This is a potted history on the Harley-Davidson WLA, featuring a couple of nice old examples spotted at the Overlord Show in Hampshire.
In the years preceding World War II, the motorcycle market had entered dire straits as the demand for the motorcar boomed, and its comfortable and practical nature took over as the prime choice of basic A to B transportation.
In a twist of fate, the war would help to save the motorcycle industry and provide it with a much-needed boost. As the war started to rumble, the American Government asked motorcycle producers to provide a military prototype that would be robust and powerful enough to endure the conditions and terrain associated with the movement of troops and equipment around the world. This presented manufactures with an opportunity to stay afloat, and the team at H-D quickly became occupied with a new mission to produce the ideal battle-hardened candidate.
Fort Knox kick started an extensive plan to trial motorcycles from key manufacturers which included Harley-Davidson, Indian and Delco, with them all peddling for orders with their military-grade bikes.
There were certain specifications that were required by the Army, one of which included the provision of a left-hand throttle – a necessity rumoured to be based on the need to free up the shooting hand!
Harley-Davidson were fortunate to already have a robust and ready motorcycle on the civilian market in the form of the W Series. These reliable old bikes ran on a 45 cubic inch side valve motor (capable of 2 hp at 5,400 rpm), and of note they featured a recirculating oil system which helped reduce maintenance. The bike could run on low-quality fuel, and they were cheap and easy to build in vast numbers. An ideal candidate then, for a battlefield machine…
Harley-Davidson trialled an adapted version of the civilian WL which was offered to the US Army at a cost of $380. It would become denoted as the WLA, and it passed the tests. The model name WLA follows the standard Harley model code – “W” denotes the family of motorcycles, “L” relates to the high-compression motor (at 5:1, this was considered high at the time!), and “A” stands for it being an Army model.
The orders came in, and in the maiden year between January and March 1940, the Army ordered more than 400 WLA models.
The WLA had a number of updates over its civilian counterpart, which included olive drab paint, a skid/bash plate, crash bars, an oil bath air cleaner, a heavy-duty luggage rack, blackout lights, and modified fenders to help shed mud and dirt.
The US Army primarily assigned motorcycles to infantry and armoured divisions for use by couriers and messengers. The comfort and reliability of the machines made them ideal for long journeys and therefore many were used as platforms for scouting and reconnaissance. Military police units also used the motorcycles for traffic control and other duties.
As the war continued to bubble on, H-D continued to ramp up production, and by the time that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour in December 1941, WLAs were a common vehicle to be seen in war-torn parts of the world. The majority of the WLAs that came out of the H-D works were stamped as 1942 models, even in later years. This may have been due to the fact that the later motorcycles were produced to the ’42 factory specification. A small number of motorcycles were also made for the Canadian Army which were denoted as the WLC, and although similar to the WLA, had some subtle modifications.
In 1943 the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company received the Army-Navy “Excellence in Production” award – a badge of honour afforded to industries that had provided an exceptional contribution to the War and Navy Departments. William H Davidson received the banner from Colonel Otjen, who called the Harley Davidson workers “Soldiers of the Production Line”.
A total number of around 70,000 WLAs were produced through the war years to serve the American Army and Allied troops. Harley also shipped many WLAs worldwide which included the deserts of North Africa, the towns and forests of Europe, and the tropical islands of the south Pacific. In Europe the bikes were often used by soldiers to travel to, and liberate towns occupied by German control, and ultimately earned the WLA the well-deserved label – The Liberator.
A vast number of WLAs were sold cheap as military surplus after the war, with many being purchased by troops that had returned home. The WLA is often referred to as The Motorcycle that won The War, and despite its worthiness, the rise of the Jeep took over and the WLA reduced its role as a combat machine. It was not lost forever, however, as many forty fives were kept in various roles due to their dependability, and many were transformed and customised into road-going civilian bobbers, many of which are still about today.
Thanks to the team at the Overlord Show in Hampshire for having us along to an excellent event, which was full of military vehicles and re-enactments which take you back in time.
an article by The Girder Club
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