BMW produced the highly reliable, capable and manoeuvrable R-71 beginning in 1938. It was a mainstay of the German motorcycle troops. The BMW R-75 began to be manufactured in 1941. The R-75 and it's close counterpart the Zündapp KS 750 featured the improvements of a heavier frame, greater horsepower, a driven sidecar wheel and a reverse gear. The BMW R-71, R-75 and Zündapp KS 750 were all used by the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe (and Fallschirmjäger) and SS. In 1939 the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact enabled the transfer of technology between Germany and the Soviet Union. As a part of this pact the manufacturing plans for the BMW R-71 were passed to the Soviet Union which began to produce a copy of the R-71 which is sold even today as the Ural. In the 1950's these plans were given to the Communist Chinese Government and China produces a copy marketed as the Chain-Jiang 750. music "Preußens Gloria" ("The Glory of Prussia" or "Prussia's Glory") was written in 1871 after the Kingdom of Prussia's victory in the Franco-Prussian War, which led to the unification of Germany. As part of the victory parade of the returning troops, the march was performed for the first time in public in Frankfurt (Oder), the base of Piefke's garrison. As Piefke only performed it on important occasions, the march was unknown to a broader public for a long time. In 1909 the manuscript of the almost forgotten tune turned up and was reworked by army-musical inspector Prof. Grawert. Shortly afterwards it was included in the collection of Prussian army marches. Today it is one of the best known German army marches. It is often played by the Bundeswehr on official ceremonies and state visits. It is also a standard tune in many international military bands. In Germany it is often played by non-professional bands due to its popularity. It has also been adopted by units in other armies, for example by the First Squadron, Honourable Artillery Company. The song is often played by marching bands in Northern Ireland. Also, it is played in the Militar Parades of Chile, performed by the Chilean Army. At the end of episode 3 of The World At War, the Fall of France, it is the music that is played over the newsreel footage of the German victory parade down the Champs-Élysées. BMW was established as a business entity following a restructuring of the Rapp Motorenwerke aircraft manufacturing firm in 1917. After the end of World War I in 1918, BMW was forced to cease aircraft-engine production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty.[5] The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923, once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted,[6] followed by automobiles in 1928--29.[7][8][9] The first car which BMW successfully produced and the car which launched BMW on the road to automobile production was the Dixi, it was based on the Austin 7 and licensed from the Austin Motor Company in Birmingham, England. BMW's first significant aircraft engine was the BMW IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, much preferred for its high-altitude performance.[10] With German rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. Among its successful World War II engine designs were the BMW 132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet, which powered the tiny, 1944--1945--era jet-powered "emergency fighter", the Heinkel He 162 Spatz. The BMW 003 jet engine was tested in the A-1b version of the world's first jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262, but BMW engines failed on takeoff, a major setback for the Emergency Fighter Program until successful testing with Junkers engines.[11][12] Towards the end of the Third Reich BMW developed some military aircraft projects for the Luftwaffe, the BMW Strahlbomber, the BMW Schnellbomber and the BMW Strahljäger, but none of them were built.

• published: 12 Jan 2014
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