Attilio Gatti, an Italian, World War I army officer, author, film-maker and explorer first set out to explore Africa in 1924. By the time he set out for his “final expedition” in 1938 he had already led 9 previous expeditions, one of those resulting in the 1927 film Siliva the Zulu. It was because of these films, plus his adventure writings in magazines like the Saturday Evening Post that he was able to obtain financing to further his travels. Exploits if his 10th expedition were later published in 1945 as South of the Sahara.
For this expedition into to Africa Congo, International Harvester specially produced the “Jungle Yachts” which were trucks and truck/trailer combinations. The 5 vehicles combined traversed 66,000 miles, almost none of it on pavement, and only experienced minor breakdowns, totaling $38.00 in repairs.
To prevent the expedition from becoming a political nightmare, Gatti pulled his expedition out of Africa after only 15 months when WWII broke out
1938 International “Jungle Yacht” (D-15)
Engine Size: 232.65cid six-cylinder, L-head
Construction: 40’ overall stainless steel unit, 23′ trailer by Fleetwood
Equipment: Telephone, two-way radio, generators and extra fuel tanks.
