The Iron Dobbin was a mechanical horse which was first described in Popular Science Monthly in April 1933.[1] The machine, designed by an Italian inventor, was powered by a gasoline engine and moved upon steel pipes allowing it to traverse a rough field.[1] The device was to be used to train the youth of the Gioventù Italiana del Littorio to ride, but was rejected by the Italian military as impractical.[2]
The German military, after seeing the Iron Dobbin in Popular Science, designed the Panzerpferd for their Gebirgsjaeger troops, which was also rejected.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Bonnier Corporation (April 1933). Popular Science Monthly. Bonnier Corporation. p. 46. ISSN 0161-7370. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- ^ a b Keller, Jared (May 22, 2011). "Old, Weird Tech: Fascist Italy's Mechanized Horse". The Atlantic. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
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