I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937
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Was Germany’s leader Adolf Hitler really dangerous and evil?
Yes.
Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany in 1933, and almost right away he began building up Germany’s army and military might. In 1939, German armies invaded Poland, which started World War II.
Between 1939 and 1945, World War II engulfed Europe and much of the world. It involved more than one hundred countries. America entered the war in 1941 and joined forces with France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and other countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and China. This “team” became known as the Allied Powers. (The same term was used in World War I.) The Allies fought against Germany, Japan, and Italy, the main countries among the Axis Powers. The Allied Powers won.
This war that Hitler started killed more than sixty million people, including more than 400,000 American soldiers.
In the years before and during World War II, Hitler also planned and carried out one of history’s most evil crimes — the murder of more than six million Jewish people, plus hundreds of thousands of gay people, Roma, and others. This is known as the Holocaust.
Did the Americans really refuse to sell helium to Germany for the Hindenburg?
Yes. Many people in the United States were convinced that Hitler was plotting a war and were worried that the Germans could use helium for military purposes. It’s also true that Germany used zeppelins for bombing missions in World War I (which, in 1937, was known as the Great War).
Is it possible to fly on a zeppelin today?
Actually, you can. The Zeppelin NT takes tourists on short sightseeing trips around Germany. The flights take off from the Hindenburg’s airfield, near Frankfurt. Tickets are roughly $200 for children.
But some people want to bring helium-filled zeppelins back for long-distance travel. Why? Because zeppelins create far less air pollution than jets. In fact, a zeppelin flying from New York City to London puts 90 percent less carbon dioxide into the air than a jet airplane.
Sure, the trip would take much longer than on a commercial jet. But think of the beautiful views!
More Hindenburg Facts:
• SIZE: 803.8 feet long, 80 feet shorter than the Titanic (and about double the length of a football field). It is still the largest object ever to fly.
• WEIGHT: Fully loaded, 540,000 tons. It could carry 500,000 pounds.
• COST: In 1937, a one-way ticket from Europe to America cost $450, equivalent to about $7,000 in today’s dollars.
• DISTANCE TRAVELED: The trip from Frankfurt to Lakehurst, New Jersey, was about four thousand miles.
• TIME TRAVELED: Three days. The trip was supposed to take two and a half days. But strong headwinds over the Atlantic and storms along the American coast ended up delaying the airship by twelve hours, a delay that was highly unusual for the Zeppelin Company.
• SPEED: The average cruising speed was 76 mph. Maximum speed was 84 mph.
• PASSENGERS and CREW: The Hindenburg had enough cabin space to carry about 70 passengers; there were only 36 on board on its last voyage, plus 61 officers and crew members.
• CARGO: In addition to carrying passengers across the Atlantic Ocean, the Hindenburg carried cargo. During its 1936 voyages, it carried cars, a horse, and an antelope for the Cincinnati Zoo.
Want to learn more? Here are some amazing resources to explore.
Airships.net
If you want to take an amazing journey through the history of airships and the Hindenburg, this incredible website is for you. Its creator, Dan Grossman, would be flattered to be called the biggest zeppelin geek in the world. His site includes a dizzying amount of information about airships from history and today.
Books
The Disaster of the Hindenburg, by Shelley Tanaka, Toronto, Canada: Madison Press, 1993
Tanaka is one of the best authors of narrative nonfiction I have ever read, and her book interweaves the story of the disaster with that of the Hindenburg’s cabin boy, Werner Franz, and a passenger, Irene Boehner. Irene was sixteen at the time and traveling with her parents and two younger brothers. Franz survived the disaster, but Irene did not.
Inside the Hindenburg, by Mirielle Majoor, illustrations by Ken Marschall, New York, NY: Little, Brown, 2000
The information in this book is great, but what will dazzle you are the stunning illustrations. Ken Marschall is a talented artist who also lent his creative powers to beautiful books about the Titanic. You will feel like you are walking inside the zeppelin.
The Mzungu Boy, by Meja Mwangi, Toronto, Canada: Groundwood Books, 2006
To imagine Hugo and Gertie’s life in Kenya, I read many books about white settlers who lived in Africa in the 1920s and 1930s. But my favorite was this novel for kids your age.
And also:
Two of my I Survived books focus on this time period surrounding World War II:
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
Books and Videos:
Camera Trails in Africa, by Martin Johnson, Torrington, WY: The Narrative Press, 2001
The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood, paperback reissue, by Elspeth Huxley, New York, NY: Penguin Classics, 2000
The Great Dirigibles: Their Triumphs and Disasters, rev. ed., by John Toland, Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1972
Hindenburg: An Illustrated History, first American ed., by Rick Archbold, illustrations by Ken Marschall, New York, NY: Warner Books, 1994
Hindenburg’s Fiery Secrets, documentary DVD, Washington, DC: National Geographic Video, 2010
“I Was on the Hindenburg,” by Margaret Mathers, Harper’s Magazine, November 1937, 590–595
Lighter than Air: An Illustrated History of Balloons and Airships, by Tom D. Crouch, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009
Transatlantic Airships: An Illustrated History, by John Christopher, Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press, 2010
West with the Night, second ed., by Beryl Markham, Berkeley, CA: North Point Press, 2013
Lauren Tarshis’s New York Times–bestselling I Survived series tells stories of young people and their resilience and strength in the midst of unimaginable disasters. Lauren has brought her signature warmth and exhaustive research to topics such as the September 11 attacks, the destruction of Pompeii, Hurricane Katrina, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, among others. Lauren lives in Westport, Connecticut, and can be found online at www.laurentarshis.com.
Text copyright © 2016 by Lauren Tarshis
Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Scholastic Inc.
Frontispiece photo of the Hindenburg © Popperfoto/Getty Images
Photo of the Hindenburg above More Hindenburg Facts © STR/AP Images
Photo of the author by David Dreyfuss
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First printing, March 2016
Cover art by Steve Stone
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
e-ISBN 978-0-545-65851-5
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