The success of fast-moving Blitzkrieg tactics by the Nazi war machine depended on high mobility. With their on- and off-road capabilities, motorcycles became an important component of the Nazi war machine's arsenal, making a particularly significant impact in French and Russian campaigns. The motorcycle troops became known as the Kradschützen Truppen. They were motorized, lightly armed and highly mobile infantry units of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. The Kradschützen Truppen was used in a variety of roles including patrolling, intelligence gathering, and police duties in occupied Europe. Motorcyclists could be found in every unit of an infantry and Panzer division including headquarters, which had a motorcycle messenger platoon. Their versatility also enabled them to survey enemy positions until coming under fire, before reporting back with vital intelligence relating to enemy locations and strengths. By 1938 some 200,000 motorcycles were produced in Germany and occupied territories.

The principal makes included BMW, DKW, NSU, Triumph, Victoria, and Zundapp. Sidecar combinations, often mounted with an MG34/42 machine gun, also made the bike an effective weapon. By describing in words and contemporary images the role of the German motorcycle and motorcyclists during the Second World War, this book fills an overlooked gap in coverage of Nazi military capability. It shows how they were used as a rapid mobile assault and reconnaissance force, which were integral to the German Blitzkrieg successes of 1939-40. However, by 1943 and the development of Kampfgruppen, panzer grenadier regiments and armoured half-tracks, it meant that large formations of Kradschützen Truppen became obsolete, with the soldiers being transferred to other services. For the remainder of the war the motorcycles would be relegated to support roles such as despatch riders, messengers and light reconnaissance.