Motorcycle Monday: Harley-Davidson And The Korean War

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Learn more about a fairly obscure topic…

Growing up, my teachers pretty much skipped over the Korean War, as if it were a conflict which really didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. That is, of course, preposterous for several reasons I won’t get into here. Instead, the purpose of this article, which is appropriately publishing on the federally observed Independence Day, is to highlight the use of motorcycles on Korean battlefields. Just like the war in my classes, this is a topic often skipped over when discussing the history of military motorcycles, so I want to shed some light on the subject as a way to honor the brave men who fought and the many who died to secure freedom for the people of the South Korea.

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With plenty of harsh, rugged terrain, the Korean Peninsula isn’t an ideal battleground for most. The unique maneuverability of motorcycles made them ideal for a number of key tasks, including reconnaissance and running messages. However, the influence of motorcycles in the war dropped drastically versus their role in WWII – a topic I cover later.

Harley-Davidson made a huge contribution to the US Army during WWII, churning out over 90,000 WLAs, which were called The Liberator by troops. Like the jeep, these bikes have been considered “the motorcycle that won the War” as they were instrumental both in the European and Pacific Theaters. However, just like the toll on human during WWII, many of these two-wheeled heroes were also ruined, never to be ridden again. With drained military resources as the US government turned its attention to peacekeeping in Europe and domestic issues after the fall of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan, it became necessary for the Army to use what it already had on hand when President Truman pushed for the UN to become involved in the exploding Korean conflict.

One problem was many Harley-Davidson WLAs were sent to the UK and Soviet Union for the Lend-Lease program. This meant the high stock churned out during WWII was further depleted, making a new production run necessary.