Jump to content


Photo

1946 German Baltic coast races query


  • Please log in to reply
6 replies to this topic

#1 Hse289

Hse289
  • Member

  • 665 posts
  • Joined: May 03

Posted 08 August 2014 - 09:37

Hi,

as some of you know I am researching Ken Miles early life and I am intrigued by something I have read in a couple of old American magazines. In 1946 Ken Miles organized motorcycle races on the Baltic Coast of Germany. I would love to find out more about this. Has anyone heard of these races? I have no other information im afraid.

Paul



Advertisement

#2 Vitesse2

Vitesse2
  • Administrator

  • 41,776 posts
  • Joined: April 01

Posted 08 August 2014 - 12:57

The only racing that I know of in Germany in 1946 took place in the American and French zones - and was locally-run. Most of Germany's Baltic coast was in the Russian zone, so we can of course discount that. However, the British zone did include the coast between the Danish border and Lubeck.

 

I'm going to start in Egypt here (but bear with me!). Once the Germans had been thrown out of North Africa there were lots of Allied troops hanging around Cairo with not a lot to do. Keeping them out of Cairo's fleshpots and from contracting 'social diseases' was pretty high on the forces' priority lists and one of the ways of doing this was allowing the formation of an all-ranks all-services motorcycle club called the Bar-None, which ran races, trials and hillclimbs. There was certainly another branch in Palestine and I'm pretty sure I've seen something about one in Italy too. It doesn't take too much of a stretch of the imagination to realise that there might have been something similar in Germany, where 'social diseases' also became something of a problem for the occupying troops. Motorcycle road races, trials and scrambles had also been part of Army training - you can find some pictures and brief text here: Motorcycles at War

 

There is a brief history of the Bar-None, but it seems to cover only the Egyptian stuff.

 

So, I'd say it was almost certainly a private services competition. Regimental? Inter-regimental? Inter-services? Squaddies v erks? Any surviving details probably buried in fading roneoed regimental newsletters or regimental diaries ...



#3 Hse289

Hse289
  • Member

  • 665 posts
  • Joined: May 03

Posted 08 August 2014 - 21:59

Vitesse2, thanks for your posting , very interesting and I enjoyed reading it. Wish I had a bit more to go on really.



#4 Lothar

Lothar
  • New Member

  • 47 posts
  • Joined: January 08

Posted 10 August 2014 - 20:10

Hello,

how about races in Kiel: "Hafenkurs" ?!

Edited by Lothar, 10 August 2014 - 20:15.


#5 Hse289

Hse289
  • Member

  • 665 posts
  • Joined: May 03

Posted 11 August 2014 - 09:18

Vitesse2, Miles unit went over to France on an American ship so may have been racing in the American zone late 1945. Do you know anything about that which might mention Miles.

Lothar, please tell us more.



#6 Vitesse2

Vitesse2
  • Administrator

  • 41,776 posts
  • Joined: April 01

Posted 11 August 2014 - 10:51

The Kiel Hafenkurs wasn't used before July 1949. This is from a report of that first event (my italics):

 

Zur Eröffnung der Kieler Woche veranstaltete der Kieler Motorsportclub Nordmark (ADAC) das überhaupt erste Motorrad- und Wagenrennen in der Fördestadt.

 

At the opening of Kiel Week, the Kieler Motorsportclub Nordmark (ADAC) organised the first ever race meeting for motorcycles and cars in the 'Fjord City'.

The two- and four-wheeled meetings I know of in Germany in 1946 are:

 

28.04.1946, Mühldorf / Inn, Trabrennbahn (Motorräder)
26.05.1946, München (Dante-Stadion), Aschenbahnrennen (Motorräder)

14.06.1946, Reutlingen Straßenbahnrennen (Motorräder)
16.06.1946, Stuttgart Aschenbahn-Motorradrennen (Neckarstadion)
21.07.1946, Ruhestein-Bergrennen (Motorräder u. Sportwagen)
11.08.1946, Gr. Preis v. Braunschweig (Motorräder in 3 Klassen)
18.08.1946, Stuttgart Aschenbahn-Motorradrennen (Neckarstadion)
08.09.1946, Neuwied (Motorräder Solo bis 250,350,500 ccm sowie Seitenwagen bis 1200 ccm)
29.09.1946, Karlsruher Dreiecks-Rennen (Motorräder u. Sportwagen)
27.10.1946, Tübingen Aschenbahn-Rennen (Motorräder)

27.10.1946, München, Großer Preis von Bayern (Motorräder)

 

Possibly also in Ulm and Vilshofen.

 

Oh, and contrary to my previous post, the Braunschweig event was in the British zone.

 

Regarding Miles' war service: I only know he was in tanks, but somewhere there will be operational diaries which - providing you know roughly (ideally exactly) which unit he served in - it should be possible to trace his whereabouts. As I mentioned there may be unit newsletters too. Could be in a regimental museum or the National Archives at Kew.



#7 Hse289

Hse289
  • Member

  • 665 posts
  • Joined: May 03

Posted 12 August 2014 - 20:01

Thanks Vitesse2, I will follow up your suggestions.