Comments on: The Hindenburg Disaster

By: Mike Ogden

Mike Ogden — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:31:23 +0000

How do I get permission to download the video of the Hindenburg crash for use in an illustrated talk about airships?

By: Kyle Tekaucic

Kyle Tekaucic — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:07:24 +0000

An excellent page, very informative. Although, to be honest, I thought you would also cover the proposed causes of the initial ignition point (like static electricity, sabotage, structural damage, etc.), debunking or providing support for them. Still, great page.

By: Hendrick Stoops

Hendrick Stoops — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:20:59 +0000

First, Really Great Page:) Second, I think one of the greatest misconceptions about airships is that the Hindenburg Disaster ended that era. The simple (if sad) truth is that airships were already on the way out, and though the crashes of the R101, Akron, Macon, and Hindenburg certainly didn’t help the Airship cause, and it is possible that they would have lasted a bit longer if the widely publicized Hindenburg disaster at Lakehurst had not occurred, or even if (as I heard someone say) had it occurred on a flight to Rio or over the Atlantic with no camera’s or radio reports, The farthest it might have gotten was the D-LZ 131 considering WW2 was only two and 1/4th years off. Interestingly, Dr Hugo Eckener himself said later in his life that “The airship has passed and the airplane has come. A good thing has been replaced by a better one.” That being said, I would still leap at the chance to see one of the big rigids “appear and melt away into the clouds as if returning to a dream it had come from” (again Dr. Eckener). Incidentally Dan,
Do you know where I could find designs for the LZ-128, 131 and also, would you happen to know what the name was to be for the D-LZ 131? Also, I think I remember something being said about the LZ134 and 135 in a book called “When giants roamed the skies” Apparently, hypothetically, they would have carried one hundred and fifty passengers.

By: Hendrick Stoops

Hendrick Stoops — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:00:48 +0000

Personally, I think the industry was destroyed, One because of the publicized disasters (today, people are afraid to fly in jets because disasters are publicized, not the millions of passengers safely transported daily) more importantly, the airplane was quickly becoming the larger transport (figuratively)

By: Hendrick Stoops

Hendrick Stoops — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:57:54 +0000

It will likely never be known 100 percent what caused the Hindenburg fire. The theory I personally agree with is described in Seconds from Disaster by NatGeo. However, unless (miraculously) evidence does come up to confirm it, I can’t say that it IS what happened.

By: Hendrick Stoops

Hendrick Stoops — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:52:27 +0000

More widely known as Herb Morisson. Interestingly, the reason his voice is so high (he was known for his deep voice) was because the recorder ran fast that day.

By: George F. Hope

George F. Hope — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:23:58 +0000

The painted skin did play one role in the disaster. It gave the inferno it’s spectacular orange colour while hydrogen burns with an invisible flame. A tv series called Seconds from disaster has an episode explaining the cause of the crash.

By: Elizabeth Bentele Lowe

Elizabeth Bentele Lowe — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:15:52 +0000

I am a cousin to Eugen Bentele. In 1972 I started researching my family genealoy.My Father had told me we had a family member on the Hindenburg. His parents emigrated from Germany in 1893.He served in WW1 in France. In the 30′s they had no contact with family after his Father’s death. I was at a model airplane craft store with my young son and I saw a list of the Hindenburg disaster. Eugen Bentele was listed so I wrote the author of the Hindenburg book,received a prompt answer and obtained Eugen address in Friedrichshafen. He was so helpful, we have a lot of pictures and he and his wife visited the US. My family visited him at the Hindenburg museum. He sent me a lot of family history, a clanbook, trees, etc. I found so many cousins of my paternal grandfather. I miss him. He wrote very interesting letters about his years with the crew, he was a mountain climber and a “trekker”. He spent many hours at the Museum there.

By: Dan (Airships.net)

Dan (Airships.net) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:44:51 +0000

Herbert Morrison

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:33:02 +0000

You don’t mention the name of the news reporter who was made famous by his commentary and “Oh, the humanity”. Who was he?