This sort of thing is normal for Northern Europe :laugh_at:
What is often forgotten 70 years on is how culturally similar all the Northern European nations were – even in the run up to WW II. The designs for military uniforms, firearms and for that matter bicycles were to a great extent common across the continent, although each nation made their own alterations. The Germans did nick a load of bikes from border areas such as Groningen during WW II -these where given to the officers of the Army.
some versions of the Westerwald-lied have soldiers singing
O, du schöner Westerwald,
“Schmeißt den Spieß vom Fahrrad!”
(Knock Sarge off his bike!) – although he wouldn’t necessarily have had it much easier than the soldiers as unlike NL there are hills, and these bikes had thin tyres and often no gears.
After the war the Germans adapted the Dutch designs using smaller 650c (similar to modern 26″ but not exact same dimensions) instead of 700c wheels, adding either hub gears or the French type of gearing etc but preserving such useful things as lights, mudguards and racks. These were imported to USA as “cruisers”. the designs further modified and became todays mountain bikes (in Germany you still get them with the sensible additions of mudguards and luggage racks). Todays e-bikes are mostly based on these German designs.
Today there are “peace bridges” between NL and DE and tracks which just go straight across the two nations but you must still watch out for goose-stepping geese!
