The History of Scooters

The world's first motorcycle that approached a scooter appeared in 1911, invented by the Dutch. Compared to those riding straddle motorcycles, scooters make passengers feel more comfortable, as they can hold their legs together like driving a car. Interestingly, at the beginning, there was a car steering wheel in front of the scooter body. If the motorcycles made in Germany resemble carriages, then the scooters made by the Dutch look like two wheeled cars.
After being in the Netherlands, Americans also manufactured a new type of scooter. Its breakthrough design was to remove the bicycle like beam and significantly reduce the overall body height. The drawback was that its tires were too small. However, in the early 20th century, scooters with simple structure and strong practicality were very rare. This type of car was not only produced in the United States, but also in Germany.
The emergence of scooters is a revolution, with advantages that cross cycling cannot replace, especially for women, this type of transportation is extremely convenient. In the 1930s, many countries in Europe began to produce this new type of vehicle, and Italy was the one that brought scooters to a climax. This is not because Italian women prefer mechanical transportation, but because of war. That was during the Second World War, Italy designed foldable scooters specifically for airborne soldiers. These scooters could be folded and were very small, allowing soldiers to carry them with them.
Scooters in War
1、 Kashmann
In war, airborne troops have always had a high casualty rate. After parachute landing from the air, airborne troops often find it difficult to quickly assemble into a regular formation, resulting in many paratroopers often facing the danger of fighting alone. In order to solve the problem of paratroopers quickly gathering at designated locations after landing, the US military urgently needs a new type of transportation - folding scooters.
When it comes to this type of car, one has to say Charlie Armon. In 1914, at the age of 27, Charlie Amon formed the Iz Manufacturing Company with his father in David City to produce underground pipeline propulsion devices. In 1923, Amun acquired the Yale Hopwell Company located in Lincoln City. The arrival of the Great Depression gave Izz Manufacturing a rare opportunity to acquire Kashmann Company at a low price. Afterwards, Kashmann officially became the name of the new company.
Kashmann Company discovered that the market prospects for scooters were enormous, so in October 1936, Kashmann Company produced the first prototype scooter and prepared for mass production. The first scooter produced by Kashmann was Type 1-1, followed by Type 1-2, and so on. The initial price of the scooter was between $132 and $140. Later, various models of scooters were developed, including cargo delivery vehicles and some three wheeled scooters. The Kashman scooter is very popular in the market, but its truly prominent reputation still comes from the smoke of World War II.
The outbreak of World War II prompted Americans to pay more attention to the production of military equipment. After discovering the difficulty of rapid assembly of paratroopers after landing, they began to seek new means of transportation. Although a jeep is a good choice, it cannot be dropped by parachute, and the US military urgently needs a small vehicle with a simple structure and light weight for single riders. Under such requirements, scooters have become a very good choice.
Kashmann Company has produced over 15000 two wheeled and three wheeled scooters for various US military units, which are widely used in various US military camps, bases, and ports. Especially for the needs of airborne soldiers, Kashmann Company has specially produced airborne scooters for them. This type of scooter is the Kashman 53 scooter, which is slightly heavier than ordinary scooters and has a total weight of about 116 kilograms. It can be transported by plane or directly dropped with paratroopers through a parachute. The car is equipped with a circular device for fixing the parachute, and there is also a small towing hook at the rear that can be used to tow small trailers. The maximum speed of the Kashman 53 scooter reaches 64 kilometers per hour, which is particularly important for paratroopers who urgently need to form a group combat capability. The Kashman 53 scooter features enlarged transmission gears and is made of sturdy metal welded together. The Kashman 53 has a rugged design and a simple and clear style. The entire body is a welded frame of steel pipes and steel plates, with the engine located below the seat and the cylindrical fuel tank horizontally above the rear of the engine. The entire body can withstand severe air drop impacts and bumps. In actual combat, some paratroopers were shocked to find that some scooters could still drive even though their frames had already deformed.
From 1942 to 1945, Kashmann Company produced a total of 3734 Kashmann 53 scooters. The vehicle was welcomed by the military, and in addition to being widely used by paratroopers, the Kashman scooter was also distributed to messenger soldiers and middle and lower level military and naval officers in the second line area. Until the war, Kashmann Company continued to produce the car and renamed it "Kashman Eskimo".
It is worth mentioning that during the war, Kashmann Company was also one of the three largest manufacturers of bomb fuses (shell and bomb initiation devices) in the United States. Throughout World War II, it manufactured over 8.5 million fuses for the US military and was praised by the US Army and Navy for its huge production and excellent product quality.
After World War II, Kashmann also produced three wheeled electric golf carts and mail delivery vehicles. Although the era of Kashman scooters is gone forever, people will never forget those Kashmans who were dressed in military green and ancient spirit.