Triumph 3WH  1/9

The Triumph 3HW was a British motorcycle designed for military use during World War II. The first examples of this motorcycle appeared in 1939, and mass production began that same year. It is estimated that over 450,000 of this motorcycle were produced between 1939 and 1945, including those in the United States, making it one of the most produced Allied motorcycles during World War II.

The 3HW model was structurally based on a civilian motorcycle from the interwar period, the Triumph Company. At the outbreak of World War II, the British armed forces possessed a relatively large number of these motorcycles for their needs, but decided to use a different, more dynamic and less emergency engine as a powerplant – thus the 3TW model was created. However, the Coventry factory, which produced engines for the 3TW model, was nearly destroyed during a German air raid, forcing the installation of other engines on the motorcycles – thus the 3HW model was created. The new engine was a single-cylinder with a displacement of 342 cc and 17 hp. The use of lightweight metals was also limited during production of this engine, which had a positive effect on production costs. The British armed forces used the Triumph 3HW motorcycle primarily for communications, inter-unit communication, and relaying orders.