Minnesota Spy ClubThe Welbike was an air-droppable, single-seat folding motorcycle produced during WW2 by the Excelsior Motor Company of Birmingham, England. The bike was developed at Station IX operating out of a mansion, "The Frythe" located near the town of Welwyn. Products of the Station were named in a portmanteau of the town and the invented device, sometimes in code. Thus the motorcycle was referred to as the Welbike. (1/2)
The Welbike was designed to fit into a CLE canister, the standard parachute airdrop container 51 inches long, 15 inches high, & 12 inches wide. Some 3,641 Welbikes were manufactured and though developed by the Special Operations Executive were used more by airborne troops (including in Operation Market Garden) then they were used by SOE operatives. (2/2)
