Only 36 passengers flew on Hindenburg’s first North American flight of 1937, far less than the ship’s 72-passenger capacity. (Although the return flight to Germany was sold out, largely to passengers who wanted to make a dramatic arrival in Europe before attending the coronation of King George VI on May 12th.)
The following information is taken from the Passenger Manifests submitted to the Philadelphia field office of United States Immigration and Naturalization Service. (For historical reasons, no corrections have been made; the information is presented exactly as it appears on the INS manifests, even if incomplete or known to be inaccurate.)
[A list of the officers and crew on the last flight can be found here.]* Indicates that the passenger died as a result of the crash.
Leonhard Adelt
Age: 55
Nationality: German
Occupation: Writer
Residence: Berlin, Germany
Birthplace: Germany
Languages spoken: German, English
Gertrud Adelt
Age: 36
Nationality: German
Occupation: Wife
Residence: Berlin, Germany
Birthplace: Dresden, Germany
Languages spoken: German, English
Ernst Rudolf Anders *
Age:
Nationality: German
Occupation: Merchant
Body returned S.S. Hamburg, 5/13/37
Peter Ferdinand Lammot Belin
Age: 24
Nationality: United States
Address: Washington D.C.
Birger Brinck *
Age:
Nationality: Swedish
Occupation: Writer
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Body returned S.S. Drottningholm, 5/15/37
Karl Otto Clemens
Age: 27
Nationality: German
Occupation: Photographer
Residence: Bonn, Germany
Birthplace: Bonn, Germany
Languages spoken:
Sailed S.S. Europa, 5/16/37, Tourist Class
(click to enlarge)
Hermann Doehner *
Age:
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Merchant
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Matilda Doehner
Age: 41
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Housewife
Residence: Mexico City
Birthplace: Argentina
Languages spoken: English, German, Spanish
Irene Doehner *
Age: 14
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Daughter
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Walter Doehner
Age: 10
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Son
Residence: Mexico City
Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Languages spoken: German, Spanish
Werner Doehner
Age: 8
Nationality: Mexican
Occupation: Son
Residence: Mexico City
Birthplace: Darmstadt, Germany
Languages spoken: German, Spanish
Burtis Dolan*
Age: 47
Nationality: United States
Address: 734 Kenesaw Terrace, Chicago
(click to enlarge)
Edouard Douglas*
Age: 39
Nationality: United States
Address:
Fritz Erdmann *
Age:
Nationality: German
Occupation: Colonel (German Air Ministry)
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Body returned S.S. Hamburg, 5/13/37
Otto Ernst *
Age: 77
Nationality: German
Occupation:
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Body returned S.S. Bremen, 5/22/37
Else Ernst
Age: 63
Nationality: German
Occupation: Housewife
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Moritz Feibusch *
Age: 57
Nationality: United States
Address:2601 Lincoln Way, San Francisco
George Grant
Age: 64
Nationality: British
Occupation: Agent
Residence: London, England
Birthplace: London, England
Languages spoken: English
Klaus Hinkelbein
Age:
Nationality: German
Occupation: First Lieutenant (Berlin, Air Ministry)
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Sailed S.S. Europa 5/16/37
(click to enlarge)
George Hirschfeld
Age: 35
Nationality: German
Occupation: Merchant
Residence: Bremen, Germany
Birthplace: Bremen, Germany
Languages spoken: German
Marie Kleemann
Age: 62
Nationality: German
Occupation:
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Erich Knoecher *
Age:
Nationality: German
Occupation: Manufacturer
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Body returned S.S. Hamburg, 5/13/37
William Leuchtenberg
Age: 64
Nationality: United States
Address: 2 West 86th Street, MNew York City
Philip Mangone
Age: 52
Nationality: United States
Address: 145 East 58th Street, New York City
Margaret G. Mather
Age: 59
Nationality: United States
Address: c/o Mrs. Louise Turner, Princeton NJ
Nelson Morris
Age: 46
Nationality: United States
Address: 38 Dearborn Street, Chicago
Herbert James O’Laughlin
Age: 28
Nationality: United States
Address: 91 Bonnie Brae, River Forest, Illinois
Clifford Osburn
Age: 40
Nationality: United States
Address: 400 West Madison, Chicago
John Pannes *
Age: 60
Nationality: United States
Address: 11 Woodland Drive, Plandome, L.I.
Emma Pannes *
Age: 56
Nationality: United States
Address: 11 Woodland Drive, Plandome, L.I.
Otto Reichhold *
Age:
Nationality: German
Occupation: Merchant
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Body returned S.S. Hamburg, 5/13/37
Joseph Spah
Age: 32
Nationality: German
Occupation: Acrobat
Residence: Douglaston, NY USA
Birthplace: Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorrain
Languages spoken: German
Emil Stoeckle
Age:
Nationality: German
Occupation: Employe
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Sailed S.S. Europa 5/16/37
Hans Vinholt
Age: 64
Nationality: Danish
Occupation:
Residence:
Birthplace:
Languages spoken:
Sailed S.S. Europa 5/16/37
Rolf von Heidenstamm
Age: 52
Nationality: Swedish
Occupation: Businessman/Chamberlain
Residence: Stockholm, Sweden
Birthplace: Paris, France
Languages spoken: Swedish
Hans Hugo Witt
Age: 36
Nationality: German
Occupation: Major (German Air Ministry)
Residence: Barth, Pomerania, Germany
Birthplace: Rostock, Germany
Languages spoken: German
Department of Commerce Inquiry
The following list of passengers appeared as part of the Accident Investigation report published by the the United States Department of Commerce in the Air Commerce Bulletin of August 15, 1937 (vol. 9, no. 2):
* Indicates those who died in accident.
Adelt, Gertrude Berlin, Germany
Adelt, Leonhard
* Anders, Ernst Rudolf, Dresden, Germany
Belin, Peter,Washington, D. C.
* Brink, Birger
Clemens, Carl Otto, Bonn, Germany
* Doehner, Hermann, Mexico City, Mexico
* Doehner, Irene
Doehner Matilda
Doehner, Walter
Doehner, Werner
* Dolan, Curtis, France
* Douglas, Edward, New York
* Erimann, Fritz
Ernst, Elsa, Hamburg, Germany
* Ernst, Otto C.
* Feibusch, Moritz, Lincoln, Nebraska
Grant, George, London, England
Heidenstamm, Rudolf von
Herschfeld, George, Bremen, Germany
Hinkelbein, Claus
Kleeman, Marie
* Knoecher, Erich, Zeulenroda, Germany
Leuchtenberg, Wm., New York
Mangone, Philip
Mather, Margaret
Morris, Nelson
O’Laughlin, Herbert
Osbun, Clifford, Chicago, U.S.A.
* Pannes, Emma, New York
* Pannes, John
* Reichold, Otto, Vienna, Austria
Spaeh, Joseph
Stoeckle, Emil
Vinholt, Hans, Copenhagen, Denmark
Witt, Hans
We’re any of the passengers famous? As in scientist or chemist? I thought I’d seen somewhere some were professionals.
I’d like to know that too. I was told that the Titanic and Hundengerg, happened for a reason. To cover something up. Or distract from something else going on? Sure would like to know it there were important people on it. Someone wanted gone, like on the Titanic. John J.… Read more »
I’d like to know, too, because in the famous radio broadcast, Herb Morrison mentions casually that “a number of notable personages are on board,” without giving any further details.
WAS anyone of any note aboard?
Actor and a boxer. Google it.
There is a typo in the second list which only contains the names. The List contains “* Angers, Ernst Rudolf, Dresden, Germany” but his family name was not Angers, it was Anders, as it is correctly mentioned in the list above. His heirs own a large factory that produces tea… Read more »
Thank you for finding that typo; it has been corrected. Thanks. 🙂
One of the Navy ground crew saw a large section of the rear canvas near the fin go into a rippling wave effect just before the first flame burst through. It’s in his testimony in the inquiry. Anyone know about his observation?
Two members of the U.S. Navy noticed the fluttering of the fabric; Lieutenant Richard W. Antrim discussed it on pages 676-679 of the transcript of the testimony, and Boatswain’s Mate R. H. Ward discussed it on pages 815-819.
I was watching PBS presentation on the Hindenburg and I had a question of how many people died and who they were this answered my question thank you very much
Looking for an AL P. & wife that may have been on this flight
Did any of you know this is related to Project Paper Clip, and Georgia Tann? Im a geneologist and have been working on this a long time. My gma delivered babies for Georgia Tann, but now I am finding out they were project paperclip children, being adopted back into their… Read more »
How was it related to Op Paperclip? Did that not start at the end of WWII?
Allison i am very interested in your findings. Please let me know how i can discuss this with you further. Thank you.
I’d love to know more Allison.
I have a postcard of the SS Europa which is signed by Fritz Deeg, Hinkelbein and I think L S Hindenburg. These three gentlemen went into my grandfather’s shop in Torquay, Devon, England when the SS Europa was visiting Torbay. I don’t know the date, only that my mother was… Read more »
“L S Hindenburg” stands for Luftschiff Hindenburg (i.e., Airship Hindenburg). “LS” for airships is like “SS” for steamships.
Hi,
Any relative to Hans Hugo Witt?
That would be great to connect, i would have a few questions, very important. Thank you.
They said Joseph Spah was going back and forth to feed his dog. Was the body of a dog ever found in the wreckage?
I believe that the dog actually survived
In the 1977 movie, Ulla survives but in reality she did not.
Both the dog and the Doehner daughter survive in the movie, but in reality, they did not.
According to all reports, there were 2 dogs on board. One survived, one did not.
The dog survived.
There were 2 dogs on board. One survived, the other did not.
I think one of the dogs name was Ulla
That is correct; Joseph Späh was traveling with his Alsatian named Ulla.
My Great Great Great Grandma Mather, Margaret was On the Hindenburg which really was shocking to me! so I was glad when she Survived.
Her story is very interesting. As the ship crashed to the ground, she had no idea which way to go, so she literally sat in a chair with all the panic and destruction going on around her. Finally, she heard a man calling to her from a few feet away.… Read more »