We cannot help it: Every time we talk about the Hindenburg, our minds automatically go to the fireball and its total destruction in May 1937. However, few know that the airship came close to meeting its end on March 26, 1936. That day, both the Hindenburg and the Graf Zeppelin took part in Die Deutschlandfahrt, a major propaganda event organized by Nazi Germany to “justify” the remilitarization of the Rhineland through a referendum...
History tells us that the LZ 129 Hindenburg first flight took place on March 4, 1936, with a total of 87 people aboard, combining passengers and crew. Its commander was Hugo Eckener, manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the interwar period, commander of the Graf Zeppelin on several occasions, and probably the best airship pilot in history. But Eckener had another detail: he was an anti-Nazi to the core, which led him to clash with certain figures, including Joseph Goebbels, the regime's propaganda minister.
Two airships, and a “referendum”
On March 7, 1936, German forces began the occupation of the Rhineland (Rheinland), a region that under the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 (you know, the “20-year armistice” according to General Ferdinand Foch) had been declared demilitarized. That occupation also broke the Locarno Treaties of 1925, and in an attempt to “justify” his actions, Adolf Hitler called for a referendum on March 29 for “the German people” to ratify or reject the occupation.
But that wasn't all: The call to vote would be accompanied by “Die Deutschlandfahrt”, a flight across German territory (basically every city and town with more than 10,000 inhabitants), focused on distributing propaganda. Joseph Goebbels demanded that Luftschiffbau Zeppelin make the Hindenburg and the Graf Zeppelin available for the “grand tour”, departing from Löwenthal airfield on the morning of March 26.
As expected, Eckener did everything possible to prevent the political use of his airships, especially the Hindenburg, citing a lack of technical tests and the need to prepare it for its trip to Rio de Janeiro. Goebbels insisted on the participation of both vehicles, but Eckener had something like a small victory: he refused to command the Hindenburg, leaving that position to Captain Ernst Lehmann, whom he also didn't hold in high regard due to his tendency to perform dangerous maneuvers.
One of those maneuvers happened on the morning of the 26th. With the Graf Zeppelin waiting in the air, Lehmann wanted to impress everyone with a timely departure despite the adverse weather. As the ascent operations began, the Hindenburg was hit by a wind gust at 35 degrees, which caused its lower fin to strike the ground and drag, damaging the rudder.
Nobody was happy with the situation. Eckener launched into criticizing Lehmann, and security guards at the field moved to confiscate cameras, fearing a wave of negative propaganda. The Hindenburg returned to the hangar, and a series of temporary repairs allowed it to join the Graf Zeppelin several hours later.
In fact, it had to fly with the same “patches” to Rio de Janeiro. On that transatlantic flight, command remained in Lehmann's hands, and Eckener was relegated to a supervisory role. Goebbels tried to censor Eckener's name and image, but the “blackout” lasted no more than a month. What happened to Lehmann? He was one of the victims of the “Disaster”: Although he survived the initial tragedy, he died from his injuries.
Sources: The Collection of Harold G. Dick, Wikipedia
