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It was almost a year ago, when Andreas Assael, on a hike in search of special ancient objects, which he has loved since he was a child, found it in a junk mantra in Thessalonica, where all kinds of objects end, a “step” before of the foundry. – A special bicycle.
His well-trained gaze highlighted a special skeleton of a bicycle on a junk mountain, which was unlike any of those circulating in Greece. On the contrary, its shape referred to German military bicycles, the use of which was particularly extensive during the occupation.
The bicycle was taken by Mr. Asael, who discovered that it was actually a German Wehrmacht military bicycle and, during the quarantine period, rebuilt it piece by piece, giving a rare object a second chance at “life”.
Truppenfahrrad or Truppenrad, as these bikes are called, are now very rare, with their prices on various sales websites around the world “reaching” 2,000 euros, while their historical importance is even greater, as they are bikes that used the German army in great numbers, as they say, both in the reconnaissance units and in the supply units it had. In fact, in Greece, it is perhaps the only one, as Mr. Assael explains, since there is no information available about his colleagues.
“I have loved old things since I was little. From then on, I would go to Vardaris, behind the train station, to some recycling yards and look for old objects that interested me and always found something to do. When I went to Polytechnic in Munich, where I studied electrical engineering and economics, I found myself in a paradise time for historians and collectors, It was the time when the Germans had fun selling what they found in basements and attics for some brands, in open air markets free, the so-called Flohmarkt. I was very concerned with history. I discovered and studied various things, from manuscripts from Otto’s time to photographic archives of Nazi crimes in Greece. “I am one of the original managers of the FB team” Unknown Thessaloniki ” , which is the largest closed group in our city with 80,000 members and deals with its history, “says Assassel,” displaying “his love for APE-MPE objects that “carry” their own separate history.
In one of his many searches, he says, he saw the specific bicycle, which aroused his curiosity. “I know,” he says, “vintage bikes are rare in Greece. I took a closer look and realized that it was probably a European bike that had come here. I was unloaded from the junk mountain, I saw it and, From the knowledge that I have, I realized that it is military. It has characteristics that other bicycles do not have. The first thing I looked at was the lever on the steering wheel, that when you lift it, all the steering wheel comes out. They had this to be able to take the reins from trains, trucks, etc. “
“The bike was painted gray, both the steering wheel and wheels, and it also had a very large ding-dong bell. This was my first big surprise because when I started cleaning it, I saw that at the point on the bell, where the we push to make noise, there is the White Tower with the old Greek flag. “
Time went by and the bicycle stayed in the patio of Mr. Asael’s house, anxiously waiting for the moment when its owner found the time to deal with it. However, during all this time, the experienced collector did not sit idly by, instead collecting piece by piece, through online shopping or in old bazaars in Germany, all those elements that would make the bicycle take its former shape .
The forced stay at home due to the measures for the coroner, was the “window” moment that gave Mr. Assassel the opportunity to deal with the bicycle, which today has almost taken its final shape. “The quarantine arrived and, in the meantime, I had gathered everything I needed to complete it, all the pieces that were missing or had changed over the years. Here a part was collected, like the grill that is special military. I found the front brake, vertical in Germany, in an old bazaar, as well as the front wing, “says Mr. Assael and describes the process step by step:
“I dismantled it, got a multifunction machine with a metal brush, and cleaned it very gently. I was surprised when I found the stamps. I didn’t expect to find an appointment. I found the date” 1942 “and two stamps. One stamp is six digits, which It is the factory production and the other is four digits, which is the number they gave when ordering bicycles when they arrived in Greece. For example, 3,000 bicycles arrived and that was 2,399. There are others that I found. The trunk has a protrusion and It has been repaired. Someone died on that bike or was seriously injured. This must have been done during the Occupation because the crown was repaired and replaced by the front wheel. The rim is Italian for Beretta and the German axle. The rear wheel writes 1942 and It has the German eagle and the inscription “Deutsches Reichspatent”. When I got on the bike and the gray color came out, I found black underneath. They were all black bikes, military bikes, why not? they had to reflect nothing. Everything is black, even the spokes and wheels are painted black with oil paint or blackened. “
The only thing missing now on the bike, which belongs to the company “RECORD”, is its metal mark on the base of the steering wheel, which, however, managed to locate, via the Internet, Mr. Assael in Poland and soon he is expected to take this is his place. “The rarity of the bicycle is terrible. Also in Germany it is difficult to find such a bicycle,” explains Asassel, noting the importance of finding it in Greece. “It was reduced to ’42 during the Occupation and remained,” and that’s a lot. Weird because the Germans, leaving Greece, even brought bikes with them. As for using it from now on? “I will not release it. I will have it because every time you ride a bike and cross an uneven road, for example, it is like a hit,” says Mr. Asael. However, she claims that if the “Classic Bikers”, who helped her verify the “factory identity” of this rare bike, made a report, she would temporarily grant it for her needs.
Source: skai.gr
