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Posted by Patrick Cain <patrickcain@snappingturtle.net> on Fri, 21 Apr 2000 11:47:14 -0400
The Times
April 21 2000
Wheels fall off cycling Swiss militia
FROM ROGER BOYES IN INTERLAKEN
SWITZERLAND‘S 3,000 bicycle troops are under threat
from wide-ranging reforms of the country‘s Army."We
need a strong, professional Army, there is no alternative,"
said Colonel Paul Krueger, planning chief of the general
staff.
However, the reforms do not go quite as far as the colonel
would like. The militia system, under which all Swiss
males serve, keeping their guns in their broom cupboards,
is to remain for the time being.
But Colonel Krueger stressed: "It has to be a new,
modern militia force."
Which almost certainly means an end to the bicycle
soldiers who have trained for years to guard Switzerland‘s
valleys from enemy tanks.
Colonel Jean-Pierre Leuenberger, the commander of
Swiss bicycle troops, put up a spirited defence of his
soldiers in an interview yesterday. "We are quick. When
the alarm goes we are ready to move in ten minutes.
Trucks and tanks have to warm up engines and remove
their camouflage nets. By the time they have started, we
are well into the mountains."
Speaking at the training centre near Freiburg, Colonel
Leuenberger said that bicycle troops were quicker than
any other ground troops over 20 to 30 miles. "OK, a
Leopard tank can travel at up to 70km an hour. But only
if it doesn‘t get stuck. We can cut through woods and
fields and we reach speeds of up to 20km an hour."
The cyclists are trained to cover about 120 miles in 13
hours, although whether they would then be fit to fight has
never been put to the test.
Anti-tank rocket launchers, machineguns and ammunition
are all carried on bicycle trailers, allowing the pedalling
partisans to block narrow Alpine roads by destroying
enemy tanks.
"In the old days we used to fire from bicycles with
revolvers," Colonel Leuenberger said. "But modern
warfare demands a different approach."
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Copyright 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided on Times
Newspapers‘ standard terms and conditions. To inquire about a licence to
reproduce material from The Times, visit the Syndication website.
Patrick Cain
voice: 416 539-0939
--------------------------------------------------------
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The Times
April 21 2000
Wheels fall off cycling Swiss militia
FROM ROGER BOYES IN INTERLAKEN
SWITZERLAND‘S 3,000 bicycle troops are under threat
from wide-ranging reforms of the country‘s Army."We
need a strong, professional Army, there is no alternative,"
said Colonel Paul Krueger, planning chief of the general
staff.
However, the reforms do not go quite as far as the colonel
would like. The militia system, under which all Swiss
males serve, keeping their guns in their broom cupboards,
is to remain for the time being.
But Colonel Krueger stressed: "It has to be a new,
modern militia force."
Which almost certainly means an end to the bicycle
soldiers who have trained for years to guard Switzerland‘s
valleys from enemy tanks.
Colonel Jean-Pierre Leuenberger, the commander of
Swiss bicycle troops, put up a spirited defence of his
soldiers in an interview yesterday. "We are quick. When
the alarm goes we are ready to move in ten minutes.
Trucks and tanks have to warm up engines and remove
their camouflage nets. By the time they have started, we
are well into the mountains."
Speaking at the training centre near Freiburg, Colonel
Leuenberger said that bicycle troops were quicker than
any other ground troops over 20 to 30 miles. "OK, a
Leopard tank can travel at up to 70km an hour. But only
if it doesn‘t get stuck. We can cut through woods and
fields and we reach speeds of up to 20km an hour."
The cyclists are trained to cover about 120 miles in 13
hours, although whether they would then be fit to fight has
never been put to the test.
Anti-tank rocket launchers, machineguns and ammunition
are all carried on bicycle trailers, allowing the pedalling
partisans to block narrow Alpine roads by destroying
enemy tanks.
"In the old days we used to fire from bicycles with
revolvers," Colonel Leuenberger said. "But modern
warfare demands a different approach."
Next page: Pearl Harbor film protest
Arts Mon - Fri Books Sat Thu British News Business
Court page Features Mon - Fri Go Sat Interface Law Tue
Metro Sat Obituaries Opinion Sport Travel Sat Thu
Vision Sat Weekend Sat Weekend Money Sat World
News
Next page: Pearl
Harbor film
protest
Copyright 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided on Times
Newspapers‘ standard terms and conditions. To inquire about a licence to
reproduce material from The Times, visit the Syndication website.
Patrick Cain
voice: 416 539-0939
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@cipherlogic.on.ca from the account you wish
to remove, with the line "unsubscribe army" in the
message body.
