The Zeppelin-Eckener Spende (Zeppelin Eckener Fund), which led to the construction of LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin, was launched 85 years ago today, on August 20, 1925.

Transatlantic zeppelin passenger service had long been a goal of Hugo Eckener and others in the Zeppelin Company.  The 1924 success of the airship LZ-126 brought the zeppelin back into the public eye and demonstrated the feasibility of a trans-continental passenger airship, but the Zeppelin Company was still struggling financially in the aftermath of World War I and could not afford to build a new passenger zeppelin.  Hugo Eckener and others hoped the answer could found in a new version of the “Miracle at Echterdingen,” in which the German people would contribute funds for the new zeppelin.

The Zeppelin-Eckener Spende was launched at an elaborate opening ceremony in Friedrichshafen, Germany on August 20, 1925, as part of the jubilee celebration of the 25th anniversary of the first zeppelin.

The Fund raised money through collection boxes and the sale of postcards, coins, unofficial stamps (called “cinderella stamps” by philatelists), and other trinkets and memorabilia, and with a series of lectures by airship officers Hugo Eckener, Hans Flemming, Hans von Schiller, Max Pruss, and Anton Wittemann.  (Many airship histories inaccurately include Ernst Lehmann in this list, but Lehmann was working in Akron, Ohio at the time, setting up the new Goodyear-Zeppelin joint venture; Lehmann remained in Akron until December, 1926.)

The Fund and German Nationalism

The official name of the fund was the Zeppelin-Eckener-Spende des Deutschen Volkes (the Zeppelin Eckener Fund of the German People) and Eckener appealed strongly to German nationalist sentiment to generate enthusiasm and support for the zeppelin.

A German Zeppelin! It will be real again! Give to the Zeppelin-Eckener-Fund!

Many Germans, who felt humiliated by defeat in World War I and by the harsh terms of the Versailles Treaty, had a hunger for national pride in the 1920s (an urge which also fueled much darker political forces), and Eckener sensed he could tap into that feeling to generate support for the zeppelin, which had traditionally been viewed as an inherently German achievement and icon.  Eckener believed the Zeppelin Company was a “national treasure,” and he argued that “a people must always be ready and capable of sustaining its spiritual and technological strength, lest it lose confidence in itself anf its future.”

A postcard issued by the Fund stated:

No genuine German will fail to contribute to save the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, no matter how small his gift.  Everyone must give something, so that the unity of our entire nation may be seen to hover in the skies above us!

Nor did Eckener limit his appeal to the political borders of post-WWI Germany; he also tapped into the nationalism of ethnic Germans in surrounding areas such as the Sudetenland (in western Czechoslovakia), East Prussia (in western Poland), and elsewhere.  Eckener harnessed those nationalistic feelings, which would be also used by more ominous political figures, to generate support for his airships, and Eckener and his fellow officers spoke to groups of ethnic Germans in Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

Opposition by the German Government

A Zeppelin over German lands. Do we want to give up forever? NEVER! Then you too should give to the Zeppelin-Eckener-Spende!

As expected, many Germans embraced Eckener’s call for a new zeppelin as a symbol of national renewal, and the Fund received popular support throughout the country.  But Eckener’s efforts were initially opposed by the German federal government in Berlin, which was in the process of negotiating with the Allies to relax the restrictions imposed under the Versailles Treaty (negotiations which would eventually lead to the treaties of Locarno).  In the midst of these negotiations, the last thing the German government wanted was to arouse bitter feelings among former enemies who still had fresh memories of the “baby killing” zeppelin raids of the Great War.

German government officials also opposed Eckener’s Fund for a more practical reason:  They feared that Eckener would not raise enough money to build the airship, but would raise just enough to compel the federal government to add funds of its own, which the German treasury could not afford.

The German federal and Prussian state governments were so opposed to the Fund that they officially discouraged it, and prohibited fundraising in government offices and schools.  But their reluctance was eventually overwhelmed by popular enthusiasm, and by Hugo Eckener’s tireless promotion of the cause, including his clever enlistment of support from the friendly state governments of southern Germany (the historic home of the zeppelin) and notable individuals such as Cologne mayor Konrad Adenauer.

A medal "For Service to the Zeppelin-Eckener-Fund," quoting a Goethe verse of defiance and willpower with the help of God.

The Results of the Fund

Financially the Fund was not a success in its own right; the campaign raised only 2-1/2 million of the 7 million marks needed for a new airship, confirming the fears of the German Finance Ministry, which felt obligated to contribute 1 million marks of public money to the project.  The remaining funds were provided by the Zeppelin Company itself from the profits of its non-airship manufacturing activities; in the face of mass public support for Eckener and his airships, Zeppelin Company director Alfred Colsman (who wanted to focus on the company’s other businesses) could hardly resist calls to bet the company by investing virtually all of its resources in the construction of a new airship.

Culturally and politically, however, the Fund achieved all of Eckener’s goals; it put the zeppelin back at the center of public attention, united Germans in support of the Zeppelin enterprise, and solidified Eckener’s personal power within the Zeppelin Company and as the leader of airship aviation.

The Fund’s greatest achievement, of course, was LZ-127 itself.

Principal Secondary Sources:

• Meyer, Henry Cord.  Airshipmen Businessmen, and Politics. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991.
• de Syon, Guillaume. Zeppelin! Germany and the Airship, 1900-1939. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.

August is the anniversary of Graf Zeppelin’s Round-the-World flight in 1929.

In honor of this anniversary, I have published a list of passengers and crew aboard the flight.

The flight was made in five stages:

Lakehurst – Friedrichshafen
August 7, 1929 – August 10, 1929
7,068 km / 55 hrs 22 mins

Friedrichshafen – Tokyo
August 15, 1929 – August 19, 1929
11,247 km / 101 hrs 49 mins

Tokyo – Los Angeles
August 23, 1929 – August 26, 1929
9,653 km / 79 hrs 3 mins

Los Angeles – Lakehurst
August 27, 1929 – August 29, 1929
4,822 km / 51 hrs 57 mins

Lakehurst – Friedrichshafen
September 1, 1929 – September 4, 1929
8,478 km / 57 hrs 31 mins

The Zep Diner, Los Angeles, 1931

The Zep Diner in Los Angeles, California was part of the airship craze of the 1920′s and 1930′s.

The Zep Diner, Los Angeles

The Graf Zeppelin visited Los Angeles during its 1929 Round-the-World flight, and the most famous American dirigible was the U.S.S. Los Angeles.

The Zep Diner was located at 515 W. Florence Avenue in Los Angeles, near the intersection with S. Figueroa.  The location is now the parking lot of a McDonald’s.

View Larger Map

On July 24, 1931, Graf Zeppelin began a seven day flight to explore the Arctic, and in honor of today’s anniversary I have prepared a detailed description of the Arctic expedition.

Read more about Graf Zeppelin’s Arctic flight of July, 1931.

Heinrich Kubis with passengers on LZ-120 Bodensee

Heinrich Kubis became the world’s first flight attendant in March, 1912, when he began caring for passengers and serving food aboard the DELAG zeppelin LZ-10 Schwaben.

Kubis served as chief steward on all the German passenger zeppelins that followed, including LZ-120 Bodensee (which made regularly scheduled flights between Berlin and Southern Germany in 1919), LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin, and LZ-129 Hindenburg.

Kubis worked alone on the early zeppelins, but there was an assistant steward and cook aboard the 20-passenger Graf Zeppelin, and a team of 10-15 cooks and stewards aboard the 72-passenger Hindenburg.

Heinrich Kubis (standing, dark jacket) in Dining Room of LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin

Kubis was in Hindenburg’s dining room when the ship burst into flame at Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937.  When the Hindenburg sank close enough to the ground, Kubis encouraged passengers and crew to jump from the windows and jumped to safety himself.  Kubis landed without injury and was not hurt in the disaster.

Kubis testified at the inquiry into the Hindenburg disaster and then returned to Germany, where he lived until his death in the 1970s.

Heinrich Kubis (standing, dark jacket) in Dining Room of LZ-129 Hindenburg

Years before heavier-than-air commercial airliners were large enough to accommodate stewards, and 18 years before Ellen Church of United Airlines became the world’s first stewardess, Heinrich Kubis was earning his living in the air as the world’s first flight attendant.

The Hindenburg is a 1975 film directed by Robert Wise about the German zeppelin Hindenburg and the Hindenburg disaster of May 6, 1937.

The basic plot of the movie — that the zeppelin was sabotaged by an anti-Nazi crew member — is entirely fictional, but the film’s detailed sets and its depiction of life on board the airship are remarkably accurate.

The movie was part of the 1970′s “Disaster Film” genre which included Airport (1970), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Towering Inferno (1974), and Earthquake (1974).  The Hindenburg follows the “Grand Hotel” formula, which involves a large cast of characters whose stories and subplots are revealed as the film moves toward a dramatic conclusion.  Most of the characters in the film are based on historical figures, who have been dramatized with considerable poetic license in some cases.

The Main Characters

Colonel Franz Ritter (George C. Scott)

Based on Colonel Fritz Erdmann

Fritz Erdmann | "Franz Ritter"

The character of Franz Ritter is based on Luftwaffe Colonel Fritz Erdmann, but unlike the fictional Ritter, there is no evidence that Col. Erdmann had any duties relating to security during Hindenburg’s last flight.  It was common practice for both German and American military officers to fly aboard Hindenburg to study flight operations, navigation procedures, and weather forecasting techniques, and there is no reason to believe that Erdmann had any other function during the flight.  (Erdmann was commandant of the aviation section of the German Military Signal Communications School, in Halle an der Saal, and was accompanied on Hindenburg’s last flight by two other Luftwaffe officers, Major Hans-Hugo Witt and Lieutenant Claus Hinkelbein.)

One incident in the film does mirror historical fact; shortly before departure, Erdmann did summon his wife to the ship for one final farewell.

Joseph Goebbels: “There is no resistance movement, Colonel!”
Colonel Ritter: “That’s reassuring… coming from the Minister of Propaganda.”

Ursula, the Countess (Anne Bancroft)

"Göring adores it"

Fictional Character

Some commentators have compared the Countess to passenger Margaret Mather, but there is little to connect the two women; the Countess was a sexy German woman traveling to visit her daughter, while Miss Mather was a sprightly but 58-year old American who never married or had children.  But both the fictional Countess and the real-life Margaret Mather escaped the disaster simply by walking down the passsenger boarding steps as the burning zeppelin reached the ground.

And in one other matter, the Countess was true to history:  Göring did adore it.

The Countess:  “Oh Franz… If I told you what was going on at Peenemünde...”

Karl Boerth (William Atherton)

Based on Erich Spehl

Erich Spehl | "Karl Boerth"

The most inaccurate and unfair portrayal of the film is that of “Karl Boerth,” who is based on rigger Erich Spehl.  The film, and the book on which it was based, depict Boerth/Spehl as a saboteur who caused the disaster.  In reality, there is not the slightest piece of meaningful evidence that Spehl was in any way responsible for the tragedy.

Karl Boerth: “My duty, Sir.”

Martin Vögel (Roy Thinnes)

Fictional Character

The fictional Martin Vögel is the villain of The Hindenburg; a Gestapo officer posing as the ship’s photographer.  Hindenburg did have a semi-official photographer aboard its final flight, a 28-year old photographer from Bonn named Karl Otto Clemens, who agreed to take publicity photographs for the Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei in return for half-price fare across the Atlantic.  But there is no reason to believe that the real Clemens was in any way associated with the Gestapo, or that would have needed cologne more than anybody else.

Martin Vögel: “I have a date with my little Jewish model.  I am curious to try one before they’re all gone.”

The Officers and Crew

Captain Ernst Lehman (Richard Dysart)

Historical Character

Captain Ernst Lehmann

Captain Ernst Lehmann was an experienced zeppelin commander who was aboard Hindenburg as director of the German Zeppelin Transport Company (Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei). But while the film portrays Lehmann as being hostile to the National Socialist regime (“Dr. Eckener and I are out of favor at the Chancellery”), the opposite was true, and the historical Lehmann was known for his cooperation with the Nazis.  Lehmann was named director of the Nazified Reederei because of his willingness to work with the Hitler regime, and he famously risked the safety of the Hindenburg to please the Nazis by making a propaganda flight in March, 1936.

The film’s Lehmann is on a mission to obtain helium, but the historical Lehmann somewhat arrogantly dismissed the need for helium, arguing, according to Zeppelin official Willy von Meister, that the Germans “have been operating our commercial service with hydrogen very successfully for years.”

Ernst Lehmann: “We’ve been in no danger. The ship is completely bonded together.”

Captain Max Pruss (Charles Durning)

Historical Character

Captain Max Pruss

Captain Max Pruss was in command of Hindenburg on the ship’s final flight. Like his character in the film, the historical Pruss was known for his sardonic and even sarcastic comments, but he was also admired for treating his subordinates with fairness and respect.

The film shows Pruss rejecting the advice and recommendations of the senior Lehmann (“I’ll do the worrying this trip, Captain”), but it is unlikely the real Pruss would have treated Lehmann so dismissively, and it is possible, in fact, that Pruss deferred significant operational control to Lehmann during Hindenburg’s ill-fated landing attempt at Lakehurst.

Max Pruss: “Thank you very kindly, I thought it was a Christmas tree.”

Dimmler (Rex Holman)

Historical Figure

Wilhelm Dimmler

There was an officer named Wilhelm Dimmler aboard the Hindenburg, but unlike his movie counterpart, the real Dimmler was an engineering officer who worked in the hull of the airship, and not a watch officer who worked in the control car as depicted in the movie.

Stewardess Imhoff (Betsy Jones-Moreland)

Historical Figure

Emilie Imhoff

Emilie Imhoff was the world’s first and only airship stewardess. She was probably located in the area of the B Deck passenger cabins at the time of the accident, and she was killed in the crash.

Rigger Knorr (Ted Gehring)

Historical Figure

"Ludwig Knorr"

The Ludwig Knorr of the movie is a depicted as a lower-ranking crew member, who is obsequious toward the ship’s officers (“Please forgive my appearance, Captain”), but the historical Ludwig Knorr was Hindenburg’s Chief Rigger and one of the most senior and respected members of the crew, having been a rigger since 1912.

The film’s Knorr has a knife with “a nick in the guard from that fight we got in in Shanghai when we went around the world in the Graf.” The real Knorr did, in fact, travel around the world in the Graf Zeppelin in 1929, but the ship never landed in China. (And as observant movie watchers will notice, it was the blade of the knife, and not the guard, which was lost.)

Knorr did participate in a dangerous, in-flight repair of a zeppelin’s covering as depicted in the film, but the incident took place aboard LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin in 1928, and not the Hindenburg in 1937.

Graf Zeppelin repair, 1928 | "Hindenburg repair, 1937"

Knorr: “Arrest me captain? Because my knife was borrowed?”

Cabin Boy

Based on Werner Franz

Werner Franz

Hindenburg did have a cabin boy to assist the stewards; 14-year old Werner Franz, who was almost trapped on the wreckage but miraculously survived the disaster when he was drenched by water from a broken tank or pipe above him.

The Passengers

The Breslau Family

• Albert Breslau (Alan Oppenheimer)
• Mrs. Mildred Breslau (Katherine Helmond)
• Valerie Breslau (Jean Rasey; on Twitter)
• Paul Breslau (Johnny Lee)
• Peter Breslau (Stephen Manley)

The Breslau Family: All-American and 1/4 Jewish

Based on the Doehner Family

• Hermann Doehner
• Matilde Doehner
• Irene Doehner
• Walter Doehner
• Werner Doehner

The Doehner Family: Germans in Mexico. Walter & Werner give the Hitler Salute.

The five members of the Breslau family seem to parallel the Doehner family, but while the fictional Mr. Breslau was an American with a Jewish grandmother (“Mrs. Milstein”), whose children were all “born in the States” (“A couple of cowboys,” as Col. Ritter calls the two Breslau boys), the Doehners were a Volksdeutsche (ethnic German) family living in Mexico who felt a close connection with their German homeland; home movies show the Doehner children giving the stiff-armed Nazi salute.

Mrs. Breslau:  “I still say the French Line has the best society.”

Joe Späh (Robert Clary)

Historical Character

The historical and fictional Spähs greeting their wives

Acrobat Joseph Späh, who performed under the stage name “Ben Dova” (it was a more innocent time), was returning to the United States with his Alsatian dog, Ulla.  Ulla spent the flight in a freight room toward the tail of the ship, and Späh’s unaccompanied trips through the hull to visit his dog caused Hindenburg Captain Max Pruss and Chief Steward Heinrich Kubis later to suggest that he might have been responsible for the fire, which began near Ulla’s cage.  Lakehurst commander Charles Rosendahl was also influenced by these suggestions, and encouraged the FBI to investigate Späh.  After an extensive investigation, the the FBI concluded there was no reason to believe Späh had anything to do with the accident, and of course Pruss, who commanded the ship, and Rosendahl, who recommended landing during electrically charged conditions, both had a strong personal incentive to blame the disaster on something other than their own decisions.

Joseph Späh: “Oh goody, we are going to play doctor.”

Edward Douglas (Gig Young)

Historical Character

Edward Douglas

The real Edward Douglas, like his movie counterpart, was an advertising man specializing in the automobile industry.  Douglas was based in Frankfurt as Director of European Operations for the McCann/Erickson advertising agency, where he worked for General Motors, but the movie’s subplot, involving coded telegrams and a race to beat a competitor to New York, was completely fictional.

Edward Douglas:  “Here’s my special pass”

Eliot Howell III (Colby Chester)

Based on Peter Belin Jr.

Peter Belin, Jr. | Eliot Howell, III

Ivy Leaguer Eliot Howell III is based on 24-year old Ferdinand Lammot “Peter” Belin Jr.  But while the real Peter Belin was a graduate of Yale, when Major Napier asks Eliot Howell if he will “defend the honor of Old Eli” by betting that Mr. Breslau’s pen will stand in the bar, Howell replies “It’s Harvard,” to which Napier guilefully replies: “the gentleman from Yale wagers $100.00!”

Emilio Pajetta (Burgess Meredith) and Major Napier (Rene Auberjonois)

Fictional Characters

Mr. Pajetta, Major Napier, and Colonel Ritter

Major Napier:  “Do you know this ruddy blimp is filled with hydrogen?”
Colonel Ritter: “I’ll make a note of that.”

Reed Channing (Peter Donat) and Mrs. Channing (Joanna Moore)

Fictional Characters

"Reed Channing" and Joseph Spah

Some commentators have seen a similarity between the Channings and real-life passengers Leonhard and Getrud Adelt, but other than being a husband-and-wife involved in a creative field, there is little similarity.  The Adelts were German writers and journalists; Leonhard had collaborated with Ernst Lehmann on his autobiography, and the Adelts were flying on the Hindenburg as guests of Captain Lehmann and the DZR.  The fictional Channings are a well-to-do American couple, and the husband is a theatrical producer.

In the film, Reed Channing plays the piano during an anti-Nazi concert with fellow passenger Joseph Späh.  While Hindenburg did carry an aluminum piano the previous year, the piano was not aboard the zeppelin during its last flight, and the concert, of course, was just a Hollywood device to make it more palatable for modern audiences to watch a movie set aboard a Nazi airship.

Reed Channing:  “OK… You’re the captain… you want a concert, I’ll give you a concert.”

Other Historical Characters

Dr. Eckener (Herbert Nelson)

Historical Figure

Dr. Hugo Eckener

Hugo Eckener was the internationally respected leader of the Zeppelin enterprise who, as depicted in the film, was known for his hostility to the Nazi regime.

The movie-Eckener claims he is out of favor with the Nazi government because he refused to name the airship after the Führer, but in fact Hitler never wanted the ship named for himself; he thought zeppelins were dangerous and did not want his name associated with an aircraft which might crash or burn.

Captain Fellows (Stephen Elliott)

Based on Charles Rosendahl

Charles Rosendahl | "Captain Fellows"

The character of Captain Fellows was based upon American naval officer Charles E. Rosendahl, the commanding officer of the Lakehurst Naval Air Station at the time of the Hindenburg disaster, who was still alive when the film was made in 1975.

Captain Fellows: “Flash red, dammit, flash red.”

In response to many reader requests, I have compiled lists of the officers and sailors aboard the last flights of U.S.S. Shenandoah, U.S.S. Akron, and U.S.S. Macon:

U.S.S. Shenandoah Crash: Officers and Crew

U.S.S. Akron Crash: Officers and Crew

U.S.S. Macon Crash: Officers and Crew

I have also posted a list of crew members who served aboard U.S.S. Los Angeles during 1931-1932:

U.S.S. Los Angeles: Officers and Crew

The Hindenburg's Piano (click all photos to enlarge). Photo courtesy Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik.

The Hindenburg featured the first piano ever to be carried on a passenger aircraft.

To meet the strict weight limits of a lighter-than-air dirigible, the Zeppelin company commissioned the renowned piano making firm of Julius Blüthner to create a lightweight aluminum alloy piano, and the Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik created a small grand piano that weighed only 162 kg (356 lbs).  The frame, rim, fallboard, and top lid were made of duralumin, and the legs, back bracing, and lyre were made of hollow duralumin tubing.

Associated Press reporter Louis P. Lochner, who was a passenger on Hindenburg’s maiden voyage to the United States, commented that the piano had a “particularly large and full tone” despite its aluminum construction.

Franz Wagner at Hindenburg's Piano, with Dr. Rudolf Blüthner-Haessler to his left in the corner, and Captain Ernst Lehmann to his right. Photo courtesy Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik.

The external appearance of the piano was designed by architect Fritz August Breuhaus, who was responsible for Hindenburg’s interior design and decoration. The piano was covered with pale pigskin, which was not only lightweight but also gave the piano a warm appearance that matched the tonal qualities of the instrument.

Lounge of the Hindenburg (left). Lounge under construction (right); Zeppelin chief designer Ludwig Dürr standing, at right of photo, Professor Franz Wagner at the piano, Captain Ernst Lehmann to Wagner's right

The piano was located in Hindenburg’s Lounge on A Deck, where it was frequently played by passengers and the ship’s musical captain, Ernst Lehmann, who had earlier entertained passengers on the Graf Zeppelin with his accordion.

NBC Radio broadcaster Max Jordan, with Franz Wagner at the piano. Photo courtesy Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik.

The Blüthner piano was a prominent feature of the Hindenburg’s first flight to America, during which Dresden pianist Professor Franz Wagner gave several concerts for the passengers, playing classical music by Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, and Brahms as well as popular music.

Also on the flight was Dr. Rudolf Blüthner-Haessler, of the Blüthner piano company, who was traveling to America with his company’s latest creation.

As the Hindenburg approached the coast of North America on the last night of the voyage, NBC radio reporter Max Jordan directed a live broadcast during which Professor Wagner played Schubert’s Serenade and Strauss’s Blue Danube, and accompanied Lady Suzanne Wilkins who sang “I’m in the Mood for Love.”

The piano also played a large role in the 1975 film “The Hindenburg” by director Robert Wise, which featured a satirical political concert by passenger Joseph Spah (played by Robert Clary) and a fictional character called Reed Channing (played by Peter Donat).

"The Hindenburg" (1975)

The concert was pure poetic license, and the piano was not even aboard the Hindenburg on the ship’s final flight.  The piano was removed before the beginning of the 1937 season and taken to the Blüthner factory, where it was placed on display.  The piano was destroyed in 1943 when the factory burned following an air raid during the Second Word War.

The author would like to express his deep appreciation to the Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik, and in particular to Ms. Carolin Voigt, for their assistance with this article.

Goodyear’s vision of the future of air travel.

Illustrations from the 1945 book WHY? Why Has America No Rigid Airships, written by Goodyear president Paul W. Litchfield and publicist Hugh Allen.

For more dirigibles that never came to be, visit Airships and Futurism.

Follow me at Twitter.com/Airships

In honor of tomorrow’s anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster on May 6, 1937, I have published the German Investigation Commission report (in English) into the cause of the disaster.

(I believe this is the first time the German Commission report has been made available to the public on the internet.)

Hindenburg Disaster Inquiry, May 27, 1937. Members of the German Commission are seated at the small table to the right.

The German Commission determined that the most probable cause of the accident was a hydrogen leak in gas cell 4 or 5 in the rear of the ship, perhaps through the tearing of a wire, through which hydrogen entered the space between the cells and the outer cover.

The Commission believed the hydrogen-air mixture was most probably ignited by a spark between the ship’s outer cover and its framework, created as a result of the differing electrical charge between the ship and the ground:

“After dropping of the landing ropes, the surface of the airship’s outer cover became less well grounded than the framework of the airship due to the lower conductivity of the outer cover fabric. At rapid changes of the atmospheric field, which are the rule during night thunderstorms and have also to be assumed in this present case, electric potential differences occurred between spots of the ship’s exterior and the framework.  In case these spots were sufficiently moist, which was especially probable in the region of cell 4 and 5 in consequence of the previous passage through a rain area, those differences could lead to equalization of tension by a spark, which possibly caused ignition of a hydrogen-air mixture present over the gas cells 4 or 5.”

A complete discussion of the Hindenburg Disaster is available here.

The report of the United States Commerce Department Accident Report is available here.

For a discussion of the discredited theory that the ship’s fabric covering rather than its hydrogen gas was the primary cause of the disaster, visit:

• Myths about the Hindenburg Crash: Rocket Fuel, Thermite, and Hydrogen
  

• Photographic evidence the Hindenburg’s covering was not highly flammable