Verlag
von Moritz Schauenburg K.-G, Lahr (Baden), 1930.
Softbound, 152 pages, 55 plates.
Dimensions: 5-1/2
x 8"
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The title
of this book translates as With 'Graf Zeppelin' to
South and North America. It describes a crossing of the Atlantic by the German
airship Graf
Zeppelin L.Z.
127 in 1930. The
ship left Friedrichshafen, Germany on May 18th and
made a round trip via Seville, Rio de Janiero and
Lakehurst, New Jersey, returning home on June 6th.
Joachim Breithaupt, himself an accomplished airship
captain, made the crossing as a passenger and kept a
daily journal.
The book is filled
with interesting personal observations that one may
not find elsewhere, like the agony felt by chainsmokers on board in the absence of a smoking area
(the Hindenburg had one, surprisingly
enough). Breithaupt makes one appreciate how difficult to handle these vessels
really were. The
LZ 127 made 590 flights covering more than a million
miles during its 9-year working life, but this
aerial giant simply couldn't compete with airplanes.
If you don't
read German, you can still enjoy the illustrations (see below).
The aerial views of various cities and coasts are
not included here.
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