Zeppelin Hindenburg: An Illustrated History of LZ-129

by Dan Grossman, Cheryl Ganz, Patrick Russell

LZ129 Hindenburg was intended as the first of many German airships built for passenger, freight, and mail service between Europe and North and South America. Although most famous for her fiery crash on May 6, 1937, Hindenburg had completed 62 successful flights before the ship’s hydrogen lifting gas ignited while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Here three world-renowned Hindenburg experts have collaborated to create the definitive photographic history of the zeppelin. Gripping historical research is combined with a vivid selection of rare ephemera, rare photographs, and a fold-out section showcasing the ship's plans.

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2017

Reviews

[Ronald J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent pictorial history of the Hindenburg, including many photographs never published before. Of the 162 rigid airships launched between 1893 and 1938, 99 suffered a violent end (even those filled with helium, such as the US Navy’s Akron and Macon). Hindenburg competed with luxury liners, and one of the biggest differentiators was no seasickness (no passenger ever reported becoming seasick). Unlike in the movie The Hindenburg (1975), there is no record of any external repairs while in flight being conducted on the ship (though there were on the Graf Zeppelin). Dr. Hugo Eckner was one most popular people in the 1920s, after his successful flights to the USA and around the world in the Graf Zeppelin. He despised the Nazis, and there was even talk of him running against Hitler. During the 1936 season, the world’s first Catholic mass was performed in the air, by Father Schulte, who received a papal dispensation to perform the mass after assurances that the sacramental wine would not spill during the service.

The authors recount the very last flight on the ship, including never before seen pictures from some of the onlookers. Then they go through the question on everyone’s mind: Why? They debunk a lot of the more novel theories, such as sabotage, and the doping on the outer skin being highly flammable. Those are refuted conclusively. So is the Blau gas used in the Diesel engines theory. Leaked hydrogen from one of the gas bags, mixed with static electrical charge in the air because of thunderstorms is the most likely cause. After the disaster, in March 1940, the German government under Laftwaffe commander Hermann Goring ordered the dismantling of the LZ-127 (Graf Zeppelin), LZ-130 (Graf Zeppelin II, Hindenburg’s sister ship, which flew for the government but never with a paying passenger after the disaster; and LZ-131, then under construction (another sister to Hindenburg). The Zeppelin hangers Frankfurt were also destroyed. There are many other facts and pictures that even the most enthusiast student will learn from.

However, this is not what killed the airship. Arguably, that was the Macon crash off Big Sur in the Pacific in 1935, which was filled with helium. The Hindenburg was obsolete before it made its first flight, and the airship would have died with or without the disaster. Mostly because airplanes were getting better, faster, and safer. Nevertheless, the dream of airship travel stays alive. There's something wondrous about floating on a cloud in these giants. This is a worthwhile book for the collection of any airship fan.

[Lawrence Carrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent memoir of the airship Hindenburg, with tons of photos and anecdotes, focusing more on the design and what it was like to travel on it.
Two last chapters focus on the catastrophe and its aftermath.

Perfect book for anyone who wants to learn about zeppelins.