As fans would expect from a Battlefield title, vehicles will play a major role in Battlefield 5. Following on from the early tanks which appeared in Battlefield 1, Battlefield 5 features a wide variety of tanks, aircraft, ground vehicles, and boats… but one area where the game might be lacking, as recently suggested by a fan on Reddit, is bicycles. While the Battlefield 5 vehicles cover a lot of areas, there are no bicycles in the game. What might surprise you, however, is that their use was actually widespread in the Second World War.

Bicycles as One of the Battlefield 5 Vehicles?

The suggestion to add bicycles to Battlefield 5 comes from a Redditor who goes by, “JordhanMK”. As they note, the use of bicycles in World War 2 is actually well-documented. While the suggestion might seem silly at first glance, the military use of bicycles during the 19th and early 20th centuries was widespread; “bicycle infantry” actually replaced horse-mounted dragoons in many roles, and played a role in many armed forces. For one, bicycles were much quieter than engine-powered vehicles. Moreover, individual soldiers can carry bicycles, and they don’t require fuel. In fact, when Japan invaded China in 1937, they brought with them over 50,000 bicycle infantry, and they proved to be a major advantage.

Bicycle Infantry in the Second World War

The use of bicycle infantry was already widespread by the time World War 2 began. When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, almost every Polish army division included bicycle-riding scouts, with 196 bicycles in every company. Bicycles also saw widespread usage by the Finnish Army against the Nazis; their 1st Jaeger Brigade was especially successful during the Continuation and Lapland Wars. The Brigade used bicycles to spearhead their advance in 1944 after the Nazis destroyed Finland’s roads.

The Nazis themselves also made use of bicycles, in fact. The Volksgrenadier divisions, formed in 1944 as the Nazis faced assault from both the Soviets and Allies, all contained a battalion of bicycle infantry. Coincidentally, the final War Story in Battlefield 5 will be set around that time, and told from a German perspective. Although the Allied forces did not make widespread use of bicycles, they did supply folding bicycles to paratrooper units. These were useful for moving behind enemy lines. The term “bomber bikes” even came into usage after American planes began dropping bicycles for Allied troops behind the German lines.

The Reddit post made by JordhanMK is clearly tongue-in-cheek. However, the notion that DICE might add bicycles to the game at some point is surprisingly believable. Moreover, there’s a lot of historical evidence to justify their inclusion. Given that DICE recently reaffirmed their commitment to historical authenticity, who knows? Maybe players will get to cycle the war-torn streets of Rotterdam someday.