A heavy-duty military motorcycle produced by BMW, the R.75 was produced together with a sidecar from 1941 onwards. Designed for the demanding and unpredictable terrain of Soviet and African territories, it was an all-terrain machine with excellent performance and range. Although technically outperformed by the Zündapp KS 750, it remained in use until the end of the war with many German units.
An interesting example of Nazi Germany's willingness to adapt, motorcycle riflemen units were formed in the Wehrmacht and SS to compensate for the low motorization of the Nazi state: 15th in the world when it came to automobiles, but first when it came to motorcycles. The first units were formed in 1934/35, as reconnaissance units of Panzer divisions, although they were also used for harassment and ambushing enemy units. However lightly armed they were, the speed of the Kradschützen allowed them to appear where the enemy least expected them.
