Going To War Pt. 2: Motorcycles, Machine Guns, and Outlaws

   In 1914, as European nations squared off and chose sides in the beginning of WW1, Mexico was being torn apart by revolution. The revolutionary forces in the north of Mexico were led by the colorful bandit Francisco "Pancho" Villa, General of the Division of the North. Despite his unconventional and ruthless tactics, he was often viewed as a modern day Robin Hood, fighting for the common man. Hollywood and the press romanticized Villa and his men in a time when the wild west was fading into legend, and for a time, the American government supported his cause.

  Villa fought a guerilla type war against the Mexican government, typically on horseback, dashing in quickly and raiding for supplies before disappearing into the desert wilderness he was familiar with. Usually pictured with a sombrero and bandolier of ammunition, he embodied the typical old west outlaw to the newly civilized world. Pancho Villa may have been the first to attempt utilizing motorcycles in a combat role. Eyewitness accounts claim the he used Indian motorcycles during a raid in 1914. He must have preferred horses, because there are no other accounts of the bandit using motorcycles, just a lone photograph of him posing with a 1914 Indian. 

  Soon the winds of politics shifted. Villa's ruthless tactics and indiscriminate killing began to make him enemies. The American government withdrew their support of Villa and officially recognized his rival Venustiano Carranza as head of the Mexican government. Enraged, Villa began to target U.S. citizens  and interests in Mexico. In retaliation and an attempt to seize supplies, Villa attacked a U.S. Army outpost at Columbus, New Mexico on March 9, 1916.

  Villa's scouts inaccurately reported the strength of the outpost, yet he still had the larger force. It didn't matter though. The soldiers of the outpost soon rallied and organized a defense against the horse mounted bandits. As Villa's men burned the town, they became easy targets for machine gun fire, backlit by the flames. Although the Villistas managed to seize some weapons and horses, they suffered heavy casualties and fled to the Mexican border three miles to the south. 

  America was outraged. National Guard units from around the country were called to duty, and over 100,000 troops were placed on the Mexican border. President Woodrow Wilson ordered troops to pursue and capture Villa and selected Brigadier General John J. Pershing to lead what was to become known as the Mexican Expedition. 

"An adequate force will be sent at once in pursuit of Villa with the single object of capturing him and putting a stop to his forays. This can and will be done in entirely friendly aid to the constituted authorities in Mexico and with scrupulous respect for the sovereignty of that Republic." 

-President Woodrow Wilson 

 

General "Black Jack" Pershing was well suited for the task. A seasoned veteran in the wars against the Apache and Sioux, his career spanned the globe, from the famed Battle of San Juan Hill with Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, to fighting the Moro Rebellion of the Philippines. Well versed in the tactics of horse mounted warfare, Gen. Pershing assembled a force of primarily calvary and horse artillery, but, if that had been the extent of his expedition, we'd have nothing to talk about. This was one of the first American military actions to make use of modern innovations such as the aeroplane, the truck, and yes, the motorcycle. It was a turning point in how the U.S. Army viewed warfare and provided invaluable experience for what was to come.

  Pershing was given the command of the First Air Squadron, who in addition to primitive aircraft, had been experimenting with mounted motorcycle riders, to conduct scouting missions. Pershing saw opportunity in the motorcycle and requested more, with sidecar mounted machine guns, ready for combat.

The tough built Harley Davidson J model was chosen as the perfect machine for the job. The J model had a powerful F-head V-twin engine that could traverse desert terrain at 20 to 40 mph, with a top speed of 60 mph. The mounted Colt machine gun could deliver fire at a rate of 480 rounds per minute.

   Although the machines themselves were transported by rail from Milwaukee to Pershing's command in just 33 hours, the men needed trained to ride them and deploy them in battle. Harley Davidson President, Walter Davidson argued that the Army should seek to speed enlistment of men already trained to ride a motorcycle, allowing them to be deployed more quickly. 

"I am firmly of the belief that the best way is for Congress to authorize the army to recruit civilians with special training and obtain them quickly through the attraction of a short enlistment with promise of immediate service in the work of dispersing Villa’s bandits in Mexico.” (Walter Davidson, wire service report, April, 1916)

  Pershing's expedition against Pancho Villa lasted less than a year. After penetrating 350 miles into Mexico, there were a few battles, but the bandit was never caught. Most of the requested motorcycles never left Texas, but the news media made a sensational story of it nationwide. After pressure from the Mexican government (and a few battles with government led forces), the U.S. forces withdrew from Mexico in January of 1917. Regardless of the results of the Mexican Expedition, the U.S. War Department was impressed with the role the motorcycle had played in a combat operation, as shown by the news reporting of the day.

  "The machine gun company which [Gen. Pershing] reviewed is the first of its kind in America but from the activity displayed by the War Department it is practical certainty that motorcycle machine gun companies will be attached to every regiment.
The gun cars and their motorcycle tender carry a total of 4,320 rounds of ammunition in eighteen compact boxes – 240 rounds of ammunition in their flexible belts in each box. [Just] one gunner and driver are required for each gun and in addition the squad carries entrenching tools, wire cutter and complete semaphore signal outfit."

The War Dept. recommended that the use of motorcycles be expanded for future conflicts, which were looming. 

  German U-boats were increasingly sinking American merchant ships in the Atlantic, drawing the nation ever closer to war. In early 1917, a telegram was intercepted proposing an alliance between Germany and Mexico. In exchange for Mexican support against the United States, Germany offered to help Mexico regain the once Mexican controlled states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The U.S. declared war against Germany on April 6, 1917 and officially joined the "Great War."

  Leaving enough National Guard troops on the southern border to protect from any possible future incursions, General "Black Jack" Pershing and his troops were sent to action in Europe. Also sent, was his motorcycle equipped "Motor Mobile Infantry." Before the war would end, Pershing's service and exploits would raise him to an almost legendary status, achieving the highest rank ever awarded in U.S. history. Pershing became "General of the Armies," the equivalent to what would be considered a 6 star General today.

  Seen as a valuable new resource for frontline use by the U.S. War Dept., motorcycles were essential to American combat in WW1, seeing use as gun toting assault vehicles, ambulances, reconnaissance vehicles, and for perimeter security patrols. 

  Almost every American motorcycle manufacturer still in business supplied machines, but most came from the well known "big three." Over 80,000 motorcycles would be provided for the war effort. Indian supplied about 50,000 units, Harley Davidson 20,000, with most of the remainder supplied by Excelsior.

It was these military contracts that helped to ensure the survival of the big three, making them the well recognized names they are today. Many motorcycle manufacturers never resumed production after the war and have largely been forgotten.