A great film of LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin at low level. I still can’t get over what it must have been like to see one of these ships close-up:
My thanks to the ever-enthusiastic Milan Zivancevic for letting me know about this video.
You’re the best, Milan!
How much do you think it did cost to build and furnish a huge airship like that?
What a sinister-looking child in the opening seconds! Why were he and the other children looking away from the ship? Great addition to a great website, however. Many thanks to Milan and, as ever, to you, Dan.
My guess is that the footage was taken by the father of the boy, as in pretty much every shot you have the kid in front of the zepp.
I seem to recall reading somewhere that LZ 130 did get some time in helping with some radar and other research projects in development, for Luftwaffe, and so forth. But don’t now how correct that is. Seems like the airship would’ve been extremely useful for parachute training/classes, sailplane training/classes/launches, and such. I guess aluminum was in short supply and big demand.
Just such a magnificent craft! -All of them! Sad a this wonderful and fascinating industry can be so negatively stigmatized so effectively. Thanks for making this film available!
Just a little point of accuracy. The Graf Zeppelin was LZ-127 christened 7/8/28. LZ-128 was to be a ship larger then the Graf but, after the disaster of the British R-101, It was never built. The next in line was LZ-129 Hindenburg (first flight 3/4/1936). LZ-130 was being built at the time of the Hindenburg disaster and was christened “Graf Zeppelin II” on 11/4/38. It was only flown around Germany as a Nazi propaganda instrument. In the spring of 1940 both the LZ-127 and the LZ-130 were broken up for their aluminum to be used for aircraft production thus ending the age of the zeppelin. If anyone wants to read an excellent history of The zeppelin, I highly recommend the book “DR. Eckener’s dream Machine” by Douglas Botting.
While Botting’s book is an enjoyable read it is peppered with inaccuracies and should not be relied upon for factual information. And just a small correction; LZ-130 was not “Graf Zeppelin II,” but simply “Graf Zeppelin.” People often add “II” or “2” to distinguish LZ-130 from LZ-127 but both ships actually bore the same name.
Hi Dan. Could you point out some of the inaccuracies in his book so I don’t trip over them.
Hi! I am Thomas Kuenzl from Germany. I manage the archive of the City of Bad Neustadt (Germany). We post the movie of LZ 130 last week. For more information feel free to contact me 🙂
Thank you so much for posting that rare video, mr. Kuenzl. As you can see, it was pretty quickly discovered. 😉
This looks like the airship that I saw over Stuttgart, Arkansas in 1938. I was a small child but it was such an impressive sight that I still remember it pretty well. I remember that the four redial engines were exposed with no covering. I was too young to know that they were called redial engines, but since I have studied aircraft for most of my life, I learned that later (I am a private pilot). It looks very like the one that I saw, but I don’t remember any German markings on the airship. I wish that someone could help me identify what I saw. Thanks, Sam at 228-832-1883 in Gulfport, MS
You mentioned you wondered what it was like to see one of these guys in the air, actually close up, well, I can’t help you with close up, but I do remember seeing the Hindenburg flying over New York heading out to sea. I was a wee lad at the time so you have to bear that in mind. Also I’m assuming it was in 1936 and heading to Germany if it was heading out to sea, and since it was a clear sunny day when I was playing in a field, it was unlikely it was part of its last trip.
I lived on Staten Island at the time, playing with a friend up on Horseman Hill, and we looked up to see this great silver cigar floating majestically in the air. My friend who was always smarter than I, said, look, it’s the Hindenburg. We watched it fro some minutes, and I remember seeing the big swastikas and the other thing was hearing the roar of the engines, almost like we could feel the vibration. Probably wouldn’t have hear them aboard, I guess, but they stick in my memory. One other things about this is I was born in thirty-one so I couldn’t have been than five at the time which at this end of my life make me a little suspicious, however I can also see the city behind it, Empire State Building far off, the Statue of Liberty New Your Harbor, on a day before smog and carbon dioxide cluttered up the soup.
However, after a few minutes of watching the ship, something more extraordinary drew our attention away from it, being kids, our imaginary pirates were attacking and required our flashing sword play to keep them at bay. We did it magnificently.
Hope this memory help your revery.
Peter
You may cut out the below from the response, if you wish, but here is a first draft excerpt from Spyglass House, Up in the Air, my twelfth novel I hope to finish by the summer. I wanted part of the novel to describe a trip aboard the airship where it didn’t burn and crash.
We continued up past the third floor to the square cupola, glassed in, and looked out on the New York harbor. The fall foliage more pronounced here with the sun higher up and the wide panoramic scene of the Statue of Liberty off to the left, the city before us with the Empire State Building topping the skyline, and a narrow stretch of water separating us from Long Island before it opened to the sea. Ships and sea liners heading in and out, tugs taking them in tow, but however impressive that was, it paled in comparison to what floated high above it.
A big silver cigar, glaring in the morning sun, took up a big hunk of sky, seemingly to defy gravity as it floated majestically into the harbor, an imperious queen the size of four or five ocean liners rolled into one. A small cupola hung underneath near the front. The aft end formed into four fins to keep it on the straight and level, like the feathers of an arrow, with big black, white and red swastikas painted on it.
“Holy cow.” Jason pointed at the dirigible. “There’s the Hindenburg.”
“I thought–” I started to say, ‘didn’t the Hindenburg crash and burn in 1937, but here is this alternative world it was obviously still plying the skies in 1938.
“Know how much it is to travel on that?” Jason asked. “More than seven hundred bucks. You could buy a new car for that.”
“It’s impressive for the sheer size of it.”
“Yeah, that’s why Schicklgruber wants it to fly in over the city before turning south to Lakehurst. He wants everybody to see the big swastikas on the back.”
Dan,
What a great surprise to see these wonderful images of the D-LZ 130. Considering the age of the film, the images appear to be 1st generation or close to in quality. After all these years since then, this find is encouraging, suggesting that there’s more out there, still awaiting discovery? Truly a marvel of all time. Thank you for sharing this treasured piece of aviation history for all to enjoy, -John
Oh wow! Now that is just incredible. Gorgeous ship. Even on video, I was completely overtaken with awe. Thank you both so much for sharing this.