Hindenberg: An Illustrated History

Sidney Allinson is a Victoria-based communications consultant, Canadian
news correspondent for Britain’s The Army Quarterly and Defence, and
the author of Military Archives: International Directory of Military
Publications and The Bantams: The Untold St

“It’s the worst tragedy in the history of the world ... Oh, the
humanity!” Those tearful words broadcast by radio newsman Herbert
Morrison to describe the destruction of the German airship Hindenberg on
May 6, 1937, remain to this day one of the most famous eyewitness
accounts of disaster. The crash not only caused 34 deaths: it also
brought to an abrupt end the era of airship travel, which is a shame in
many ways, as it had a good deal of advantages, not least being comfort
and economy. The author takes us back to the earliest days of
ballooning. A military observation flight aboard a crude “gasbag”
during the U.S. Civil War caught the imagination of a young German
aristocrat, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, inspiring him to visualize the
potential for airships that could carry passengers and freight over long
distances, and be uniquely effective in war.

After decades of struggle, the maiden flight of the first
“Zeppelin” came on July 2, 1900. Progress followed quickly after
that, and soon airships were providing regular passenger services all
across Germany and abroad. However, the era of the airship literally
crashed when the Hindenburg went down in flames in Lakehurst, New
Jersey, after a triumphant trans-Atlantic voyage.

The well-researched text and sheer volume of historical photographs,
plans, and color drawings attest to prodigious industry by the author.
There is such a volume of superlative illustrations and stunning
paintings that the author deserves a special award for collecting them.
Also, they are flawlessly reproduced on heavy high-quality paper, making
this an outstanding coffee-table book in the best sense of the term.
Highly recommended.