The role of the Kraftrad (motorcycle) in the German military at the time of World War One was primarily as a dispatch vehicle as it could go on small roads, bypass traffic jams and they were also faster than most other means of transport at that time. Motorcycles could also be used for scouting road conditions in front of truck columns, and serve as emergency transport. As with passenger cars, there were no military-type Kraftrader in the German Army at the outbreak of war. All came from impressed civilian stocks. Heeresmodelle (army models) of motorcycles began to appear from 1915-16.
