A vintage motorcycle will be among the World War 2 vehicles recreating the famous military run for Berlin which took place in late March 1945.

The Army's 83rd Infantry Division of World War II, renowned as the Thunderbolt Division, will recreate its most famous lightning-fast maneuver when it holds its 62nd annual reunion July 30-Aug. 3 at the Hotel Carlisle and a a Military Police Harley Davidson WLA motorcycle will make an appearance.

World War II veterans of the 83rd and many descendents and friends of Division members will recreate what war correspondents described as the "Rag Tag Circus." After receiving orders in late March 1945 to turn east from Germany's Ruhr River and race toward Berlin, the Division commandeered anything on wheels (and sometimes hooves) from the surrounding German countryside and made an incredible dash across northern Germany. In a span of only 13 days, the Thunderbolts fought their way across 280 miles of northern Germany as unit after unit within the 83rd leap-frogged and flanked one another to continuously press the attack east, outracing armored units to the Elbe River. There, the Division fought their way across the Elbe on April 13, 1945 -- the sole Allied crossing into the Eastern European theater -- and to within 40 miles of Berlin. Immortalized in The Last Battle by Cornelius Ryan, author of the books, The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far, the "Rag Tag Circus" was labeled by Army Lt. General Raymond S. McLain in a recommendation for the Presidential Unit Citation as an "advance ... the speed of which has seldom, if ever, been equaled."

Harley-Davidson began producing the WLA in small numbers in 1940, as part of a general military expansion. The later entry of the United States into World War II saw significantly increased production, with over 90,000 being produced during the war. Harley Davidson would also produce a close WLA variant for the Canadian Army called the WLC and would also supply smaller numbers to the UK, South Africa, and other allies, as well as filling orders for different models from the Navy and Marine Corps. It was based on an existing civilian model, the WLD, and is of the 45 solo type, so called due to its 45 cubic inch engine and single-rider design.

Re-creation of the event on Saturday, August 2, will entail a five-mile convoy from the Hotel Carlisle to the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. The convoy will begin at 10:30 a.m. when 83rd veterans will mount restored World War II vehicles in front of the hotel and pose for photos. The convoy will depart the hotel at 10:50 a.m. and re-enact the "Rag Tag Circus" for the five-mile journey to the U.S. Army Carlisle Barracks Post Exchange Complex. WWII vehicles scheduled to participate are a Military Police Harley Davidson WLA motorcycle, a Willys MB 1/4-ton jeep, a Dodge WC 52 3/4-ton Weapons Carrier, a "captured" German Ford troop truck, a GMC 21/2-ton hard cab truck, a "captured" German Kubelwagon, and leading the column will be "Mickey," a restored Willys jeep, owned by WWII re-enactor and history teacher Jim Swope of Reading, PA, which actually was assigned to the 83rd Division and utilized in the drive toward Berlin.

Image of WLA from US Army Manual
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At approximately 11:30 a.m., a small ceremony will recognize the achievements of the "Rag Tag Circus" and the Division's only known surviving "mechanical veteran." Members of the 83rd Division will then sign their names on "Mickey" which now serves as a rolling 83rd memorial in parades and museum/school events as part of the Archbury Foundation's mission to Preserve and Present the American Experience from 1935-45.

The incredible drive to the Elbe bridgehead and beyond earned Division members 289 Bronze Stars, 132 Silver Stars, 1 Distinguished Service Cross and 1 Legion of Merit, but ironically no Presidential Unit Citation -- despite documentation found in the National Archives noting that Army Commander Lt. General W.H. Simpson had formally recommended the Division for the honor. Sen. Arlen Specter recently submitted his second application to the Army's Military Award Branch to recognize the Division, which was de-activated after World War II. The last remaining 83rd veterans continue to wait for a response.

The 83rd engaged in 270 days of combat during World War II, with their tour of duty beginning in June 1944 at Omaha Beach and ending in April 1945 when it met allied Russian troops near the 83rd's Truman Bridge over the Elbe River at Barby, Germany.

The Division lost 2,850 killed in action, suffered 15,013 battle casualties, and captured 82,000 prisoners in campaigns at Normandy, Brittany, Luxemburg, the Hurtgen Forest, the Ardennes Forest (the Battle of the Bulge), along the Rhine, in the Harz Mountains of Germany, and along the Elbe.

The 83rd Infantry Division Association is a non-profit organization, based in Alton Bay, NH, dedicated to honoring the men who served in the Division during World War II. The organization has 680 members. Known initially as the OHIO Division and later as the Thunderbolt Division, the 83rd Infantry was first deployed in World War I and was deactivated after World War II. The Division's insignia, a graphic representation of the word O-H-I-O, reflects the home state from where the Division's original ranks were raised.

And a historical footnote: Members of the 83rd Division who fought on the east side of the Elbe River were technically the only American troops to fight on the Eastern Front. The 83rd Division eventually met Russian troops advancing east in late April 1945.