nuff said...one-speed, going into battle. I didn't see anything Shimano or Campy coming off the Brit landing craft at Normandy (mainly b/c I was born in 1968), but history shows they were SINGLE GEARED BIKES!
http://search.eb.com/normandy/pri/Q00279.html
also via Airborne (All the Way!):
http://www.geocities.com/britsatwar/...equipment.html
(scroll down a bit, under "BSA Airborne Bicycle")