Passengers and Crew of Graf Zeppelin’s Round the World Flight of 1929

A list of passengers and crew aboard the Round-the-World flight (Weltfahrt) of the LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin from August 7, 1929 to September 4, 1929.

Based on Max Geisenheyner’s Mit “Graf Zeppelin” um die Welt, with additional research.

PASSENGERS

Lakehurst-Lakehurst (the “American Flight”)

• Lady Grace Drummond-Hay (journalist for the Hearst organization)
• Robert Hartmann (photographer for the Hearst organization)
• William B. Leeds (American millionaire and socialite)
• Lieutenant Jack C. Richardson (U. S. Naval observer)
• Commander Charles E. Rosendahl (U.S. Naval observer)
• Karl von Wiegand (journalist for the Hearst organization)
• Sir Hubert Wilkins (Australian polar explorer; writer for the Hearst organization)

Friedrichshafen-Friedrichshafen (the “German Flight”)

• Heinz von Eschwege-Lichberg (journalist for Verlag Scherl, publisher of Die Woche)
• Lt. Col. Christof Iselin (Zurich, Switzerland)
• Max Geisenheyner (journalist for the Frankfurter Zeitung and Das Illustrierte Blatt)
• Gustav Kauder (journalist for Verlag Ullstein)
• Dr. Jerónimo Megías (personal physician to King Alfonso XIII of Spain)
• Heinz von Perckhammer (photographer for Verlag Scherl, publisher of Die Woche)
• Leo Gerville-Reache (journalist for Le Matin, Paris)
• Joachim Rickard (American-born journalist for Spanish newspapers; Madrid, Spain)
• Heinrich Seilkopf (meteorologist, Deutsche Seewarte)

LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin made “two” Round-the-World flights.  The trip’s American sponsor, William Randolph Heast, insisted that the flight begin and end in America, so the “American flight” began and ended at Lakehurst, New Jersey.  But Germans believed that their ship should begin and end its flight in Germany, and so the “German flight” was from Friedrichshafen-Friedrichshafen.

Some passengers were onboard only for particular legs of the flight:

Friedrichshafen-Tokyo

• Dr. Enti (journalist for the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, Tokyo)
• Professor Karklin (representative of the Soviet government)
• Lt. Cdr. Fujiyoshi (Head of Aviation for the Japanese Imperial Navy; representative of the Japanese government)
• ____ Kitano (journalist for the Asahi Press, Tokyo)

Tokyo-Los Angeles

• Lt. Cdr. Ryunosuke Kusaka (representative of the Japanese government; later an Admiral involved in the planning of the Pearl Harbor attack and the Battle of Midway)
• Major Schinichi Shibata (Japanese Army, representative of the Japanese government)
• Dofu Shirai (journalist for Nippon Denpo news service)

OFFICERS AND CREW

Commander:

Dr. Hugo Eckener

Navigation Department:

Captain Ernst A. Lehmann
Captain Hans Curt Flemming
Captain Hans von Schiller
Navigator Anton Wittemann
Navigator Max Pruss
Navigator Hans Ladwig
Navigator/Engineer Albert Sammt
Helmsman Knut Eckener
Helmsman Richard Mueller
Assistant Helmsman Kurt Schonherr
Assistant Helmsman Franz Bartschat
Assistant Helmsman Heinrich Bauer

Hans von Schiller, Ernst Lehmann, Hans Curt Flemming

Engineering Department:

Chief Engineer Wilhelm Siegle
Chief Rigger Ludwig Knorr
Engineer Karl Rosch
Engineer August Grozinger
Engineer Hermann Pfaff
Engineer Karl Beuerle
Mechanic Albert Thasler
Mechanic Oskar Rosch
Mechanic Adolf Wenzler
Mechanic Albert Leichtle
Mechanic Eugen Schauble
Mechanic Bruno Weber
Mechanic Martin Christ
Mechanic Josef Schreibmuller
Mechanic Richard Halder
Mechanic Wilhelm Fischer
Mechanic Raphael Schadler
Mechanic German Zettel
Mechanic Johannes Auer
Mechanic Wilhelm Dimmler
Mechanic Josef Braun
Electrician Philipp Lenz

Radio Department:

Chief Radio Operator Walter Dumke
Radioman Willy Speck
Radioman Leo Freund

Passenger Department:

Chief Steward Heinrich Kubis
Steward Ernst Fischbach
Cook Otto Manz

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