiers”(G. Hopkins, Assistant to the President of the USA F. Roosevelt). “We never believed that our Lend-Lease assistance was the main factor in the Soviet victory over Hitler on the Eastern Front. It was achieved by the heroism and blood of Russian soldiers”(G. Hopkins, Assistant to the President of the USA F. Roosevelt).
The pseudo-historians of the Cold War era, from one side as well as from the other, strongly skewed the real role of Lend-Lease in the victory over fascism, pulling the blanket of history onto itself. But let us conclude with two statements by the highest Soviet leaders of those years.
After the war, then already the disgraced Marshal G. Zhukov said (from the report of the KGB chairman V. Semichastny to N. Khrushchev; bar “top secret”): “Now they say that the Allies never helped us … But you can’t deny that the Americans drove us there are so many materials without which we could not form our reserves and could not continue the war … The Americans really helped us out with gunpowder and explosives. And how much they drove us to sheet steel! How could we quickly set up tank production if it weren’t for American steel help? And now they present the matter in such a way that we had all of this in abundance.” And Stalin’s personal translator V. Berezhkov, in his memoirs, estimates the value of Lend-Lease, which was given by the People’s Commissar of Food and Clothing Supply of the Red Army A. Mikoyan: “Now it’s easy to say that Lend-Lease didn’t mean anything … But in the fall of 1941, we all lost, and if it weren’t for Lend-Lease, not for weapons, food, warm clothes for the army and other supplies, the question is how things would turn out.”
023_moto_0511_064
024_moto_0511_064
026_moto_0511_064
027_moto_0511_064
028_moto_0511_064
The Allies and Lend-Lease Museum is the only one in the world. Its exposition tells about the joint struggle against the fascism of our people and the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II. The Allies and Lend-Lease Museum is the only one in the world. Its exposition tells about the joint struggle against the fascism of our people and the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II.
The editors thank for the help in preparing the material the Allies and Lend-Lease Museum, the V. Zadorozhny Museum of Technology, and the Vystrel KIR.
Author: Andrey “Kotofey” Kochetov Photo: Evgeny Bobrikov, from the editorial archives
