Zeppelin-Weltfahrten [Zeppelin World Trips]

Celebrating Germany’s aviation history in the early days of the Third Reich.

This collection of photographic images offers a visual history of the Zeppelin, a rigid airship named after its German inventor, Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Accompanying descriptive commentary discusses the physical characteristics of the machine, its construction, flight details, and other items of interest. Of note is their military use during World War I and the successful trans-Atlantic flight of the Graf Zeppelin. Diagrams, charts, and maps are also included.

Published in Dresden by Bilderstelle Lohse in 1933. The volume was issued during the height of the Zeppelin’s popularity as a method of transportation and served as a useful propaganda tool for the Third Reich. The introduction encourages the reader to ‘Believe in Germany’s Future!’ and the concluding images present ominous overtones – Zeppelin shadows over cities, the Tannenberg Memorial, and the new light cruiser Karlsruhe.