Hindenburg: The Untold Story
Encyclopedia
Hindenburg: The Untold Story known in Germany
as Das Geheimnis der Hindenburg (The Secret of the Hindenburg) and Die Hindenburg: die ungeklärte Katastrophe, is a two-hour docudrama
about the disaster of the Hindenburg
, and the investigation that followed. It aired on May 6, 2007 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the disaster. It was commissioned by Channel 4
, ZDF
, and the Smithsonian Networks
to be produced by Pioneer Productions
and has also aired on Discovery Channel Canada
. Its original working title was Hindenburg and is also known as Hindenburg: Titanic of the skies (which should not be confused with Titanic of the Sky, a different documentary by Vidicom).
It provides a reenactment of the Hindenburg Disaster using a detailed computer animated model. The animation was done by Red Vision, which also did the animation for two previous documentaries on the Hindenburg Disaster: Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause and an episode of Seconds From Disaster
. The film also reenacts the investigation of the disaster, which is the main focus of the film. The documentary also features interviews with the only two survivors alive today, Werner Franz and Werner Doehner, and one of the only living ground crew members, Max Coleman. It was filmed in Poland
.
. What was about to happen would become the focus of an intense investigation.
While ground crew grab the ropes, one of them shouts "Look! What's that?!" pointing to the fabric at the top of the ships, which seems to be fluttering.
"The back motors of the ship are just holding it, um, just enough to keep it from......",
says Herb Morrison (played by Gerard Monaco
).
It was 7:25. Suddenly, the ship explodes.
Fire completely engulfed the Hindenburg in 34 seconds, taking the lives of 35 of the 97 people on board and one member of the ground crew.
In Graz, Austria Dr. Hugo Eckener
(played by Malcolm Tierney
), the builder of the Hindenburg, is notified about the disaster.
In six days the Commander of the US Navy, Charles Emery Rosendahl (played by Mark McGann
), organizes an investigation headed by Colonel South Trimble Jr. Testimonies started.
But as more testimonies were made, less was understood.
The evidence would need piecing together from a person who knew the ship closely.
Dr. Eckener arrives at Lakehurst to investigate the disaster. Eckener is determined to find out who, or what, destroyed the Hindenburg.
As he listened to the testimonies, one of them caught his attention.
Testimony of R. H. Ward:
Dr. Eckener believed this to be a vital piece in the jigsaw of what had gone wrong, but he thought that the reporters were less convinced. They were saying "This [investigation] is way too technical. All we want to know is who did it."
As Eckener talks with the badly burned Albert Sammt, the first officer, he tells him that the ship was tail heavy as it approached Lakehurst. As the ship approached the field attempts were made to correct this but the ship was still dropping. A sharp turn to the right was made as the ship slowed down. As Eckener looks at the newsreel footage of the landing, he feels that the tail seems to sink as the Hindenburg makes the sharp turn.
It was time for Dr. Eckener to give testimony.
Eckener initially blames the Captains Pruss and Lehmann
as well as Commander Rosendahl for the rush of the landing. Pruss made the sharp turn under pressure from Lehmann and Rosendahl had called the ship in.
But in his heart, Eckener believed he was the one who could have averted this tragedy. The deaths of 36 people were down to a decision he made eight years earlier. Eckener was allowed the chance to use helium when he was given the chance at Capitol Hill in 1929, but decided against it because he thought it was too expensive. The only other person who knew about the secret was Captain Lehmann, who died in the disaster. This was before the Nazis came into power.
Dr. Eckener chose to go on with hydrogen. But helium would not have burned. He would not have been staying in Lakehurst staring at the 36 names on the board. 36 names to remind him of his guilt.
Eckener flashes back to the disaster, and imagine how it might have happened, starting with the sharp turn, gas leak, and then the explosion. Then there is a reenactment of the whole fire sequence from the beginning to the end. Living survivors tell their stories of how they made it out of the burning ship.
The film ends with the end of the Golden Age of airships and new aircraft which is far more deadly (footage of World War II is shown).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as Das Geheimnis der Hindenburg (The Secret of the Hindenburg) and Die Hindenburg: die ungeklärte Katastrophe, is a two-hour docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
about the disaster of the Hindenburg
Hindenburg disaster
The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, which is located adjacent to the borough of Lakehurst, New Jersey...
, and the investigation that followed. It aired on May 6, 2007 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the disaster. It was commissioned by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
, and the Smithsonian Networks
Smithsonian Networks
Smithsonian Networks is a joint venture between CBS Corporation's Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution. The service consists of Smithsonian Channel, Smithsonian On Demand, and ....
to be produced by Pioneer Productions
Pioneer Productions
Pioneer Productions is an independent British television production company based in London, United Kingdom. The company has produced over 500 hours of science and technology, docudrama, lifestyle, current affairs and history programming for both the US and International markets...
and has also aired on Discovery Channel Canada
Discovery Channel Canada
Discovery Channel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel devoted to nature, adventure, science and technology programming. Discovery Channel is currently owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc...
. Its original working title was Hindenburg and is also known as Hindenburg: Titanic of the skies (which should not be confused with Titanic of the Sky, a different documentary by Vidicom).
It provides a reenactment of the Hindenburg Disaster using a detailed computer animated model. The animation was done by Red Vision, which also did the animation for two previous documentaries on the Hindenburg Disaster: Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause and an episode of Seconds From Disaster
Seconds From Disaster
-By original broadcast date:National Geographic Channel has broadcast many episodes under multiple titles. The title currently or most recently listed on the NGC Calendar is shown first...
. The film also reenacts the investigation of the disaster, which is the main focus of the film. The documentary also features interviews with the only two survivors alive today, Werner Franz and Werner Doehner, and one of the only living ground crew members, Max Coleman. It was filmed in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Story
It is May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg the largest aircraft ever built, flies into the United States with 97 on board. Its arrival and landing were delayed for over 12 hours due to bad weather. At 7:11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time, the Hindenburg approached the landing field at Lakehurst, New JerseyLakehurst, New Jersey
Lakehurst is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,654.Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a...
. What was about to happen would become the focus of an intense investigation.
While ground crew grab the ropes, one of them shouts "Look! What's that?!" pointing to the fabric at the top of the ships, which seems to be fluttering.
"The back motors of the ship are just holding it, um, just enough to keep it from......",
says Herb Morrison (played by Gerard Monaco
Gerard Monaco
Gerard Monaco is a British actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Monaco’s first film was Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake. He has since had roles in movies including Starter for Ten, Jane Campion’s Bright Star and Jerry Bruckhiemier’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, directed by...
).
It was 7:25. Suddenly, the ship explodes.
"It's bursting to flames! It's bursting to flames and it's falling it's crashing! Watch it! Watch it! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Oh my Jesus it's flames now, crashing oh! Four or five hundred feet into the sky and it... Oh the humanity! All the passengers screaming around here!"
Fire completely engulfed the Hindenburg in 34 seconds, taking the lives of 35 of the 97 people on board and one member of the ground crew.
In Graz, Austria Dr. Hugo Eckener
Hugo Eckener
Dr. Hugo Eckener was the manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and was commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights, including the first airship flight around the world, making him the most successful airship commander in history...
(played by Malcolm Tierney
Malcolm Tierney
Malcolm Tierney is an English actor who has appeared in many film and television roles.His roles include the part of Tommy McArdle in Brookside between 1983 and 1987, Charlie Gimbert in Lovejoy, Geoffrey Ellsworth-Symthe in A Bit of a Do, Patrick Woolton in House of Cards and Chief Const. Raymond...
), the builder of the Hindenburg, is notified about the disaster.
In six days the Commander of the US Navy, Charles Emery Rosendahl (played by Mark McGann
Mark McGann
Mark McGann is an English actor, director and musician.- Acting career :McGann first appeared on stage in 1981 in the production Lennon at the Everyman Theatre and the London Astoria where he portrayed John Lennon, role which won him the first of his two Olivier Award nominations for best actor in...
), organizes an investigation headed by Colonel South Trimble Jr. Testimonies started.
"Even though the Germans may have made as much haste as possible..."
"The ship seemed to collapse down on..."
"And then it made a sharp turn..."
But as more testimonies were made, less was understood.
The evidence would need piecing together from a person who knew the ship closely.
Dr. Eckener arrives at Lakehurst to investigate the disaster. Eckener is determined to find out who, or what, destroyed the Hindenburg.
"How could anyone have survived that inferno? I owe it to the survivors and the dead to turn tragedy into reason."
As he listened to the testimonies, one of them caught his attention.
Testimony of R. H. Ward:
"A couple of seconds before the fire, my attention was taken by a noticeable fluttering on the top port side. No smoke or other disturbance accompanied the flutter when I first saw it. It was a wave motion, the flutter could not have been caused by the slipstream or resonance of the propeller. It was like there was some gas action inside. It was like gas was rising and escaping."
Dr. Eckener believed this to be a vital piece in the jigsaw of what had gone wrong, but he thought that the reporters were less convinced. They were saying "This [investigation] is way too technical. All we want to know is who did it."
As Eckener talks with the badly burned Albert Sammt, the first officer, he tells him that the ship was tail heavy as it approached Lakehurst. As the ship approached the field attempts were made to correct this but the ship was still dropping. A sharp turn to the right was made as the ship slowed down. As Eckener looks at the newsreel footage of the landing, he feels that the tail seems to sink as the Hindenburg makes the sharp turn.
It was time for Dr. Eckener to give testimony.
Eckener initially blames the Captains Pruss and Lehmann
Ernst A. Lehmann
Captain Ernst August Lehmann was a German Zeppelin captain. He was one of the most famous and experienced figures in German airship travel.- Pre-war experience :...
as well as Commander Rosendahl for the rush of the landing. Pruss made the sharp turn under pressure from Lehmann and Rosendahl had called the ship in.
But in his heart, Eckener believed he was the one who could have averted this tragedy. The deaths of 36 people were down to a decision he made eight years earlier. Eckener was allowed the chance to use helium when he was given the chance at Capitol Hill in 1929, but decided against it because he thought it was too expensive. The only other person who knew about the secret was Captain Lehmann, who died in the disaster. This was before the Nazis came into power.
Dr. Eckener chose to go on with hydrogen. But helium would not have burned. He would not have been staying in Lakehurst staring at the 36 names on the board. 36 names to remind him of his guilt.
Eckener flashes back to the disaster, and imagine how it might have happened, starting with the sharp turn, gas leak, and then the explosion. Then there is a reenactment of the whole fire sequence from the beginning to the end. Living survivors tell their stories of how they made it out of the burning ship.
The film ends with the end of the Golden Age of airships and new aircraft which is far more deadly (footage of World War II is shown).
Cast
- Dr. Hugo EckenerHugo EckenerDr. Hugo Eckener was the manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and was commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights, including the first airship flight around the world, making him the most successful airship commander in history...
: Malcolm TierneyMalcolm TierneyMalcolm Tierney is an English actor who has appeared in many film and television roles.His roles include the part of Tommy McArdle in Brookside between 1983 and 1987, Charlie Gimbert in Lovejoy, Geoffrey Ellsworth-Symthe in A Bit of a Do, Patrick Woolton in House of Cards and Chief Const. Raymond... - Commander Rosendahl: Mark McGannMark McGannMark McGann is an English actor, director and musician.- Acting career :McGann first appeared on stage in 1981 in the production Lennon at the Everyman Theatre and the London Astoria where he portrayed John Lennon, role which won him the first of his two Olivier Award nominations for best actor in...
- Herbert MorrisonHerbert Morrison (announcer)Herbert Morrison was an American radio reporter best known for his dramatic report of the Hindenburg disaster, a catastrophic fire that destroyed the LZ 129 Hindenburg zeppelin on May 6, 1937, killing 36 people.-Hindenburg disaster:...
: Gerard MonacoGerard MonacoGerard Monaco is a British actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Monaco’s first film was Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake. He has since had roles in movies including Starter for Ten, Jane Campion’s Bright Star and Jerry Bruckhiemier’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, directed by... - Joseph Späh: Simon LoweSimon LoweSimon Lowe is a British actor who, amongst other British titles, has played series regulars in Bodies and The Grimleys both of which were written by Jed Mercurio. He also played Derek Evans in EastEnders. He is also the regular character, Sgt...
- Nelson Morris: Michael PraedMichael PraedMichael Praed born Michael David Prince, 1 April 1960 in Berkeley, Gloucestershire) is a British actor, is probably best known for his role as Robin of Loxley in the British television series Robin of Sherwood, which attained cult status worldwide in the 1980s...
- Chief Steward Henrich Kubis: Thorston Manderlay
- Werner Franz: Kamil Krawczykowski
- Helmut Lau: Piotr Grabowski
- Rudolph Sauter: John Edmondson
- Colonel South Trimble (miscredited without Jr.): Phil GossPhil GossPhil Goss is a television personality in Poland on TVN Lingua.He graduated from Wabash College with a major in political science and a minor in speech rhetoric...
Historical errors
- Often there are fake newsreels showing the disaster, though the footage is real. These are fake as the narrator for all newsreels are shown as the same for all three newsreel companies, even though it uses the opening part of an actual newsreel of the disaster (Universal NewsreelUniversal NewsreelUniversal Newsreel was a series of 7- to 10-minute newsreels that were released twice a week between 1929 and 1967 by Universal Studios. A Universal publicity official, Sam B. Jacobson, was involved in originating and producing the newsreels...
, Movietone NewsMovietone NewsMovietone News is a newsreel that ran from 1928 to 1963 in the United States, and from 1929 to 1979 in the United Kingdom.-History:It is known in the U.S. as Fox Movietone News, produced cinema, sound newsreels from 1928 to 1963 in the U.S., from 1929 to 1979 in the UK , and from 1929 to 1975 in...
Special). Also the footage does not match the proper newsreel, as the "Universal" one uses footage originally from the PathéPathéPathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
coverage of the disaster. - The Hindenburg appears to have crashed on solid concrete and grass. In reality the landing field was wet and sandy on the day of the disaster.
- The newsreel cameramen do not stand on van roofs to film the disaster when the real newsreel cameramen stood on top of van roofs.
- The scale model used during the inquiry has the markings on the ship one panel too low and the upper fin being curved too much downwards.
- Most investigators believe that the sharp turn to port had caused a bracing wire to snap, not the turn to starboard (which is often seen in newsreels as a sharp turn).
- Some of the ways that the passengers survive is slightly inaccurate. Albert Sammt escaped with his hat on, but in this documentary he does not have his hat on. Lehmann also had his hat on when he escaped. Margaret Mather escapes with no scratches. In reality her hands were burned. Werner Franz has some small cuts on his head, but in reality, he never had any sort of injury at all.
- The film incorrectly states that Max Coleman is the only living ground crew member. However, Robert Buchanan, another ground crew member, is still alive. It is also uncertain if Coleman is still alive as the last time he was interviewed he was very sick, according to historian Rick Zitarosa.
- The chairman of the investigation is erroneously referred to as Col. South Trimble, when it was actually Col. South Trimble Jr.
- The flag draped behind the commission has 50 stars, but the American flag at the time of the disaster would have only had 48.
- Eckener did not make a decision to use hydrogen. The Hindenburg was designed to use hydrogen bladders enclosed within a helium envelope, but with the rise of Nazi Germany, the United States government would not release the helium for the Hindenburg. The United States had the only large quantities of helium at the time.