Bicycles, War, and F.U.B.A.R.: A Historical Perspective

F.U.B.A.R. is an acronym that commonly means "f**ked up beyond all repair," "or "f**cked up beyond all recognition."  It originated in the United States armed forces, but has spread to colloquial use.  Sometimes, the last word is "recovery," or "reconciliation," or "reason."  It is similar to S.N.A.F.U. which means, "situation normal, all f**ked up."  And, of course, when things aren't going very well, F.U.B.A.R. can easily become S.U.S.F.U which means, "situation unchanged, still f**ked up." 

American Bicycle Corps at Fort Missoula in 1897

The first use of the bicycle in combat was during the Jameson Raid (1895-1896) in which cyclists carried messages. In the Second Boer War (1899-1902) cyclists were employed primarily as scouts and messengers.



       Photo showing Italian Bersaglieri during
WWI with folding bicycles strapped
 to their backs. 1917


During WWI, bicycle units were made up of scouts, infantry, ambulance carriers and messengers.  In 1937, during the invasion of China by Japan, the Japanese employed over 50,000 bicycle troops.