Authentic 1945 Compax ( Military ? )

[MrColumbia]

I've just aquired this Compax. It has an early 1945 serial number. It has an interesting story behind it which is why I'm posting it here in the military section. The gentleman I got it from got it from his uncle who was a blimp pilot for the Navy during WWII stationed at the base at Lakehurst NJ. After the war he purchased the bike from the navel base commisary as surplus. It has been ridden by the man and his family ever since. He says about 40 years ago he repainted it and unfortunatly for me had removed the original paint and head badge.

My questions to all you military experts;

How common was it for the military/base to purchase civilian vehicles like bikes during the war if at all?

Would they have been in blackout civilian colors? (This bike has the correct blackout ND hubs for the period) The previous owner does not remember what the original color of the bike was.


Why would the Navy be purchasing/using civilian bikes on base when they had a contract for military spec. bikes from Westfield Manufacturing?

This bike has a unique frame design not seen on any pre or post war civilian models ( the extra frame strut on the rear of the frame ). There was one of these in the Columbia museum and my father was alway convinced that this frame style was made for the military. I no longer can ask him what evidence he had and cannot find it in his extensive notes.

Any Ideas folks???

My final question is if anyone has an idea on the grips. I doubt they are original but what may have been on the bike?

 

[Bozman]

I've just aquired this Compax. It has an early 1945 serial number. It has an interesting story behind it which is why I'm posting it here in the military section. The gentleman I got it from got it from his uncle who was a blimp pilot for the Navy during WWII stationed at the base at Lakehurst NJ. After the war he purchased the bike from the navel base commisary as surplus. It has been ridden by the man and his family ever since. He says about 40 years ago he repainted it and unfortunatly for me had removed the original paint and head badge.

My questions to all you military experts;

How common was it for the military/base to purchase civilian vehicles like bikes during the war if at all?

Would they have been in blackout civilian colors? (This bike has the correct blackout ND hubs for the period) The previous owner does not remember what the original color of the bike was.


Why would the Navy be purchasing/using civilian bikes on base when they had a contract for military spec. bikes from Westfield Manufacturing?

This bike has a unique frame design not seen on any pre or post war civilian models ( the extra frame strut on the rear of the frame ). There was one of these in the Columbia museum and my father was alway convinced that this frame style was made for the military. I no longer can ask him what evidence he had and cannot find it in his extensive notes.

Any Ideas folks???

My final question is if anyone has an idea on the grips. I doubt they are original but what may have been on the bike?


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It is a war time production Compax Traveler with all the earmarks of a military bike. Not much is known about how many were purchased by the military but it makes perfect sense that it was sold after the war. I would check under the neck of the fork as often repainters don't bother taking the fork off. I have seen black and olive drab (OD) originals. The OD one had balloon tires and Military Green handgrips. What is the serial number on the crank? Does it have the MG, MC or MF serial number?

The chain guard looks like a replacement.

 

[MrColumbia]

Thanks for the info. The guard is a relacement as it is chrome under the paint. The serial number starts with a "J" for 1945.

 

[bikecrazy]

There is much confusion regarding the militarys use of the Compax. Some people call this bike the Paratrooper because Columbia featured it in wartime advertising. The ad showed the bike with a soldier dressed in combat uniform. They show up in military museums and at reinactments painted in Olive Drab. Please correct me if I am wrong, but there is no record of these bikes ever being used in combat. During WWII, bicycle shortages forced the military to buy bicycles anyway they could. Many civilian bicycles showed up on military bases.

 

[MrColumbia]

There is much confusion regarding the militarys use of the Compax. Some people call this bike the Paratrooper because Columbia featured it in wartime advertising. The ad showed the bike with a soldier dressed in combat uniform. They show up in military museums and at reinactments painted in Olive Drab. Please correct me if I am wrong, but there is no record of these bikes ever being used in combat. During WWII, bicycle shortages forced the military to buy bicycles anyway they could. Many civilian bicycles showed up on military bases.

Right, exactly my point. It is pretty much accepted that no US troups jumped out of planes with these bikes strapped to their backs. I never thought for a moment that they did. For that matter I doubt many of the 10's of thousands of bicycles purchased by the military were used in actual combat. Mostly they were used on base. My main question is if a branch of the Militray did purchase this bike to use on base would they have painted it in militay colors or would they have simply left it in the civilian paint job it came in. There is no doubt in my mind that the military used bikes other that the 2 Columbia and 1 Huffman model in the tech manual.

 

[bikecrazy]

I have seen pictures of bikes on military bases in both the civilian colors and Olive drab. If the base was in the US, I don't think anyone really cared. These bases has a lot of civilian workers who rode bicycles to work. It was considered patriotic to save fuel for the war effort.If you can imagine a bicycle in any combination of color or brand, it probably existed. I have seen pictures of officers in uniform riding stock paint Schwinn DX bikes on base.

 

[MrColumbia]

I have seen pictures of bikes on military bases in both the civilian colors and Olive drab. If the base was in the US, I don't think anyone really cared. These bases has a lot of civilian workers who rode bicycles to work. It was considered patriotic to save fuel for the war effort.If you can imagine a bicycle in any combination of color or brand, it probably existed. I have seen pictures of officers in uniform riding stock paint Schwinn DX bikes on base.

I've seen similar pictures. One further piece of the puzzle is a letter from Westfield Mfg to bicycle dealers that came out in October 1947. The letter is stating that they had not offered a Compax for several years but now are getting ready for the 1948 production year and taking advance orders. It also states that if ordered early they were using up existing inventory to fill those orders.

 

[bikecrazy]

My guess is that they built the bicycles expecting to sell them to Uncle Sam, and that never happened.

 

[MrColumbia]

My guess is that they built the bicycles expecting to sell them to Uncle Sam, and that never happened.

This is my working theory as well. Thanks for your input. It still is a bit strange that Westfield Mfg insisted these were used by Paratroopers even after the war. I doubt they were mistaken about something that important, especially since all their other war productiuon efforts were so well documented. It seems to be a deliberate marketing falsehood. Posssibly it can be called a half truth as they did sell some Compax bikes to the military with an exclusive military design.
There is no question that this particular bike was owned by the military during the war. I think it will receive a military restoration since the original paint is gone anyway. In my opinion it is a military Compax but not a Paratrooper bike.

 

[Bozman]

This is my working theory as well. Thanks for your input. It still is a bit strange that Westfield Mfg insisted these were used by Paratroopers even after the war. I doubt they were mistaken about something that important, especially since all their other war productiuon efforts were so well documented. It seems to be a deliberate marketing falsehood. Posssibly it can be called a half truth as they did sell some Compax bikes to the military with an exclusive military design.
There is no question that this particular bike was owned by the military during the war. I think it will receive a military restoration since the original paint is gone anyway. In my opinion it is a military Compax but not a Paratrooper bike.

It will be interesting to see if you find the true color under the fork. I have a 1946 Compax Traveler that I restored to OD as my first effort at bike restoration. I'm still trying to get access to an unrestored War time Compax Traveler that by all indications is Olive Drab, Ballon Tire, original and with the military green handgrips. I just need to sweet talk my way into a very private collection. Wish me luck. I am dying to see the serial number to see if it has the "M" classification on the serial number.