Germany was saved with a heart attack. At least, that is what many in that country will tell you. The year was 1932. Germany was dealing with much political unrest, with far-right and far-left parties attempting to bring down the democratic structure of the Weimar Constitution from within. It was during this pivotal time in history that the President of Germany, Paul von Hindenburg, suffered a massive heart attack on January 12, 1932, that forever decided the course of world events. In the days immediately following this loss, Chancellor Heinrich Brüning (1885-1970) attempted to hold the country together until the Presidential election. The far right was supporting Adolf Hitler (1889-1952) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis). The far-left supported Ernst Thälmann of the Communist Party. Many feared that one totalitarian extreme or the other would dominate Germany, with no hope for the survival of democracy.
Then, almost out of nowhere, a third candidate appeared on the scene, and would be the savior of not only Germany’s democracy, but the political stability of all Europe. On February 3, 1932, it was announced that Hugo Eckener, the world-renowned airship pioneer and head of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, would run for President, with the full backing of the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, and the German Democratic Party. Suddenly there was hope for the country’s fledgling democracy. For over a month, Eckener flew all over Germany in the Graf Zeppelin, campaigning for office. He promised to create new jobs by starting new building projects to improve the lives of every German. He promised to bring the Allies to the negotiating table to revise the Versailles Treaty to make if fairer for the German people. He promised to make Germany strong, without having to leave behind the great gift of democracy.
On March 13, Germans headed to the polls. Once the ballots were counted, "Eckener was declared the winner, with 52% of the vote, Hitler receiving 31%, and Thälmann receiving 17%. Eckener would be sworn in on March 31, and immediately set out to revive and strengthen his homeland.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President. “Prologue: From Zeppelins to Politics.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
January 27, 1932- Today I was visited by members of the SDP and the Centre Party. They want me to run in the election to replace Hindenburg! I told them they were crazy! My work was the Zeppelins. I wanted nothing to do with politics. They insisted that even though I wanted nothing to do with politics, that politics might want something to do with me. One of the gentlemen from the SDP pointed out that it was known that I was ardently against the Nazis. He says to me “Dr. Eckener, what happens if, God forbid, Hitler were to be elected as president? Do you think he’d let you alone to tinker with your sky ships? Do you?” I didn’t answer directly. The man had a point, much as I hate to admit it. In the end, I told them I’d think about it and get back with them shortly. I really do not want to meddle with all that craziness in Berlin. I prefer the south. I prefer to stay where it’s peaceful. But maybe I need to put my country before my own needs. The thought of that madman becoming the leader of this nation is appalling.
January 28, 1932- I spoke with my family and close business associates at the Zeppelin Company today about the proposal from the SDP and the CP to run against Hitler. They all told me to go for it, that I would be a good thing for Germany. I don’t know that I agree, but I think I will follow their advice. I cannot stomach the thought of Adolf Hitler becoming President. It would spell disaster for us all I’m sure.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
PART 1: THE ELECTION OF 1932
ECKENER DELCLARES CANDIDACY FOR GERMAN PRESIDENCY
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, FEB 3- World renowned airship pioneer Hugo Eckener declared today that he would be running for President of Germany in the March election to replace late President Paul von Hindenburg, who died last month from a heart attack. Mr. Eckener is being backed by the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, and the German Democratic Party in what will likely be a close race between Mr. Eckener and Adolf Hitler of the National Socialist Party.
- “Eckener Declares Candidacy for German Presidency,” The Times (London), February 4, 1932
I knew from the moment that giant silver cigar floated above Berlin that we would have our work cut out for us. But at the time I still believed we would trounce this old man that represented Germany as it was at the time, and not what it would become under a solid National Socialist government. I was sure that the people of Germany would turn out to support the better candidate. We would win, I knew we would. But the people were mesmerized first by his dramatic arrival in whatever city or town he went to, flying in on one of his Zeppelins. They would flock to him first to see his ship, then to here him speak, promising them all sorts of things that he couldn’t deliver. But they didn’t care. All they were thinking was “here is the man who has made Germany proud by flying around the world in his airship.” And somehow, that was enough. We National Socialist were never able to recover after that, because Eckener and his jew-infested, communist loving democrats threw us out of the political system. The ruined what Germany could have become.
- Hitler, Adolf. Meine Niederlage. Nuremburg: Suddeutsche Press, 1951.
February 27, 1932- Today was our second major rally in Berlin. I flew the Graf over the city, very low, so my team could toss out leaflets encouraging Germans to vote on March 15, and asking them to choose me as the candidate of democracy and strength. We then landed the ship in the Tiergarten, where thousands of people came to listen. On the edge of the crowd, I saw the Berlin Police force members of Hitler’s “Brown shirts” away from the crowd. I spoke later with someone from the Police who said that those men had weapons and were going to try and break up the rally. I am all the more certain that Hitler and his thugs must be stopped. If they win, they will turn Germany upside down as they destroy every freedom we have. We cannot lose.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
NAZIS SHOOT AT ECKENER IN HAMBURG
HAMBURG, MAR 1- Earlier today, at an election rally where presidential candidate Hugo Eckener was speaking to a crowd of nearly 30,000 people, members of the National Socialist Party opened fire on the famed Zeppelin captain, causing a panic to erupt. Eckener was unharmed, but 2 members of Eckener’s campaign team, along with 12 members of the crowd were killed. So far, only two of the Nazi Party members have been arrested in connection with the attack. Herr Hitler claims to have no connection with today’s events.
-“Nazis Shoot at Eckener in Hamburg,” Frankfurter Zeitung, March 2, 1932.
March 1, 1932- Those mongrels! This is why we must win. If Hitler and his Nazis take over, Germany will be reduced to being ruled by criminals, who would murder innocent Germans, their own countrymen, just to gain power. I still can’t believe Otto and Heinrich are gone. Such good men, both seasoned Zeppelin men. Their crewmen from the Graf are planning a special memorial tomorrow morning. I believe that the funeral will be at the end of the week. I sure hope that their deaths will serve as an example to my countrymen of things to come if the choose to side with the Nazis. God, may this wake the people to the reality we now face!
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
ECKENER DECRIES NAZIS AS MURDERERS
MAR 10- Presidential hopeful Hugo Eckener gave two speeches here today, the first at the giant Zeppelin hangars at the Rheine-Main Air station, the second inside Paul’s Church. Here is some of what he said: “Frankfurters! Do not be deceived by the men in brown shirts with their swastikas and fancy slogans! They scream ‘Germany, Awake!’ and parade through our streets, disturbing our peace and quite. Frankfurters, I tell you that we must not give in to their barbarism! Not 10 days ago, several Nazi thugs stormed a peaceful rally in Hamburg, killing 14 people in an attempt to kill me. Ladies and Gentlemen, do you know why they tried to take my life? It is because they fear the democratic system that we seek to preserve, and fear that they cannot beat the forces of democracy by honest means! Do you want people like that running your country? Do you, people of Frankfurt? Do you want murderers in charge of you?” Both rallies were attended by large crowds that were very lively and excited. Frankfurt Police did report some incidences with members of the Nazi Party, arresting a total of 15 people attempting to disrupt the rallies. Since his announcement that he was running over one month ago, Dr. Eckener’s popularity amongst people of Frankfurt has steadily increased, and the politically astute in this region expect that Frankfurt will vote for Eckener.
-“Eckener Decries Nazis as Murderers,” Frankfurter Zeitung, March 11, 1932.
March 15, 1932- Today is the day of reckoning. My family and I cast our ballots early this morning in Friedrichshafen, and are now anxiously awaiting the results. As I write this, we are en route to Berlin on the Graf. We are going to remain in Berlin until the results come in, and then we’ll go from there. I am on edge. I want to trust the German people, to trust that they will see the façade that the Nazis have created, and see them for what they truly are. But fear grips me all the same. Fear of having that lunatic becoming President, and destroying everything good and decent in Germany. God help us, for we cannot survive a reign of terror lead by the Nazis. It would be our destruction.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
ZEP BUILDER TO BECOME GERMAN PRESIDENT
BERLIN, MAR 16- It was announced this morning by the State Election Agency that Dr. Hugo Eckener, the world renowned Zeppelin builder who in 1929 flew the famous Graf Zeppelin on a round-the-world flight that amazed the Earth, has been elected as President of Germany, replacing the late Paul von Hindenburg and defeating Adolf Hitler and Ernst Thälmann in what is being hailed by Eckener’s supporters as a “great day for German democracy.” Eckener promised during the campaign to protect the fragile German republic from the extreme right and the extreme left, and to strengthen the country’s economy and international standing. It is expected that Eckener will be sworn in as Germany’s third president before the end of the month.
-“Zep Builder to Become German President,” The New York Times, March 17, 1932.
PART II: GETTING THINGS OFF THE GROUND
The election of Dr. Eckener to the German Presidency on March 15, 1932 marked the end of his major involvement of the Zeppelin Company. On March 20, he resigned his position as President of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, succeeded by designer Ernst Lehmann. Although he would remain connected to the airship developments, he was no longer in the driver’s seat, though he is credited, and rightfully so, with ensuring the more long term success of the craft.
- Anderson, Dr. Alexander. The Airship: A Century of Sailing the Skies. New York: Colombia University Press: 1989.
ECKENER TAKES OFFICE IN GERMANY
BERLIN, MAR 31- Today, famed Zeppelin pioneer Hugo Eckener was sworn in as the third President of the German Republic. Earlier this month, Eckener was elected by 55% of the vote, beating out Adolf Hitler of the National Socialist Party and Ernst Thälmann of the German Communist Party. The famous airship captain now commands a ship of state facing dire situations that could threaten the infant democracy in that country. Most threatening is the National Socialists, who seek to attack all of their political rivals with their paramilitary organization, the so called “Storm Troopers”. Also, Eckener must find a new chancellor, or risk political alienation from the masses who find Chancellor Heinrich Brüning’s policies very unpopular. Although no official word has come yet, many here in the Reich capital believe that either Joseph Wirth of the Centre Party, or Otto Wels, head of the Social Democrats, will become Eckener’s chancellor.
-“Eckener Takes Office in Germany,” The Washington Post, April 1, 1932.
“Citizens of Germany, today, April 1, 1932, is the start of an era of recovery for our nation. I ask you to work with me, so that together, we will pick up the pieces and make Germany something to truly be proud of. We are a vibrant people, we are an intelligent and cultured people, with so much to offer the world. Ladies and Gentlemen, I say to today that we should stand up and let the world here that Germany is not down trodden, that Germany is not on its last leg! Let us show the people of France and England and America that Germany can overcome any obstacle!
It is my pleasure to introduce to you the men who will help me guide your government to begin the rebuilding. As of today, Otto Wels will serve as Germany’s Chancellor. With him, Joseph Wirth will serve as Defense Minister, and Konrad Adenauer as Foreign Minister.
We have many goals to accomplish, and with your help, we will achieve those goals. May God bless you and keep you, and may He watch over our beloved homeland.”
- Radio Address given from Berlin by President Eckener on April 1, 1932. Reichs Historiches Institue, Berlin.
Eckener, Wels, Wirth and Adenauer had quite a tall order to fill, and fast. The Nazis held almost daily rallies against the new government starting April 3. The SA and the Rotfrontkämpferbund had several street battles that first month, and the Berlin Police seemed unable to control the violence. Hitler decried the election as a farce, as a betrayal of the true voice of the people. It seemed as though things were going to deteriorate. But then Eckener’s government rolled up their sleeves, got a little dirty, and preserved the frail German state. The deciding factor would be a meeting held on April 19, 1932 between Eckener and Wels’ government.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 2: The Months of Struggle.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
April 19, 1932- The street battles between the SA and the Rotfrontkämpferbund became too violent to try and ignore. I called in Otto and Joseph and Konrad, along with Otto Braun, to discuss the situation. I told them flat out that the SA and the Rotfrontkämpferbund had to be banned. The Chancellor told me, “that’s all well and good, and needed, but technically they were banned under Brüning, and look what that’s got us?”
I said to him “Well, what if we brought in the Reichswehr?” And authorized the police forces to crack down on these groups?” Wirth spoke up, saying that my suggestion might be a good course to take. Konrad voiced his concearns, however. “Mr. President, do you think that calling in the army on this is such a good idea? That might just be adding fuel to the fire.”
“Well,” I said to him, “there is a risk of that. However, if we have our military go after the SA and Rotfrontkämpferbund leadership, and let the police know that they Reichswehr will back them if they need it, I believe this may work.”
We discussed the details of this, but that was the most important part. Tomorrow, I am going to decree that all paramilitary organizations are henceforth illegal in Germany, and authorize the Reichswehr to round up all their leaders. We’ll break the backs of these anti-democrats yet.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
PRESIDENT DECLARES WAR ON PARAMILITARY
BERLIN, APR 20- President Eckener today decreed that all paramilitary groups are to be henceforth considered enemies to the state, and has ordered the Reichswehr to round up the leaders of two prominent paramilitary organizations, the National Socialist “Storm Troopers”, and the Communist “Red Front Fighter’s League”. This is of course in response to all the street fighting between the SA and the RFKF against each other, and the SA attacks against Eckener’s government in Berlin. President Eckener assured the nation that, “while there maybe an initial surge of fighting if some of these groups refuse to surrender quietly, in the long run this is for the best, for free, unadulterated democracy cannot exist where armed vigilantes go around and harass those that oppose their ideology.”
-President Declares War on Paramilitary,” Frankfurter Zeitung, April 21, 1932.
PEACE IN GERMANY?
BERLIN, JULY 12- It has been nearly 3 months since German President Hugo Eckener announced a ban on paramilitary groups that were operating as agents of two of Germany’s most anti-democratic political parties, the National Socialists and the Communists. According to our embassy in Berlin, the Nazis, as the National Socialists are called, are the biggest threat to the stability of Germany. Since the ban, there have been several major confrontations, but the paramilitaries have lost every time. The streets are finally beginning to become peaceful once again. You no longer see the swastika-emblazoned brown uniforms of the SA, with people trying to avoid their gaze. In fact, President Eckener has moved on to other issues, such as getting people back to work. The new “Build for the Future!” Program started by Chancellor Otto Wels was announced about a month ago, and has already had nearly 100,000 people volunteer. The program offers some income in addition to food for workers to come and work on construction projects for the state. Chief among them is the new “Autobahn” highway system, that will, according to Chancellor Wels, be a “truly modern roadway system, with two lanes for each direction of non stop traffic, connecting all the major cities of Germany together.”
-“Peace in Germany?,” The Times (London), July 13, 1932.
SHOTS FIRED AT PRESIDENT!!
NAZIS TO BLAME FOR ATTACK
BERLIN, OCT 1- Early this morning, members of the Nazi party attacked the Presidential motorcade here in the capital. President Eckener, along with Chancellor Wels, were en route to a rally for the upcoming Reichstag elections in the Tiergarten when 10 National Socialists ambushed the vehicles. Since violence has been down all over Germany after what was up till today considered a successful ban on the SA and the RFKF, security was almost nill, and the Nazis achieved total surprise. Several aides to the President and the Chancellor were killed, and both men received wounds from bullets that were fired by the attackers. Eckener is reported as being in fair condition at this point, only receiving wounds in his arm and leg. Wels is currently unconsious, having lost large amounts of blood, and doctors are unsure if he will survive. The Mayor of Berlin has declared a state of emergency, and Defense Minister Joseph Wirth has called out the Reichswehr to maintain order.
-“Shots Fired at President: Nazis to Blame for Attack,” Frankfurter Zeitung, October 1, 1932.
GERMAN CHANCELLOR KILLED BY NAZIS
BERLIN, OCT 2- German authorities reported this morning that Chancellor Otto Wels died from wounds received yesterday during an attack on the Presidential motorcade in Berlin, perpetrated by members of the National Socialist, or Nazi, Party. President Hugo Eckener is recovering in a Berlin hospital, reportedly doing quite well. German Defense Minister Joseph Wirth has ordered the Army to secure Berlin, and has cancelled all public gatherings in the capital until President Eckener is released from the hospital. There are calls for the government to take strong action against the Nazis, but as of yet, none has been forthcoming. Wirth stated that, “I will take no action directly against the Nazis without authorization of the President or the Chancellor.”
This attack comes just over a month before the Reichstag elections, and is clearly meant to destabilize the national government here in Germany. The effect of this attack on the upcoming elections still remains unclear. However, some in the capital believe that this may hurt the Nazis, since Eckener and his government were quite popular, especially with the “Build for the Future” program and the banning of the paramilitaries.
-“German Chancellor Killed by Nazis,” The Washington Post, October 3, 1932.
October 7, 1932- Those barbarians! I..I…words can’t fully express the anger I am feeling at this hour. That they not only attacked myself and my staff, but that they killed poor Otto Wels…my blood boils. And what to do about the situation? Many are calling for the party to be outright banned, that Hitler himself planned the attack (which he very well may have, despite his official statements to the contrary.) But I fear an outright ban may not be the best solution. I’ve been talking with Konrad (who will be taking over as Chancellor after tomorrow’s funeral), and I think that cracking down on the Nazi HQ, maybe raids at Hitler’s home. But no arrests. He and I both think that the people are going to oust the Nazis next month. I have asked that the Reichswehr investigate the attack, to find out just who ordered it.
-- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
“My fellow Germans, we have gathered here in this beautiful house of God to bid farewell to a great statesmen, one who believed in Germany’s future, who believed that tomorrow would be better. And today, as we pay our respects and offer our comfort and condolences to his family, I call on all Germans to step up and make sure that his dream of a free, safe, stable, democratic Germany become a reality. We cannot allow the forces of violence, murder, and anarchy to prevail. We cannot, and we will not! Frau Wels, be rest assured, your husbands death will not have been in vain.”
- Radio Address given at Otto Wels funeral, October 8, 1932. Reichs Historiches Institue, Berlin.
NAZIS TROUNCED IN ELECTIONS
BERLIN, NOV 7- In what was obviously a reaction to the brutal attack on President Eckener and the murder of the late Chancellor Wels, voters across the nation have sent the Nazis packing. Dropping from 107 seats to 29, the Nazis have been all but tossed out of the Reichstag on their ear, with the SDP going from 143 seats to 245, and the Centre Party going from 68 seats to 119. President Eckener said that “I am overjoyed with the results of this election. The people have spoken.” Newly sworn in Chancellor Konrad Adenauer stated that “This election marks the triumph of the German Democracy over the forces of tyranny and anarchy that have sought to bring chaos to the Fatherland.”
-“Nazis Trounced in Elections,” Frankfurter Zeitung, November 7, 1932.
GERMANY ARRESTS HITLER
BERLIN, NOV 20- The German military filed a report with President Eckener earlier this week stating to the effect that Adolf Hitler, head of the National Socialist Party, planned the attack on President Eckener that killed Chancellor Otto Wels. Eckener ordered the man’s immediate arrest upon reading the report. Hitler was arrested not far from the Bavarian-Austrian border, attempting to flee the country. It is widely expected that the newly elected Parliament will vote to ban the Nazis once they meet for the first time next month.
-“Germany Arrests Hitler,” The New York Times, November 21, 1932.
PART III: THE NAZI WAR
Hitler’s arrest was intended to be the beginning of the end for the unrest in Germany. President Eckener and Chancellor Adenauer hoped that by depriving this radical party it’s leader, that the movement would wither away and die, and Germany could move forward in peace. And for a short time it did, until Hitler’s trial started in January of 1933. Then everything looked as though it might fall apart.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 3: 1933 and the War on Nazism.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
ADENAUER SAYS GOV’T WILL SEEK DEATH FOR HITLER
BERLIN, JAN 3- Today Chancellor Adenauer announced to the press that his government intends to seek the death penalty for Adolf Hitler, who was arrested over a month ago, charged with planning the attack on President Eckener that resulted in the death of Chancellor Wels. Senior Nazi officials vow that they will fight this attempt with all their might.
-“Adenauer Says Gov’t will Seek Death for Hitler,” Frankfurter Zeitung, January 3, 1933
TIME FOR REVOLUTION
PEOPLE OF GERMANY AWAKEN!! The Eckener government in Berlin, which is riddled with Jews and Communists and other enemies of the true Germany seeks to murder the true hero of the People, Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist Movement in Germany. If we want to see Germany take it’s rightful place in the sun, and revenge the Great War, we must rise up as one People and remove Eckener, this filthy capitalist pig, from the Presidency, and toss his henchman Adenauer out of office. The time for talking is over. The time for action is now!
-“Time for Revolution,” Volkisher Beobatcher (Nazi Party Paper), January 8, 1933
TERRORISTS STRIKE ACROSS GERMANY
BERLIN, JAN 20- The German government is reporting that the Nazi party has bombed several important government offices in Berlin, including the Reichstag and the Chancellery, along with carrying out attacks in many other cities across the country. President Eckener has yet to react in any strong way, but reportedly the government will be meeting within the week to establish a firm plan of action.
Many here in Britain are looking wearily across the channel at the chaos that doesn’t seem to end in troubled Germany, and hope that it will not spill out into the rest of Europe or across the waters to our own lands.
-“Terrorists Strike Across Germany,” The Times (London), January 21, 1933
January 23, 1933- All hell seems to be breaking loose. Just when we thought that the whole Nazi problem had been solved. The bombings earlier this week have the people shaken, and there are calls from members of the military for at least Adenauer to resign if our government can’t put a lid on these terrorists. We’ve got to come up with a game plan, and fast. We are going to meet in three days to try and solve this problem. I hope that the end is in sight.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
Eckener ultimately ordered the Reichswehr to arrest all the Nazi leaders, and on February 1, the Reichstag passed a resolution banning the Nazi Party, expulsing the 29 Nazi delegates and calling for special elections in those districts. But even that didn’t work. Members of the Nazi Party began rioting in the street. Then, on February 20, the Stahlhelm (Steel Helmet) Veterans Organization called on Eckener and Adenauer to resign, and for there to be new elections. Members of the Armed Forces, senior career Generals, also called for the resignation of the Government. It seemed as if all would be lost, and that Eckener would be forced from office.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 3: 1933 and the War on Nazism.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
March 1, 1933- We had an emergency meeting of the Government tonight at the Chancellery. Adenauer argued that we should dismiss the current army leaders and replace them with fellows more favorable to the democratic regime. Wirth spoke up and said he’d resign if we took such a course. He had a new idea. He said “What if we ask the Stahlhelm to join us?” Adenauer and I looked at him with utter bewilderment. “Join us how?” I asked him. “We create a new Federal Police, and allow the members of the Stahlhelm to fill most of the ranks. In effect, we put them to work for us. They largely support the military, not the Nazis, though there are exceptions. But if we offer them a piece of the pie…” Adenauer looked intrigued. “Mr. President, it’s not a bad plan, but it may be hard to get the SPD on board. We’d have to make some serious concessions. I doubt they’d support me as Chancellor.” I told him he was right. Then Konrad totally surprised me. He said, “Mr. President, now that I think about it, Wirth’s plan is the best thing I can come up with, and to do with, we have to have the SPD onboard. I will resign as Chancellor and allow Hans Vogel to take my place. We can bring in the Stahlhelm men as the “Reichspolizei”. Wirth spoke up at this point, “We’ll also need to consider other things to bring the Right onboard. Play up the nationalism card to draw the populace away from the radicals. Maybe restore the imperial flag. Things like that.” Adenauer agreed. Finally we have something new to try. I pray to God that this works.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
ADENAUER RESIGNS
BERLIN, MAR 4- Chancellor Konrad Adenauer resigned his office yesterday, and was today replaced by President Eckener with Hans Vogel, of the Social Democrats. Today was in fact a big day for the President. In addition to appointing Mr. Vogel to Chancellor, he also established the Reichspolizei, a national level police force, aimed at dealing with former Nazis. It is rumored that the RP will consist primarily of members of the Stahlhelm, which had up till now been quite critical of President Eckener’s government.
Chancellor Vogel stated that Adenauer would remain in the government, going back to his original portfolio of Foreign Minister.
-“Adenauer Resigns,” Frankfurter Zeitung, March 5, 1933.
WAR ON NAZIS DECLARED IN GERMANY
BERLIN, MAR 12- The German Government, under the leadership of President Hugo Eckener, has declared war on the Nazi Party. With the creation of a new national police force, the Eckener administration, headed by a new chancellor (the third since Eckener took office a little less than a year ago), seems to be rebounding from terrible terrorist attacks and riots that were perpetrated by the Nazis earlier this year. President Eckener and new Chancellor Hans Vogel seem confident this new approach will work, though time alone will tell. Many conservatives in Germany have an “I-wont-hold-my-breath” attitude towards this latest attempt to crush the Nazis.
-“War on Nazis Declared in Germany,” The New York Times, March 14, 1933
From March 4 onwards, the tide slowly began to turn in Eckener’s favor. The Stahlhelm threw their support behind the Government as they operated the Reichspolizei. The RP was a big help in bringing down the Nazi movement before it was able to really go underground. In the only real violent confrontation of the so called “War on Nazis,” the Reichspolizei and the Reichswehr fought against the last remnants of the Nazis in Munich in what many refer to as the “Battle of Munich”. Fighting lasted for over a week, as the RP and the RW encircled the Nazi stronghold and eventually beat them on July 9, 1933. After that battle, most Nazis just gave up. Many towns held swastika burning parties as former Nazis recanted and moved on with their lives. When Hitler was finally put on trail in August, he was given life in prison, to avoid any chance of him becoming a martyr. His health would later deteriorate, and he was released from prison in 1951, and died the following year, just months after finding some small publisher to release, in a small number of copies, his second book, explaining why the Nazis failed.
After the end of the War on Nazis, Eckener was able to focus on rebuilding Germany and helping the country’s fragile democracy finally take root.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 3: 1933 and the War on Nazism.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
PART IV: UP SHIP!
Once Eckener and his government restored the peace, it was time to move forward. Work on the Autobahn and the newly instituted Deutschebahn railway network intensified. Eckener expanded the “Build for the Future” program to include the construction of airports in Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich, complete with Zeppelin sheds. After much consideration, Eckener had Zeppelin nationalized to provide additional support. In addition to this, state funding for technological development increased. New factories were built, new shops were opening, and Germany was finally pulling out of the Depression by mid 1934, though full recovery wouldn’t be achieved until the end of the decade.
As Germany’s internal affairs began to stabilize, Eckener finally had the time to focus on his foreign affairs promises that he’d made in the ’32 election. Starting in France, then on to Britain and then the United States, Eckener went out and met with each Allied leader to discuss the renegotiation of the Versailles Treaty and the establishment of better relations between those countries and Germany.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 4: The New Versailles and the New Germany (1934-1936)” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
ECKENER GOES ABROAD
BERLIN, JUNE 3- President Eckener is in Paris today for a four day meeting with the French Government on the start of a summer Foreign Tour. The primary reason for his three country tour which will also include the United Kingdom and the United States is to convince the allied powers to renegotiate the infamous Versailles Treaty that ended the Great War in 1919 and caused a lot of hardships for the German people. Before he left the Berlin Templehof Airport on the Graf Zeppelin bound for Paris, President Eckener stated that “I am confident that the recent progress we as a people have made in moving away from radicalism and towards democracy will go a long way towards convincing the old Great War allies to resettle the Versailles Treaty on terms more favorable to Germany.”
Eckener’s government in Berlin stated that they hope to get Germany’s war debt reduced if not totally forgiven. In addition, they want the military restrictions removed in order to provide better defense for the country. There is also talk of removing the “War Guilt” clause from the treaty. Detractors at home and abroad say that Eckener is wasting his time and that France in particular will not concede any of Germany’s requests.
“Eckener Goes Abroad,” Frankfurter Zeitung, June 4, 1934.
June 9, 1934- Well, Paris went better than expected. Taking the Graf over the Channel now, and taking with us promises from the French agreeing to meet with at Versailles with the other allies to discuss our proposal, and some of the French Ministers were even favorable to some of our requests. This fills me with much needed confidence. France was our biggest hurdle to overcome.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
GERMAN PRESIDENT LANDS IN LONDON
LONDON, JUNE 10- After a successful trip to Paris, German President Hugo Eckener has arrived in London to meet with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to discuss the possibility of renegotiating the Versailles Treaty. His arrival has sparked mixed emotions among Londoners. While Eckener remains very popular among the British public, due in large part to his work with the Zeppelins, many in this country are weary of altering the Versailles Treaty and removing the ‘safety restrictions’ placed on Germany after the Great War.
Regardless of their political worries, people all over the city stopped what they were doing to stare up in the sky as Eckener’s airship, the Graf Zeppelin, flew overhead, and several hundred people gathered outside the city to see it land.
“German Chancellor Lands in London,” The Times (London), June 11, 1934
ECKENER AND THE GRAF LAND IN WASHINGTON
GERMAN PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH ROOSEVELT
WASHINTON, JUNE 18- Making a grand appearance in Washington, German President Hugo Eckener arrived in the nation’s capital this afternoon onboard the German airship Graf Zeppelin, which Eckener made famous in 1929 during his round-the-world flight. Eckener has come to the United States as the third and final stop in a special foreign tour aimed at convincing the Great War allies to rewrite the Treaty of Versailles. Thus far, the German leader has met nothing but success, with both Britain and France agreeing to meet sometime this year in Versailles to discuss the old treaty and the requests now being made by the German government. It is expected that President Roosevelt will agree as well, though no official word has yet been made by the President or by White House staff.
-“Eckener and the Graf Land in Washington,” The Washington Post, June 19, 1934.
June 22, 1934- Now headed back to Germany, and we couldn’t have had a better trip. President Roosevelt was a gracious host, and was very supportive of our cause and stated that the U.S. would agree to a meeting at Versailles. I’ve asked Konrad to get to work drafting the details, and he’ll probably be headed back to Paris once we are back in Europe to work everything out with his French counterpart.
There will be a lot to do when we arrive back in Berlin, so I am trying to rest on our flight home. The final submissions will be in for the new flag that will be introduced soon. There are two lead designs that have the biggest following, in addition to the SDP-dominated crowd in support of keeping the flag as is. One group wants the old imperial flag restored, and the other wants to add the Iron Cross to the current flag. I myself support the latter, but it is up to the Flag Committee within the Reichstag to decide. In addition to that, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin is going to be launching the LZ-129 on July 1. I’m so excited for the launch of this ship. The crash of the British R101 weighed heavily on my mind. Some members of the engineering team even suggested that the LZ-129 be redesigned to us helium instead of hydrogen! But the loss of life was minimal and the R101 was quite badly designed to begin with and was rushed into service to soon. Hydrogen had nothing to do with her crash, it is perfectly safe. Using helium simply is not economic. The LZ-129 should carry around 90 to 100 passengers on a normal flight, and has the most luxurious amenities ever to be put into an airship.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
NEWEST ZEPPELIN LAUNCHED!
FRANKFURT, JULY 1- Today was an exciting day for the citizens of Frankfurt, as Deutsche Zeppelin launched the largest airship ever built at the Rheine-Main Air Station. President Eckener was in attendance as the giant vessel was pulled from the new Hangar 1 at RMAS. The ship, christened the Hindenburg in honor of Eckener’s predecessor, is 278 meters (910 feet) long and can carry 100 passengers when fully booked. The President stated at the ceremony that “this magnificent ship represents the height of modern aviation technology, and the height of German know-how. All Germans should be proud of this ship and the advances that were made just to build her.”
The ships passenger flights are to start on August 1, with the inaugural flight to the United States.
-“Newest Zeppelin Launched,” Frankfurter Zeitung, July 2, 1934
GERMANS ADOPT NEW FLAG
BERLIN, JULY 10- The German government announced today that as of August 1, the current flag of Germany would no longer be used, being replaced by a new flag that was chosen by the Reichstag yesterday. The new flag will be basically the same as the current red-black-gold flag, but will now have the Germanic Iron Cross in the center, a nod to the old imperial times and a compromise with the more conservative members of German society.
-“Germans Adopt New Flag,” The Times (London), July 11, 1934.
NEW ZEP ARRIVES!
LAKEHURST, NJ, AUG 3- The newest German airship, the 910 foot LZ-129 Hindenburg, arrived at the Naval Air Station at Lakehurst, New Jersey, at 6:00 this afternoon after its first successful trans-Atlantic crossing. The 86 passengers on boards were treated to the amazing sights of the New England seaboard earlier today, flying first over Boston and then New York, where the people stopped what they were doing to watch the floating giant fly overhead. On board the craft was German Foreign Minister Konrad Adenauer, who is in the United States to work out final details for the upcoming Versailles Conference, which is now scheduled for March 3 of 1935.
Piloting the airship was Captain Ernst Lehmann, who has headed the German Zeppelin Company since 1932, when then company head Hugo Eckener was elected President of Germany. The Hindenburg will return to Germany in a week, and in the meantime, Captain Lehmann will be in Akron, Ohio, meeting with officials at the Goodyear Company, discussing the possibility of working on an American passenger airship. Lehmann told reports that “it is essential for America to have an operating airship service if our own service is to do well. America and Germany need one another in order for there to be a fully functional airship service in the world.”
-“New Zep Arrives!” The New York Times, August 4, 1934.
August 27, 1934- The Hindenburg has performed better than hoped, and the public love the new ship. Ernst called me this morning and told me that DELAG was already planning out next year’s flying schedule, so that they could start taking reservations for 1935. It’s all very exciting.
It’s now officially election season. The Reichstag elections are set for November 10, and it shall be interested. A new party is now on the scene, the Monarchist Party, and they are growing in popularity. They want to see a return of the Hohenzollern Monarchy, and have a lot of support in the military. Yesterday Adenauer asked me if they worried me. I told him no. It’s not that I necessarily agree with them, but I could see why the people would support them. No surprise, Vogel can’t stand them. And he’s worried that they might upset the power balance in the Reichstag, and that they SDP will loose their control over the Reichstag. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
SDP LOOSES EDGE IN REICHSTAG ELECTIONS
BERLIN, NOV 11- The Social Democrats are still the largest party in the German Reichstag, but they no longer hold such a large edge over the other parties. The SDP went from 245 seats down to 179 seats. The Centre Party increased from 119 seats to 143 seats. And the new Monarchist Party received 77 seats in the new Reichstag. There is now a clear shift in power and in popular opinion going on in Germany.
Our political analysts in Berlin believe that the reason the SDP had such a large number of seats after the 1932 election was due to solely to the assassination of Chancellor Otto Wels. People left en mass from the right to either the Center or the Left. Now it seems that the pendulum is starting to head back to the Right. Now that the Nazis are out of the picture, the more conservative parties are gaining their appeal once again amongst average Germans.
There is now talk in amongst those in the government that Chancellor Vogel may have to step down. It just depends on whether the Centre party will continue support of the SDP politician or if they will work with the Monarchists and have Adenauer return to that office.
-“SDP Looses Edge in Reichstag Elections,” Frankfurter Zeitung, November 12, 1934
After the 1934 election, the SDP would be on the downward slope for decades. On November 27, the Reichstag voted to pull their support of Chancellor Vogel, with the Centre Party siding with the Monarchists. On December 1, 1934, Konrad Adenauer again became Chancellor of Germany. Adenauer and his coalition of Centrists and Monarchists would shape Germany for the next several years.
Vogel became Foreign Minister, and he would head up the preparations for the Versailles Conference in 1935. The Conference’s success is largely credited to him, even more so than Eckener. On March 3, 1935, Eckener, accompanied by both Adenauer and Vogel, met with British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, French President Albert Lebrun and Prime Minister Pierre Étienne Flandin, and U.S. Vice President Garner and Secretary of State Cordell Hull. Although the press and politicians from all the countries had their doubts, the 10 day meeting was an overall success for the Germans. All remaining war debt for all parties was forgiven, in an effort to let everyone move forward. In addition, the US and UK agreed to start working with the Germans in the development of airships for worldwide service. Germany agreed to send technicians to the US and the UK to help further along the American and British programs. And on the touchy subject of the war guilt, those present agreed to drop that from the new treaty completely. And, with slowly growing fears of the Soviet Union, the powers present agreed to allow Germany to gradually rearm, with all restrictions to be fully lifted by 1937.
On March 14, 1934, the New Versailles Treaty was signed, marking the beginning of a new era for Germany and all of Europe.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 4: The New Versailles and the New Germany (1934-1936)” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
PART V: A NEW ERA
With the New Versailles Treaty in place, and relations with France, Great Britain, and the United States beginning to improve. Germany began to slowly rearm, to be able to hopefully keep the Soviet Union at bay. In late 1935, Eckener visited Poland in the Graf Zeppelin to discuss the issue of Danzig and East Prussia. Though no agreement was made on that trip, relations were improved between the neighbors.
Internally, Germany was on the mend. The Autobahn project was well under way, and Deutschebahn already had high-speed rail service offered between Berlin and Hamburg, and Berlin and Frankfurt. Airship development was also increasing, now that the Zeppelin Company was receiving funds from the German government and officially involved in a joint venture with the American company Goodyear. There were discussions of even bringing the two companies together formally, to better share assets and further the cause of airship development.
The one remaining issue for Eckener and the Germans in 1935 were the western territories of the Saar and Rhineland that Germany had lost after World War I. Again, Eckener’s brilliant diplomacy would come into play.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 4: The New Versailles and the New Germany (1934-1936)” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
The 1920s and the 1930s, especially after Hugo Eckener became president of Germany in 1932, where what allowed the airship’s full potential to be discovered. In Germany, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin rose in prominence, especially after the great success of the Graf Zeppelin. Germany would launch the LZ-128, the Bismarck in 1932, and in 1934 the launch of the world’s largest airship, the LZ-129 Hindenburg, captured the imagination of the world. In the United States, the government officially set up a national airship plan after the passage of the National Airship Act in 1926. Within two years, the American’s had established the United States Naval Airship Corps and a Naval Airship Training Center, which had on staff several German airshipmen to train the American air sailors. The launch of the USS Akron and USS Lakehurst in 1929 and the USS New Orleans in 1930 marked the beginnings of what would eventually be the largest air-navy in history.
After Hugo Eckener became President of Germany in 1932, lighter-than-air development began to speed up around the world. Germany began to make deals with the Soviet Union dealing with airship technology, and in 1935 the Russians established the Soviet Airship Command, and began construction on the PR-1 Revolution, based on the German designs for the Graf Zeppelin. That first Soviet airship would launch the following year in 1936.
The British Airship Programme nearly floundered after the crash of the R101 in 1930, but since the loss of life was minimal, Lord Thompson, who himself survived the crash, demanded that the program continue. In 1932 a new craft was launched in Britain, the R102, based on a hybrid of the R100 and R101 that proved to be very successful. Britain would then establish a military airship program for scouting in 1934, and began regular flights to Canada the same year. France did not start a development program of its own until the end of the 1930s, but built airharbors in Paris and Marseilles in 1935 and 1936 respectively, allowing American, German, and British airships to use the facilities. The first French airship, the DF-001 Liberté, a goodwill gift from Germany, would launch in 1938.
By the dawn of the 1940s, the airship was the only way to fly long distance. In America, airplane development focused domestic uses to link American cities, along with some military applications that were being looked into. Most experts at the beginning of the 40s agreed that the place for the airplane was for short distances, island hoping, and for military use as fighters and possibly as bombers.
- Anderson, Dr. Alexander. The Airship: A Century of Sailing the Skies. New York: Colombia University Press: 1989.
RIOTS IN RHEINELAND
Mainz, Rhineland, March 3- Rioting has erupted between the local German citizens of the town of Mainz and the occupying French and international troops stationed here. The fighting started after a local citizen raised the new German flag above his home and was ordered by the French troops to take it down. When he refused, the man was arrested, and the flag seized. What happened after that remains conjecture. Locals say that the man’s son attempted to grab the flag back from the officers, was pushed back, and then brutally shot by one of the other soldiers. French officials say that the young man ran at the soldiers with a knife and one of the soldiers fired instinctively.
Regardless of which side is actually correct, the whole Rhineland is now in an uproar, and there have been riots in several cities. There are some calls from the German government to invade the Rhineland to restore order and take the territory back. At the moment, the French have not sent in any more troops, and most occupation forces have retreated to their garrisons.
So far, the Foreign Office has yet to way in, but there are some in His Majesty’s government that are saying that they fear this could turn into some sort of conflict depending on how the Germans and the French react.
-“Riots in Rhineland,” The Times (London), March 4, 1935
March 7, 1935- The cabinet and I have been discussing the issue of the Rhineland for several days now, ever since the occupation soldiers killed that poor boy. What can we do? If I order soldiers in to the region to pacify things and secure the safety our countrymen, I could spark off a war with France and her allies, which is the last thing any of us want.
Adenauer suggested that maybe myself and Vogel should go to the area on the Graf and meet with the French Prime Minister to discuss the matters, and meet with the locals there and convince them to stop rioting. Of all the ideas on the table, that seemed the best, so I called over to the French Embassy this afternoon and conveyed my message to the ambassador, asking him to send the request to Paris. I hope this works.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
PRESIDENT ECKENER GOES TO RHINELAND
BERLIN, MAR 20- President Eckener and Foreign Minister Vogel left today in route to the Rhineland to meet with the French Prime Minister Pierre Étienne Flandin in the town of Mainz, site of riots earlier this month after the murder of a young man by a French soldier. The violence began to die down after it was first announced last week that Eckener would meet with Flandin aboard the Graf Zeppelin to discuss all the issues of the region.
Although there has been no official word from the President or his staff, it is rumored that Eckener may attempt to convince France to return Rhineland to Germany, along with the Saar Region.
-“President Eckener goes to Rhineland,” Frankfurter Zeitung, March 21, 1935
March 23, 1935- Prime Minister Flandin has been very receptive to our ideas, and I think we may be close to an agreement. He’s also enjoyed flying aboard the Graf, this being his first time ever to fly in an airship. We’ve proposed a staged turn over of both Rhineland and the Saar over to Germany over the next 2 years. The British Foreign Minister, who is also at the meeting, has agreed. The western half of Rhineland will be turned over to Germany on December 31, 1935. Northern Rhineland, controlled by both the British and the Belgians, will be turned over on June 1, 1936. The rest of the Rhineland will be turned over to Germany on December 31, 1936. And then the Saar will be turned over to us in June of 1937.
The only thing they ask of us in return is that we drop all claims to Alsace-Lorraine, and that we send engineers to both France and England to help them with airship development. The British program is doing quite nice now, with their redeveloped R102 class airship. The French are apparently wanting to start up their own program, now that British and American ships have been sailing to Paris for the past several years.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
GERMANS TO GET RHINELAND AND SAAR RETURNED
MAINZ, RHINELAND, MARCH 25- The German, French, and British governments have reached a decision this week over the contentious Rhineland and Saar territories. Singed yesterday, on March 24, the Treaty of Mainz sets up a two-year timetable for the gradual transfer of the land to the Germans.
When President Eckener announced the signing of the agreement on the radio, there was jubilant celebration here in Mainz, along with in Cologne and in numerous other towns and cities in the Rhineland and Saar territories. Those Germans living in Alsace-Lorraine are not so excited, however. The Treaty of Mainz states that Germany hereby drops all claims to those contested provinces currently in the hands of France.
In Berlin, many people cheered as the announcement went out on the radio, and there are discussions for a hero’s welcome for the President and Foreign Minister when they arrive back in the city later this week aboard the Graf Zeppelin.
-“Germans to get Rhineland and Saar Returned,” The New York Times, March 26, 1935
When Eckener and Vogel returned aboard the Graf Zeppelin after their success in Mainz, it was the beginning of the high point of Eckener’s Presidency. As the Rhineland was gradually reintegrated into the country, Germans began to look to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. President Eckener and the Berlin Olympic Committee wanted to use the games to show the world that the German democracy was stable and vibrant, and here to stay. They looked to Greece for a theme, building a modern Olympic stadium with a style that made the viewer think of the ancient times of Greece and Rome.
This was the birth of the modern Olympic torch relay. In July, German athletes began a relay in Olympia, Greece, lighting the Olympic torch and bringing it to Berlin. The final leg of the trip, once the torch was carried through the city, dramatically coming under the Brandenburg gate and past the Reichstag the day before the games, the runners took the flame to Templhof Airport, where it was loaded aboard the LZ-131 Brandenburg, Germany’s newest airship.
The day of the games, the LZ-129 and LZ-130 hovered over the Olympic Stadium as the crowds arrived and as the ceremony began. The opening ceremonies in Berlin were what started the tradition that we are now so familiar with, an amazing show of pageantry and national pride. The highlight of the show was when the LZ-131 flew over the stadium, Olympic flag flying proudly below the ship and Olympic Rings emblazoned on both sides, circling the stadium several times before landing, at which point Olympic Runner Karl Ritter emerged from the ship, carrying the torch into the stadium and up to the cauldron, which he lit as the crowd cheered on.
To the whole world, the 1936 Olympic Games showed that Germany had recovered from the hard times that it had suffered through, and that they had fully embraced democracy and was ready to once again be a leader among nations. To this day, the Berlin Olympics remains the basis for all Olympic games, from the pageantry to the guest and athlete comfort, to the state of the art facilities that house the games themselves.
Germany excelled in the games, even though the star was American runner Jesse Owens, an African American who set many world records and was a crowd favorite. When he won his final gold medal in Berlin, President Eckener insisted on presenting the medal to him personally. That night, Eckener hosted a dinner in Owens’s honor onboard the Brandenburg.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 5: The Berlin Olympics” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
GOODYEAR AND ZEPPELIN ANNOUNCE MERGER
NEW YORK, OCT 19- Today, the chairmans of the Goodyear Airship Company and Luftschiffbau Zeppelin announced a formal merger into Zeppelin-Goodyear International. The now unified airship building company will be headquartered in New York, with offices also set in Frankfurt.
There will be a greater exchange of engineers from both German and the Untied States, helping further airship development. The company has two main production facilities, one in Akron, Ohio, and one at Friedrichshafen, along with a new facility that opened earlier this year in Dallas, Texas.
When asked about Goodyear’s contracts with the US Navy, the company said that those contracts would be handled exclusively by the facility in Dallas, and that the German facilities would not be building any military airships for the United States.
ZGI’s airships will be built for three buyers: the U.S. Navy, Pan American Airways, and the German airine DELAG.
-“Goodyear and Zeppelin Announce Merger,” The New York Times, October 20, 1936
MONARCHY BILL FAILS TO PASS
BERLIN, DEC 9- The Monarchist Party has failed to get their second attempt at restoring the Hohenzollern Monarchy to the throne by legislative means. The Monarchists, which now have 113 seats in the Reichstag after last months election in which the SPD suffered further losses, shrinking to 142 seats and the Centre Party growing to 174 seats, have yet to push through their bill which would have called for the gradual return to a monarchy here in Germany
The bill would have established a regency council charged with finding a suitable candidate for the Imperial throne, along with establihsing a constitutional committee to draft a constitution for a modern Germany monarchy. Some diehard monarchists want to see the return to the system used before the end of the Great War, but most want to set up a system based on the British model, with more power resting in the legislature.
Monarchist Party officials said after the defeat in the parliament today that this would not be the last time they attempted to put forth this bill, that they would campaign and meet with Centre Party members to create more support for the bill and try again soon, maybe within a year.
-“Monarchy Bill Fails to Pass,” Frankfurter Zeitung, December 10, 1936
FRIENDLY COMPETION
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, FEB 15- Construction began today on the LZ-133 and LZ-134, the newest ships to be built by the German branch of Zeppelin-Goodyear International. These ships are to be the largest in the world, reaching nearly 1,400 feet in length. This, we are told, is in direct response to the highly succesful GZ-9 class airship built by Goodyear last year. The 1100 foot USS Eagle, which awed engineers in Germany when it arrived in Berlin last year carrying the US Olympic team, has created an urgency among German engineers to one-up their American collegues.
When asked about the competition within the company, ZGI officials in New York said that it was healthy, keeping the company at the edge of innocation in lighter-than-air technology.
-“Friendly Competion,” Popular Mechanics, February 20, 1937.
GERMANS CELEBRATE REUNIFICATION
BERLIN, JUNE 1- Germans young and old, rich and poor, celebrated the return of the Saar region into Germany today, as the last of the territories ceeded by Germany following the Great War has been returned to it’s original owner. In accordance with the 1935 Treaty of Mainz, France returned the Saar region back to German control at the strock of midnight, as fireworks exploded overhead and the German flag was raised over the territory, with a band playing “Deutschland uber Alles” in the background.
Presidnet Eckener was quoted as saying, “This is a great day for the German people, and for Europe. Today we show that diplomacy can work to resolve the disputes between the many nations of this continent, and that we can always work out our differences with civility and peace, and that we do not have to resort to violence.” President Eckener was in the region this morning at the official change of power ceremony.
-“Germans Celebrate Reunification,” The Times (London), June 1, 1937
June 12, 1937- I went down to Friedrichshafen this week to see the progress on the LZ-133 and 134. I have to say that I am very excited. These new ships will be amazing. I also talked with some men from the American side of the new ZGI company, and they were telling me that with the recent completion of British routes to Australia, that PanAm was expecting that one could fly around the world via airship no later than mid 1938, when the newest PanAm ship will be ready to fly from Honolulu to Sydney. It’s all very exciting, my life long dream finally becoming a reality. If only I were more a part of it. But that is the price I must pay, I suppose. And in the end, it is worth it. The world is at peace, the airship will soon truly be King of the skies, and my homeland is no longer threatened by militant barbarism.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
AIRSHIPS ON THE SILVER SCREEN
Non-Stop New York (1937), the first British "airship film". Directed by Robert Stevenson and staring John Loder and Anna Lee. Based on Ken Attiwil's bestselling novel Sky Steward, it is the story of a young Englishwoman, Jennie Carr (Lee), who witnesses a gang murder in New York. Fearing for her life she sails back to England, only to have the gang follow her and frame her for theft. Upon her release from gaol, Jennie learns that an innocent hobo has been convicted of the New York murder, and is desperately seeking the "mystery girl" who could save him from the electric chair. When Scotland Yard refuses to believe her story, she stows away on a flight back to New York; unbeknownst to her, the real murderer is aboard. As is Inspector Jim Grant (Loder), who has been sent to New York to check on Jennie's story.
The New York Times called it a well-staged and moderately entertaining Class B melodrama" featuring "a transatlantic airship as richly imaginative as a front-cover of Popular Science or a Buck Rogers space ship." Great liberties were taken with the British airships of the time. The fictional RMAS Queen Alexandra features passenger fittings far in excess of even those of the famed German line and such absurdly impractical features as private balconies, a winter garden at the top of the ship's frame, a swimming pool, and even a small aeroplane suspended beneath to ferry passengers to smaller ports without having to land.
-"Internet Cinema Database", retrieved 2010-01-15
ROYAL AIR TOUR
LONDON, MAY 19- His Majesty King George VI and Queen Elizabeth embarked this morning on a grand tour of the Empire. This is the first time a tour on this scale has ever been attempted by a reigning monarch and the first time any member of the royal family has toured by airship. The Palace has chartered the Imperial Airship Service’s newest vessel, the RMAS Empress of India, for the occasion. Their Majesties are to visit Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Ceylon, and South Africa. Brief visits are also planned for the Crown Colonies of Singapore and Hong Kong.
--“A Royal Air Tour,” The Times (London), May 20, 1937
PART VI: REPUBLIC VOTED OUT
1937 was the last year of Eckener’s “goodtimes”. Starting with the election of 1938, in which the Monarchists overwhelmingly took control of the Reichstag, going from 113 seats to 202. Adenauer remained the Chancellor, but Vogel and the other SDP members were no longer involved in the Government. When asked by a reporter in Berlin in October of 1938, Eckener stated that he supported the Republic, and was against returning the Hohenzollerns, or any other noble family, to the throne. After this, Eckener would no longer be able to get any usefull cooperation from the Reichstag, despite his good friendship with Adenauer. His power as President stagnated as the popularity and moral authority of Adenauer and the Monarchists grew.
On Decmeber 3, 1938, the Reichstag passed the “Restoration of Monarchy” Act, which set a one year time table for the dissolution of the Republic and the reestablishment of the German Empire. The 1939 presidential elections were cancelled, and a Regency Council was established, with Adenauer as it’s Chairman. A constitutional committee was also establihsed, with the aim of setting up a British-like constitutional monarchy system with a very limited monarch. The tentative coronation date was set for December 1, 1939. The Airship President’s days were now numbered.
-- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 6: The Restoration of Monarchy Act ” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
GERMAN VOTERS BACK MONARCHY ACT
BERLIN, DEC 20- Germans have voted overwhelmingly in support of the “Restoration of Monarchy Act” that was passed earlier this month by the German Reichstag. This vote was required by the act before the government here in Berlin sets about to fulfill the act and restore the German Empire. Not all here in this country are happy about the vote, including sitting President Hugo Eckener, who stated, “It was my hope that the German people would reject this bill and back the Republic, but it appears that the will of the people is to have a return of the House of Hohenzollern. It is not that I dislike the monarchists, but I feel that Germany would be better served by a republic.”
Eckener isn’t the only one warry of the new act. Leaders throughout Europe have voiced their concearn. In Britain, the government has stated that “While we will continue to support the German government, and have no personal issue with the House of Hohenzollern (as they are cousins of the British Royal Family), we do hope that these events will not result in future conflict, and that the new government that is created will follow after President Eckener’s example and proceed with diplomacy when dealing with their neighbors.”
The French appear to be more fearful, with one official in Paris being quoted as saying, “It is the hope of the French people that the new Imperial government that is to rise in Germany will honor the Treaty of Mainz and not attempt to take back old disputed territories that were delt with in that agreement.” This statement is an obvious refference to Alsace-Lorraine, which Germany dropped all claims to in the treaty the official reffered to.
-“German Voters Back Monarchy Act,” The Times (London), Decemeber 21, 1938
December 25, 1938- This shall be my last Christmas as President of the German Republic. This shall be the last Christmas that Germany has a President. This shall be the last Christmas that Germany is a Republic.
It’s not that I’m agianst the monarchists, or don’t want to see the return of the Imperial Family to power. Some of the papers here in Berlin have even accused me of wanting to try and keep the power to myself and not give it over to another. This is not it at all. I simply feel that a republic is what is best for the German people. That in the long run, reverting back to having a monarchy, even a more limited monarchy, is a step in the wrong direction.
I suppose I could be wrong, of course. Adenauer has repeatedly pointed to the British as an example of a monarchy done right, as he says. That’s the example that the Consitutional Committee is using as they start their work. They meet for the first time next week, and I pray that God guides them and grants them the widsom to establish a good government. I also pray that the Regency Committee is successful in finding just the right person to be crowned as the new Emperor.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
HEIR APPARENT KILLED BY LEFTIST
KOLN, JAN 17- Crown Prince Wilhelm, son of the last German Emperor Wilhelm II and for many people the obvious choice as the person to be chosen by the Regency Council, was killed today in Koln by a Marxist. His Imperial Highness was in the city to meet with Monarchists leaders who had planned on supporting his candidacy to become the new German Emperor, when Heinrich Nollert, a former member of the RFKF, attacked the Crown Prince in his hotel suit. Nollert had gotten around the Prince’s security detail by pretending to be a member of the hotel staff.
Nollert is now in the custody of the Reichspolizi. RP officials have searched the man’s home, and found evidence to suggest that he had been planning this event for weeks. He also appears to have been planning a bomb attack on the Chancellor with other former RFKF members in Berlin. RP spokesman in Koln said that this information would be very helpful in preventing further attacks.
-“Heir Apparent Killed by Leftist,” Frankfurter Zeitung, January 18, 1938
My fellow Germans,
I come to you this evening via the radio to speak publicially about the horrible events of today. At 11:14 this morning, Crown Prince Wilhelm of the House of Hohenzollern, was killed in cold blood by a man once belonging to the RFKF. I am so grieved that this communist terrorist was able to snuff out the light of such an important leader, a man that could have very likely been the next Emperor of the Germans. I offer the sincere condolences of myself and my family to the Crown Prince’s family and friends, and offer them anything that I can to help them in this time of sorrow.
And now I make a promise to the German people. Many have criticized me of late for my stance on the recent “Restoration Act”, trying to paint me as someone who would stand in the way of the people’s decision. That is not the case ladies and gentlemen. My unwavering support is behind the will of the people of this country, no matter what that will may be. As such, I have issued orders to the Reichspolizei to render round-the-clock protection to all members of the former Imperial Family, along with anyone else being considered by the Regency Council. In addition, I have ordered the RP to hunt down all former members of the RFKF that might be involved in the plot to kill the Prince, or other related plots that have since been uncovered.
I am also declareing a state of public mourning for the next 2 months in honor of the life of Crown Prince Wilhelm. All flags will be lowered to half-staff around the country. And now, I ask that you all join me in a moment of silence in honor of His Imperial Highness.
……………………………………………
Thank you all, may God bless each of you and may he guide us through this hardship.
- Radio Address given from Berlin by President Eckener on January 17, 1939. Reichs Historiches Institue, Berlin.
President Eckener’s handling of the death of the Crown Prince won him great respect amongst the public, especially among those who had been very critical of his attitude regarding the Restoration of Monarchy Act. At the funeral, he gave a very moving speech in honor of the Prince and the Imperial Family. One of the most famous photos of Eckener was taken at the funeral of Crown Prince Wilehelm on January 25, 1939. It is of him embracing the Prince’s widow, as she weeps, mournful of the loss of her husband. This photograph was reprinted in newspapers around the country, and the world, and appeared in TIME magazine that year.
After the funeral, events moved quickly. On June 3, the Consitutional Committee submitted it’s draft consitution for review and approval by the Reichstag. The legislature passed the document on June 12. Then on August 1, the Regency Council made it’s big announcement. The new German Emperor would be His Imperial Highness Prince Louis Ferdinand, the 32 year old son of the late Crown Prince Wilhelm. This surprised some, who expected the Coucnil to choose one of the Prince’s older brothers.
On November 30, 1939, President Eckener handed over power to Prince Louis Ferdinand in a cereomny at the Reichstag. During the ceremony, the red, black, and gold flag of the German Republic was lowered, and the old red, white, and black flag of the German Empire was raised above the Reichstag. The next day, in a glorious ceremony in the Berliner Dom, the Prince was crowned as Kaiser Louis Ferdinand I, German Emperor. The nation was jubilant and proud.
Eckener announced that he would retire from public life and return to Friedrichshafen, despite initial requsts from Adenauer to stay on as part of the Government. Eckener said that it was his time to return home to his airships, and see what his son and the others had been up to all this time. On December 20, Eckener boarded the Gtaf Zeppelin and returned to his home on the shores of Lake Constance.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 7: President No More ” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
PART VII: THE NEW REICH
ECKENER RETURNS TO ZEPPELIN-GOODYEAR
FRANKFURT, Jan 12, 1940- In a ceremony today at Zeppelin-Goodyear International’s German Headquarters, former President of Germany Hugo Eckener was named the Honorary President of ZGI. They day to day oppeartion’s of the company will be handled by Ernst Lehmann, who has headed the Zeppelin Company since Eckener entered politics 8 years ago. Eckener’s son, Knut, is the head of ZGI’s European Operations, and has overseen the design of the last several types of airships built in Germany.
-“Eckener Returns to Zeppelin-Goodyear,” The New York Times, January 13, 1940.
Eckener returned to Friedrichshafen amid great pomp and circumstance, as his hometown welcomed their favorite son. Eckener quickly got back to the Zeppelin Company, eager to get back to his life’s work, as he continued to refer to the ligher-than-air development. Named as the Honorary President of ZGI, he mainly worked in development, helping design teams come up with new innovations at the Friedrichshafen facility.
However, his retirement would be short lived. The new regime in Berlin was lacking in the proper foreign affairs management that Eckener had excelled in. Germany was eyeing Austria and a possible unification of the two German-speaking nations, but feared ruffling the feathers of other European powers. And then Italy was wanting to expand into Africa and asking for German assistance. And the icing on the cake of mounting international issues was slowly souring relations between the Soviet Union and the new German Empire.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 8: From President to Foreign Minister ” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
FDR: “THIS IS MY LAST TERM”
The White House, January 30- President Roosevelt today announced that he would not seek reelection to a third term as President of the United States. Many had tried to convince the FDR to seek a third term, but he is quoted by a White House staffer as saying, “Every President since George Washington has only served two terms. I see no reason to break that tradition now. We are at peace, and I have served this country quite well, in my opinion. It is time for me to return to Hyde Park.”
Now the question is, who will run against Republican favorite and likely nominee Wendell Wilkie. Most here in the capital believe that current Secretary of State Cordell Hull will be the likely choice. However there are others that say a more popular candidate with a better chance of winning over Wilkie would be Will Rogers of Oklahoma.
-“FDR: This is My Last Term,” The Washington Post, February 1, 1940.
June 14, 1940- Chancellor Adenauer called me today, asking me to come to Berlin to meet with himself and the Emperor. Apparently they want me to help the new regime. I told them I’d consider it. I’m very torn as to what to do. I want to devote the rest of my life to the development of the airship, working out the kinks in current designs to further improve the technology, but at the same time, I do not want to see Germany in trouble. I devoted the last 8 years of my life to make sure that my country would succeed in the future.
June 17, 1940- I’m going to Berlin tomorrow, to meet with the Emperor and the Chancellor, flying on the LZ-134 Graf Zeppelin II. I feel that, despite my desire to stay on here at ZGI, I must put my country first. And in all reality, since I’ve been out of the picture at Zeppelin for so long that the next generation has already taken the reigns, and me trying to step back in is really not a good idea.
So, with that said, I’m going back to Berlin, to serve as the pleasure of the Kaiser.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
ECKENER APPOINTED AS FOREIGN MINISTER
BERLIN, JUNE 24- Emperor Louis Ferdinand today appointed former President Hugo Eckener as the new Foreign Minister of the German Empire. Chancellor Adenauer stated that, “Eckener’s ability to negotiate with people from around the world is an invaluable asset, one that is needed as we enter into this new decade. He proved that he can fullfill the duties of this office during the last 8 years, during which time he took on negotiations first hand that have benifited not only Germany, but all of the world.”
Eckener told the press after the announcement, “I am willing to serve my homeland one more. My services are needed, and I humbly offer them to the Kaiser and the German people.”
There are several issues facing the Imperial government. Chief among them is the desire of Emperor Louis Ferdinand to bring the German-speaking nation of Austria into the Empire to bring about the “Great-Germany” that was the vision of generations passed. Another worry of the new government is the slowly worsening relations with the Soviet Union. The Soviet ambassador in Berlin told the Foreign Ministry that they are concearned about the fact that the Emperor’s wife, Empress Kira Kirillovna, is the sister of Vladimir Kirillovich, the Pretender to the Russian throne.
-“Eckener Appointed as Foreign Minister,” Frankfurter Zeitung, June 25, 1940.
DEMS NOMINATE HULL, WITH ROGERS AS VP
CHICAGO, JULY 18- The Democratic National Convention has come to a close, with current Secretary of State Cordell Hull being nominated as the Democratic candidate for the Presidency, with his running mate being well known radio personality Will Rogers.
Rogers was the surprise for the ticket, but many here in Chicago hope that he will inject new enthusiasm behind this ticket as the country gears up for the next Presidential election in November.
-“Dems Nominate Hull, with Rogers as VP,” The New York Times, July 19, 1940.
ECKENER GOES TO VIENNA
VIENNA, AUG 19- German Foreign Minister Hugo Eckener was in Vienna today, meeting with officials from the Austrian government to discuss the topic of possible annexation of Austria by the German Empire. His Imperial Highness Kaiser Louis Ferdinand has stated that he would like to bring the Austrian’s into the German Empire, to achieve the “Great Germany” that was the dream of many Germans before German Unification in the 1870s.
Eckener stated to reporters in Vienna that, “I am here just to gauge the plausability of some sort of union between Austria and Germany, in the interest of uniting the two largest German-speaking nations in the world in some form. This is just a preliminary visit, and I do not expect any sort of final agreement to be made this trip.”
France has stated that they are very leery of any union between Germany and Austria, and may end up being a major roadblock to any plan eventually developed by the German and Austrian governments.
-“Eckener Goes to Vienna,” The Times (London), August 20, 1940.
JAPAN LAUNCHES NEWEST ZEP
TOKYO, SEP 1- The Japanese Imperial Airship Service launched it’s newest passenger airship, the JIAS-03 Amaterasu today at the Imperial Airship Works in Tokyo. Emperor Hirohito, who has taken an personal facinaction with Japan’s airship developments, attended the launch ceremony.
Japan is not really known for it’s passenger airship service, this only being the third passenger vessel built by the JIAS since the airship program began in that country in 1931. Most airships produced by the IAW have been for the Imperial Navy, and are considered “expendable”. They are rather small (smaller that either the USS Akron or the LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin) and have what some airshipmen would call a skelaton crew of 30.
This new ship, however, is quite a site, at nearly 1000 feet long it can rival most of the airships currently in service with PanAm or DELAG or the British Air Service, with room for 75 passengers in comparably spacious cabins. The Amaterasu will soon begin regular flights between Tokyo and Honolulu, an agreement recently worked out by the US and Imperal governments.
-“Japan Launches Newest Zep,” Honolulu Star-Bulliten, September 3, 1940
ZGI PLANS NEW SHIPS
FRANKFURT- Zeppelin-Goodyear International has released plans for several new airships that will be muc larger than both the Hindenburg class or the GZ-9 class craft that the company currently builds. There are currently plans for two new types of passenger airships, both of which were unveiled today at ZGI-Germany. The German’s will be building the LZ-135 class ship, nicknamed the “Kronprinz” Class, and the American’s will be building the GZ-18 class ship, nicknamed the “Americana” Class. Both ships will be over 1,600 feet long and be capable of carrying over 150 passengers. Once built, these will be the largest aircraft ever built by human hands. As with all American airships the GZ-18 class will use helium as a lifting gas. Unlike all previous German airships the LZ-135 class will use a mixture of hydrogen and helium and will be designed with an eye toward eventual conversion to using pure helium.
Although the finer details of the amenities of these craft have not been officially released to the public, our sources inside ZGI has stated that one craft may have the option of being fitted with a small pool. Imagine, swimming in a pool while floating high in the sky above the world. What an amazing feat something like that will be.
-“ZGI Plans New Ships,” Popular Mechanics, October 1, 1940.
HULL WINS PRESIDENCY
WASHINGTON, NOV 5- It was announced late this evening that Democratic Candidate Cordell Hull won the presidency, beating out his Republican opponent Wendell Willkie with roughly 52.3% of the vote, trumping Willkie’s 47.7%.
Some here in the capital are giving much credit for Hull’s win to the now Vice President-elect Will Rogers, who travelled even more than Hull, visiting every state during the last several months, campaining for the democratic ticket. President Roosevelt stated that “I am delighted at the results of this election, and feel good knowing that this great nation of ours is in such good hands when I leave office in January.”
-“Hull Wins Presidency,” The New York Times, November 6, 1940
December 17, 1940- We had a secret meeting here in Berlin with the Austrian ambassador the last three days. And we’ve finally come to an agreement. Austria will become part of the German Empire next year. We’re going to make the formal announcement on January 1. The Emperor is quite pleased with the agreement, as is Konrad.
We are going to have the Austrian President in Berlin on January 1 to sign the formal treaty, which will establish a three month timeline for transition. It’s all very exciting, and I for one am glad everything has finally be settled. After the ceremony on the First, I am going to take some much needed vacation down in Friedrichshafen. I am very eager to see the progress on the LZ-135.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
GERMANY AND AUSTRIA WILL UNITE
BERLIN, JAN 1- During a surprise visit by the President of Austria, it was announced that Germany’s southern neigber would be annexed by the German Empire. Kaiser Louis Ferdinand and Austrian President Wilehlm Miklas today signed the Germanic Unification Treaty at the Imperial Palace in Berlin, which estabishes a three month timeline for the dissolution of the Austrain Republic as it becomes part of the German Empire.
The other Powers in Europe now look wairly at Kaiser and his growing realm, and hope that the past expansionism that dragged Europe into the worst war in human history does not reawaken. German Foreign Minister Hugo Eckener as stated repeatedly to the foreign press here in the Germanic capital that the Empire means absolutely no ill will towards it’s European neighbors. Herr Eckener has a good reputation amongst the leaders of this continent from his time as President of Germany, and so most leaders, especially those in Britain, are somewhat soothed by his statements.
Only time will tell how true they are however.
-“Germany and Austria Will Unite,” The Times (London), January 2, 1941.
HULL AND ROGERS TAKE OFFICE
WASHINGTON, JAN 20- Today, on the steps of the United States Capitol Building, Cordell Hull was sworn in as the 33rd President of the United States, as thousands of well-wishers and supporters gathered to hear his inagural address.
“We are a nation of peace,” Hull stated during his speech, “We are a nation that seeks to promote peace wherever we can. Under no circumstance shall this nation ever willingly allow a conflict of the magnitude of the Great War to ever break out. But rest assured that while we seek peace, we will not grow weak. Should some fiend seek to disturb our security or our way of life, America will be ready.”
President Hull went on to state that America would seek continued good relations with her allies around the world, especially the great Powers of Europe, and would also continue to push the boundaries of technological development. As he said this, the GZ-09 USS Eagle, the Presidential Airship, floated overhead, and later sprinkled red, white, and blue confettie when Hull finished his speech.
Famed radio personality-turned Vice President of the United States Will Rogers of Oklahoma was also sworn in today, and those of us from his home state couldn’t be prouder. In attendance at the capital was Oklahoma governor Leon Phillips along with several other state officials.
-“Hull and Rogers Take Office,” The Daily Oklahoman, January 21, 1941
RIOTS IN DANZIG
DANZIG, FEB 21- City officials in Danzig are reporting rioting between German and Polish residents after a young German boy was murdered by a member of the Polish National movement, which seeks to have the city joined to Poland. Citizens in the German quarter have tossed out local police officials from their neighborhoods, and are calling for assistance from abroad. Danzig’s mayor has yet to make a formal statement, but there are fears that he will ask for assistance from Poland, which could touch of some sort of conflict. Things are especially tense in Berlin, where Chancellor Adenauer and his cabinet have been at the Imperial Palace since the rioting began.
The British Government has stated that should the City of Danzig need assistance, they should seek that help from a neutral party, not Poland or Germany, to avoid any possible conflict, and that should they be asked, Britain would send assistance.
-“Riots in Danzig,” The Times (London), February 22, 1941.
RIOTS IN DANZIG WORSEN
DANZIG, FEB 27- The situation in the Free City of Danzig is worsening as the area enters it’s 7th day of fighting between German and Polish citizens. Today, the mayor was shot in his home, and is in serious condition at a local hospital.
The German neighborhoods have banded together and declared themselves to be the “Free State of Danzig”, claiming that the Danzig city government was overrun by nationalist Poles who would turn the city over to Poland.
As of today, neither the Polish or German governments have taken any direct action to this worsening crisis, despite calls for involvment in both countries.
-“Riots in Danzig Worsen,” Frankfurter Zeitung, February 28, 1941.
POLAND SENDS TROOPS
DANZIG, MAR 1- The situation in Danzig has seriously deteriorated. The cities mayor died yesterday from wounds he suffered from on February 27. Since then, fighing between the Free City of Danzig and the so called Free State of Danzig has intensified. So much so that the Danzig city fathers have asked that Poland send troops to restore order. As of yet, troops from Poland have mobilzed and are expected in the city before nightfall. This has prompted the Free State to ask Germany to send troops, but Germany has yet to respond.
If things do not improve and soon, open war could break out. Many members of the German Reichstag have been calling for the Emperor to send troops in to protect the German citizens of Danzig from the Poles, but as of yet the Imperial government has yet to respond to the situation. Some of the more radical members of the parliament are calling for Chancellor Adenauer’s resignation if action is not taken soon.
-“Poland Sends Troops,” Frankfurter Zeitung, March 2, 1941.
March 2, 1941- It seems as though the entire situation in Poland is going to hell in a handbasket. Polish troops have entered centeral Danzig, securing the Polish sector of the city. As of yet, they have not entered the so called Free State, but it’s bound to happen. Chancellor Adenauer is planning on asking the Emperor to send troops from East Prussia to secure the Free State. If that happens, I forsee war breaking out. Some of the cabinet members are calling for a declaration of war against Poland and an outright invasion. This could all get very bad.
- From the personal diary of President Hugo Eckener “Personal Documents of President Eckener.” The Zeppelin Institute, Friedrichshafen.
ECKENER FLIES TO DANZIG
DANZIG, MARCH 5- With Polish troops occupying parts of Danzig, the German Foreign Minister Hugo Eckener has flown the Graf Zeppelin into the city. The Imperial Government has stated that Eckener is in the city to try and broker a peace deal before a conflict breaks out.
The Foreign Office in London has stated that the Germans are asking the British to possibly come in as peace keepers between the Polish and German factions in Danzig. It seems likely that the the Navy and Army will accept the request and give assistance.
-“Eckener Flies to Danzig,” The Times (London). March 6, 1941.
TRUCE CALLED IN DANZIG
DANZIG, MARCH 7- Foreign Minister Hugo Eckener has been able to broker a truce between the two sides of conflict. Right now, the Free State of Danzig and the newly renamed Free City of Gdansk are not fighting. Eckener is remaining in the city until a formal treaty can be worked out.
“We cannot allow Europe to be dragged into conclict over one city, no mater how important it is. Both sides must come to the tabel of peace and negotiate. An agreement can be found. It must.” Eckener stated this to reporters outside the conflicted city where he’s maintaining a temporary office aboard the Graf Zeppelin.
Poland has recalled it’s troops to the boarder of the the Free Zone, and Britain has sent in troops to maintain order between the two factions within Danzig.
-“Truce Called in Danzig,” Frankfurt Zeitung, March 8, 1941
GRAF BOMBED, ECKENER SAFE
DANZIG, MARCH 12- German officials are reporting that Foreign Minister Hugo Eckener is safe and unharmed after a disgruntled Polish citizen of “Gdansk”, also known as Polish Danzig planted a bomb in a package delivered to Eckener’s temporary office at the Graf Zeppelin. The bomb exploded while Eckener was meeting The entire craft was destoryed within seconds, engulfed in flame. 17 people were killed, and over 40 are recovering in a hospital in German Danzig.
Minister Eckener has stated that he will not let this blatant attempt at terrorism stop him from pursuing peace in Danzig. “I did not let terror deterr me when I served the German people as their President, and I will not do it now as Foreign Minister,”
Talks have been scheduled between the leaders of Gdansk, Danzig, Poland, Germany, and Great Britain, and are expected to be held in Copenhagen sometime later this month or in April.
-“Graf Bombed, Eckener Safe,” Washington Post, March 13, 1941.
The early part of 1941 was a very dramatic time for Germany. The Danzig Crisis was the at the spotlight for months, overshadowing the unficiation of “Greater Germany” with the annexation of Austria on April 1. That transistion went off peacefully, with the Emperor and Chancellor attending a well done ceremony in Vienna where the Austrian state officially ceased to exist. Very few in that country had anything negative to say about it, and were happy to be part of “Greater Germany”.
After the bombing of the Graf Zeppelin on March 12, 1941, Hugo Eckener threw himself all the more at the task of bringing peace to this troubled city. And his work payed off. In mid April, Chancellor Adenauer and Dr. Eckener met with their Polish and British counterparts, along with leaders of both Gdansk and Danzig in the Copenhagen to work out a permanent solution to the problem of Danzig. On April 29, the leaders all signed the Copenhagen-Danzig Accord, which did the following:
-Turned over the southern half of the “Polish Corridor” over to the German Empire, linking East Prussia to the rest of Germany.
-Gave full passage rights to Poland to pass through the German section of the Vistula River.
-Split Danzig and Gdansk leagly into two cities
-Made Danzig into a German enclave within the Polish Corridor
-Made the Port of Danzig/Gdansk controlled jointly between British, Polish, and German troops.
While many feared that the situation would cause a major headache and in the end not solve any problems, the violence in the region subsided. Soon, things were back to normal and all parties involved adjusted quite well to the new situation. In reaction to his efforts, Hugo Eckener was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."Chapter 8: From President to Foreign Minister ” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
PART VIII: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
The launch of the LZ-135 and the GZ-18 sparked a major competition between ZGI-America and ZGI-Germany. These two ships would be the first of many built by both countries in a friendly building competiton that would peak in 1951 with the loss of the GZ-33 due to structural failure after the crew at the ZGI Dallas facility attempted to complete their new ship ahead of Friedrichshafen.
The LZ-135, the Kronprinz Wilehlem, and her sister ship the LZ-136 Frederick der Große were magnificent ships, the first of 6 LZ-135 class ships to be made. The new class of airships is the first to incorporate Goodyear’s technological advances present in American civil and naval airships. The ships used a mixture of both hydrogen and helium gas and are designed to be convertible to pure helium use in the future. The LZ-135 was built especially for the use of the German Imperial Family and was far and away the most luxurious airship built up to that point in time, even besting the USS Eagle, which served as both a presidential ship and a floating office for the US President and staff. The Kronprinz had three main passenger decks, with beautiful and spacious staterooms, along with a ballroom, a small theater, and a three-story atrium/lounge that had a domed ceiling and a glass dome in the floor to look down at the countryside. In a first for an airship she featured two chapels. The larger chapel was Lutheran while the smaller was Russian Orthodox (Empress Kira never traveled anywhere without a Russian Orthodox priest or two in her entourage). In could carry just 50 VIP passengers, plus crew and Imperial staff. When Hugo Eckener saw her when he went on vacation after the Danzig Crisis, he was reported to have said, “Now this is the best airship ever made. A pure dream that has become reality.” The LZ-136 was the same size as the Kronprinz, but was built for the DELAG trans-Atlantic service and so was not as elaborate. But it did feature the same atrium/lounge as the Emperor’s ship, and was known as the “Imperial Lounge”. The craft could carry 165 passengers when fully booked, and was 1,622 feet in length, and the height of a 16-story building.
The GZ-18, Americana was launched on July 4, 1942, one week after the launch of the LZ-135 and a month before the LZ-136. She was the largest airship built at that time, being 1,655 feet long. Her size would not be beaten until the launch of the GZ-28, which was launched in 1950 and was 1,711 feet long. The ship had a large gondola for deluxe cabins, and many more births inside the hull, along with spacious public rooms including an entire fourth deck that was reserved for the dinning room and dance hall. There was also a library and yes, a small, glass bottomed swimming pool (a feature that was discontinued after the GZ-20’s pool cracked just before take-off from Berlin in 1946. After that incident, future pools were not glass-bottomed). The ship carried 155 passengers when fully booked, and flew the New York-LA-Honolulu route until she was retired in 1959.
- Anderson, Dr. Alexander. The Airship: A Century of Sailing the Skies. New York: Colombia University Press: 1989.
ECKENER HOSPITALIZED
BERLIN, July 3, 1942- World-renowned engineer and statesman Hugo Eckener, Germany’s foreign minister, has been hospitalized in the Reich’s Capital after collapsing during a dinner at the Imperial Palace. There has been no official word yet on his condition, but many in Berlin are worried that the years of stress this man has been through may have taken their toll.
-“Eckener Hospitalized,” The Times (London), July 4, 1942.
ECKENER SUFFERED STROKE
BERLIN, JUL 4- Officials in Berlin have stated that Foreign Minister Hugo Eckener suffered from a stroke on July 3. Chancellor Adenauer has stated that Eckener will not be returning to the cabinet, that he must put his health first. “My good friend Dr. Eckener has given over 10 years of his life in the service of his country, and without him, Germany would be a mess. It is time now, however, for this country to take care of him. I’ve spoken with his wife and it has been decided that he will retire permanently to his home in Friedrichshafen once he is well enough to leave the hospital.”
Doctors state that Eckener’s verbal skills seem to be okay, but that he does not have the use of his right leg at this point in time.
-“Eckener Suffered Stroke,” Frankfurter Zeitung, July 5, 1942
ITALIAN MONARCHIST COUP
ROME, FEB 1- A coup led by supporters of the Italian king and those loyal first and foremost to the King and the military have seized power in Rome, and arrested Benito Mussolini and have overthrown his government. This is, they say, a reaction to failed attempts to take over Ethiopia and other failed ventures in Africa that have damaged the national economy and image.
-“Italian Monarchist Coup,” The Times (London), February 2, 1943
WAR!
JAPS BOMB HONG KONG, PHILIPENES
MANILA, JUNE 4- The Imperial Japanese Navy and Army have launched attacks against the US controlled Philippine Islands and against British controlled Hong Kong. The attack on Manila occurred at 6:45 A.M. local time, with a Japanese carrier fleet attacking the few American warships in the area and bombing the town, using both heavier-than-air bombers and airships, though most of the later were used as scouts. The Japanese Army has landed troops north of Manila, and it looks as though the Islands might be overrun.
In Hong Kong, it was a similar story, and the official report from the British is that their government leaders in the territory were killed in the attack, and that the island will be in Japanese hands before the end of the week.
-“War! Japs Bomb Hong Kong, Philippines,” The New York Times, June 5, 1944.
“Yesterday, June 4, 1944, a date which shall live forever in the annals of History, the Naval and Armed Forces of the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack against an unsuspecting outpost of the United States, bombing innocent civilians in the Philippine Islands. In addition to this dastardly attack on American territory, Japan also bombed our allies Great Britain, invading the island of Hong Kong.
Now, early this morning, I received a telegram from our ambassador in London, informing me that the United Kingdom is now in a state of war with the Japanese. And now, I come before the American Congress to ask that this body declare a state of War to exist between our country and Japan.”
-Radio address given by President Cordell Hull following the Japanese surprise attacks on Manila and Hong Kong, June 5, 1944; Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.
PART IX: THE PACIFIC WAR
JAPS SHOOT DOWN BRITISH ZEP
CALCUTTA, JUNE 6- British officials in India have confirmed that the Imperial Japanese Navy shot down the R106 Botany Bay, which was in route to London after leaving Sydney on June 3. The Royal Navy received a radio distress call from the R106 on the 4th, just hours after the attack on Hong Kong and dispatched a search and rescue team to it’s last reported coordinates. The Navy stated in a press release today that all the team discovered was a small amount of floating wreckage and a handful of bodies. There are no reported survivors of the 95 passengers or 47-member crew.
-“Japs Shoot Down British Zep,” The LA Times. June 7, 1944
JAPS TAKE HONG KONG
SYDNEY, JUNE 11- Japan has fully overrun the island of Hong Kong, with the last of British forces pulling out of the area yesterday. The island’s garrison suffered horrific damage during the surprise attack on June 4. Since the initial attack, British forces have been under constant siege with high military and civilian casualties.
With Japan now having full control of Hong Kong, the great powers that have control of other islands in the region. The Philippines, Singapore, Australia, and even Hawaii are now at a heightened state of alert. The US Navy has ordered ‘round the clock patrols by the airships USS Oklahoma City and USS Hilo to monitor for any enemy activity. Great Britain is planning on sending more thousands of more troops to Australia. The UK is also planning on sending troops to assist France in its ongoing conflict with the Japanese in French Indo-China. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is quoted to have stated “All the nations of the West must stand together to fight this terror attempting to place a stranglehold on islands of Asia.”
-“Japs Take Hong Kong,” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 22, 1944.
July 1, 1944- President Hull today rejected a plan proposed by the Joint Chiefs that would have transferred over 1/3 of the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet, to boost the Navy’s ability to wage war against the Japanese. I think it foolish, but then again I think a lot of Hull’s ideas aren’t so great. Like his idea not to use the USS Eagle anymore. May even have it scrapped! Now, I of course love airplanes, but I don’t think they are dignified enough to carry the President of the United States around. Especially to an Allied War meeting in London. But what do I know; I’m just the Vice President.
-Personal Diary of President Will Rogers, “Personal Documents of President Rogers, from the Hull Presidency,” The Will Rogers Presidential Library, Claremont, OK.
JAPAN BOMB SINGAPORE, DARWIN
PERTH, JULY 27- The Empire of Japan launched simultaneous bombing raids on Singapore and Darwin today. The Japs were able to inflict a lot of damage on civilian craft at harbor in Singapore, and severely damaged an outpost of the Royal Army in the city of Darwin, Australia.
Troops are continuing to pour into Australia from around the British Empire, in an attempt to convince the Japanese not to attempt an invasion of the continent.
-“Japan Bomb Singapore, Darwin,” The Times (London), July 28, 1944.
PRESIDENT TO GO TO LONDON
WASHINGTON, APRIL 28- Tomorrow, President Hull will depart for London for a conference with British officials on how to coordinate the war with Japan. Instead of taking the USS Eagle, Hull has decided to fly on a passenger plane on loan from American Airlines. The President stated that, “While the airship is an amazing craft, it is also slow, cumbersome, and inefficient when compared to modern airplanes, and far cheaper to build and maintain. We are in a war, and we cannot afford to waste any time.”
President Hull will be accompanied by his wife and the Secretary of State Harry Truman. The London Conference will begin on May 2 and will last an entire week. –“President to Go to London,” The Washington Post, April 29, 1945.
US PRESIDENT GOES MISSNG
LONDON, MAY 1- U.S. President Cordell Hull was due in at the Queen Victoria Aerodrome early yesterday evening, but his plane has not yet landed. The Presidential aircraft, a plane borrowed from American Airlines (the President deciding to not use the USS Eagle airship that was used during the Roosevelt administration), was supposed to make radio contact with the Royal Air force sometime between 1 and 3 yesterday afternoon, but has yet to do so. The American and British authorities are now officially launching a search, and fear that the President’s plane may have gone down in the Atlantic.
-“US President Goes Missing,” The Times (London), May 2, 1945
May 1, 1945- My God…Hull’s plane went down. I’m trying to be optimistic, but I can’t. The plane crashed in the middle of the Atlantic…there’s no way he survived. None. Deep down I know he’s dead. And that makes me…makes me the 34th President of the United States, during the middle of a war. If only he’d stuck with using the Zeppelin instead of that blasted plane….
-Personal Diary of President Will Rogers, “Personal Documents of President Rogers, from the Hull Presidency,” The Will Rogers Presidential Library, Claremont, OK.
PRESIDENT HULL DEAD
WASHINGTON, May 4- The United State’s Coast Guard today announced that they had discovered a small amount of wreckage that they believed belonged to President Hull’s airplane. No bodies were found. With this discovery, the Coast Guard announced that they believe that the President and the First Lady, along with the Secretary of State, where dead. After the announcement, Vice President Will Rogers was sworn in by the Chief Justice on the floor of the House of Representatives. After this, he gave a short address to the Congress and the Nation, before calling a meeting of Hull’s Cabinet to discuss the nation’s future.
-“President Hull Dead,” The New York Times, May 5, 1945.
“My Fellow Americans,
I come to you today via the radio in the midst of a national tragedy. As you all know, President Hull’s airplane crashed into the Atlantic earlier this week, and that there are no survivors.
If ever I had wanted to become president of this great country of ours, this is not the method I’d have chosen. But we do not always get the luxury of choosing our course in life. Sometimes it is thrust on us, as has happened with the loss of President Hull.
I come to you today to assure you that your government will not falter in this time of tragedy. We will honor the memory of my good friend by fulfilling his wishes for this country to the best of our ability. We will fight this war in the Pacific to its end, which if I have anything to do about it will end in American triumph. We cannot allow this tragedy to derail our resolve to win, our resolve to improve, our resolve to move forward.
---pause for applause---
Two days from now we will honor the life of President Hull at his memorial service here in Washington, but right now we must focus on the future. We must find a way to truly shift the tide of war in our favor, or resign ourselves to Japanese control over the Pacific. I, for one, am not ready to give the Japanese that pleasure!
---pause for applause---
This war will be one, ladies and gentlemen, and I will do all that is within my power to bring this war to a close before the 1948 election. We will have peace, and we will restore the balance of power in the Pacific. To achieve this, I will be ordering a number of our ships within the Atlantic fleet to be shifted to the Pacific in order to boost our Navy’s ability to fight the Japanese, along with an increase in the number of Army Air Corp personnel. We will take the war to the Japanese by the end of 1945!
---pause for applause---
Ladies and gentlemen of this grand country of ours, I promise to you today that I will do all that I can to fully serve this nation and it’s people. May God bless you all, and may He bless the United States of America!”
---long applause as President Rogers leaves podium---
-Radio address given by newly sworn in President Will Rogers following the crash and subsequent death of President Cordell Hull, May 4, 1945; Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.
President Cordell Hull’s death was a real turning point in the Great Pacific War of the 1940s. On May 30, President Rogers ordered that nearly 2/3 of the Atlantic Fleet be transferred to the Pacific. The ships set sail on June 12, arriving at their destinations of California on June 21, and Hawaii on June 30. We now know that this action prevented several Japanese plans for attacks farther west, including a canceled bomb run on Pearl Harbor and a planned attack on the Panama Canal.
With the bulk of the US Navy now in the Pacific, the combined naval forces of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France were enough to turn the tide against the Japanese, ending the stalemate that had occurred after the Japanese attempted to take Singapore in early 1945 before Hull’s death.
On January 3, 1946, Japan launched a massive invasion and attack against the Philippine Islands as an attempt to draw the American’s away from Hawaii. However, the Japanese were not able to keep the British from assisting, and a massive number of troops were brought in from Australia. By the end of the month, Japan had given up on their invasion of the Philippines. And furthermore, with British troops now mobilized out of Australia, Britain was able to help France liberate French Indo-China, starting in early March of 1946.
In May, the Japanese attempted to strike the Americans at the heart with an all out assault on Pearl Harbor. The USS Hilo and the USS Oklahoma City spotted the strike force, complete with the so-called “Kamikaze Zeps”, before they were within range of the Hawaiian Islands. They radioed a warning to the fleet, which immediately weighed anchor and sailed out to meet the enemy. The two airships attempted to sail back to the safety of Oahu, but only the Oklahoma City made it. The Japanese intercepted both ships and were able to down the Hilo.
The strike force, formidable as it was, could not match what amounted to almost the full strength of the entire US Navy. Over half of the Japanese force ended up at the bottom of the pacific. The most terrifying weapon the used against the Americans were their Zeppelins, which they used to attack the aircraft carriers, ramming their airships full of explosives into the American craft. There were 7 of this ships, and 4 of them were deployed as planned, the other three being shot down by the Americans. Those 4 ships were able to sink 1 carrier and severely damage another, along with sinking one of the battleships, the USS Arizona.
After the failures of Hawaii and the Philippines, many in Japan were fed up with the way the government was handling the war. On September 21, 1946, a coup overthrew the ultranationalist government in Japan. On October 1st, with power consolidated and with the blessing of the Emperor, they called for a cease-fire with the Triple Alliance. Treaty negotiations were held in Honolulu between October 27 and November 12, 1946, resulting in the Treaty of Hawaii, which formally ended the Great Pacific War.
The Treaty of Hawaii forced Japan to give up all territory taken from Great Britain and France, and to pull all forces out of China and Manchuria (which was to be given back to China). Korea and Formosa, however, remained under Japanese control. Japan was forced to reduce its armed forces to about ¼ of its size when the war started in 1944, including the disbandment of its airship program. All existing airships were turned over to the members of the Triple Alliance.
By 1947, US and British troops had moved in to China to oversee the Japanese withdrawal, along with troops in Japan itself to oversee the disarmament. This would set the stage for America and Britain’s minor conflict of the 1950s while attempting to bring order to China.
- Springer, Dr. Joseph. I Never Met a Man I didn’t Like: The Will Rogers Presidency."Chapter 2: The Great Pacific War.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006
PART X: REST, RECOVERY, AND THE RISING THREAT OF THE REDS
In 1948, President Rogers campaigned for reelection with the slogan, “Victory, Peace, and Prosperity.” The people of America loved their war-time president, who had already helped the nation begin the trasnition back to peacetime after the Hawaii Treaty was signed in 1946. When it came time for the election, the republicans didn’t have a chance. Rogers won in a landslide. However, to show that he was truly willing to have a bipartisan government, he appointed Dwight D. Eisenhower, a hero from the Battle of the Philippines, to the post of Secretary of State.
The main issue facing the Rogers government was the rebuilding of parts of war-torn Asia, namely China. During the war, most of China had been under Japanese control, and with their removal there was a serious power vaccum that the US was temporarily filling until a more permanent solution could be established. The communists had nearly been whiped out by the Japanese, their leader Mao Zedung captured and executed in 1944. The nationalist faction was the largest faction of post-war China, but not the majority. The Americans called all the factions together and on July 1, 1947, established the Chinese Provisional Government, with a mandate of having a constitutional convention held within 1 year.
- Springer, Dr. Joseph. I Never Met a Man I didn’t Like: The Will Rogers Presidency."Chapter 3: Victory, Peace, and Prospertiy.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006
PANAM RESTORES AIRSHIP SERVICE TO PACIFIC
LOS ANGELES, April 3- PanAm has announced that they will be fully restoring their Pacific airship service on April 15 with the first reguarl airship flight to Sydeny since the bombing of Manila in 1944. This comes two days after the British Imperial Airways announced that the newly built R116 Australia would begin regular service to Sydney from London on August 10. Service in the Pacific has been disrupted for nearly 3 years since the outbreak of the Great Pacific War in 1944.
-“PanAm Restores Airship Service to Pacific,” The LA Times. April 4, 1947
The airship industry experienced a real boom after the crash of President Hull’s airplane in 1944. People were leery of flying on airplanes for years after that crash. PanAm and ZGI siezed the opportunity that fate had handed them with both hands. In 1945, ZGI introduced several “domestic” class airship designs to service trans-USA flights. These airships were not the luxury layout designs of previous airships, but more akin to airplanes, with seats for each passenger arranged in rows. There were also lounges and a dinning hall. These new ships could carry nearly twice as many passengers as the more luxurious models, which of course traded carrying capactiy for passenger comfort. The GZ-21 Spirit of the Heartland was the first of these new ships, launched in the summer of 1945. By 1947, there were 10 Heartland class airship in service in the United States, and 4 in Germany. By the end of 1955, there would be more of these type airships in service than the more luxurious ships, as these were more affordable for the middle class to use and therefore could attract more business.
In 1945, ZGI was contacted by a group of businessmen interested in using the airship for bulk shipping across the US and from the US to Europe. The ZGI technicians went to work, and in October 1946 they presented workable designs for a cargo airship. On January 1, 1946, work began on the CZ-001 Goliath in Dallas, and the Aero Shipping Company was incorperated two weeks later. On Augsust 1, the Goliath was launched from it’s hangar in Texas and was deemed airworthy by the American authorities. By year’s end, the CZ-002 Herculese would be in the air as well, with 4 more Goliath class airships under construction. In 1947, the army ordered four ships, and later that spring the British airship program announced that they would be developing cargo ships as well. These developments would ultimately save the airship building industry during the decline of airship passenger service during the 1980s.
- Anderson, Dr. Alexander. The Airship: A Century of Sailing the Skies. New York: Colombia University Press: 1989.
BATTLE IN PEKING
PEKING, JULY 21- Fighting has erupted in the Chinese capital between members of the Chinese nationalists and the Chinese communists. This is believed to be a result of the newly assembled Provisional Government, which voted last week to establish a national assembly to deal with the drafting of a constitution for China. The communist say that the PG will rig the elections against the Communists, and are calling for the Chinese to rise up in Revolution.
There have been isolated risings in some parts of the countryside, but the main fighting is centered in Peking, where several districts of the city are under Red control. The Americans are attempting to put down the fighting, saying that this rising is “going against the duly constituted authority of the Chinese Provisional Government, and must be put down to restore order within China.”
President Rogers in Washington stated that, “to be able to bring true stability to the region after years of fighting with the Japanese, China must be brought under a single, stable government. These Red rabble rousers must be stopped.” The US War and State Departments have both echoed the President’s sentiments.
The British War ministry is considering sending troops into northern China to assist the Americans, but as of yet, no action has been taken, other than increasing the number of troops in Hong Kong.
-“Battle in Peking,” The Times (London), July 22, 1947.
August 3, 1947- We’ve got to do something about China, and fast. The Republicans are gaining a lot of support with the “Bring the Troops Home” campaign they’ve launched. And you know what, I can’t find one reason to blame the American people for liking the idea. Our war in Asia is over. We don’t need to be fighting somebody else’s civil war. Yes I don’t like the Reds. But they are fairly weak, and are starting to splinter into factions. Most military experts in the region, American and British, agree that there are really 3 Red Armies in China. One in the South, and two in the North (one of which is pro-Russia, one of which is not).
We’ve been kicking around several ideas at Cabinet meetings, and I believe we have come up with a solution. We are going to gradually phase out our presence in China over the next year. What we will be doing is training the army of the Provisional Government (which the Communists have pulled out of), and will continue to supply them with weapons after we are gone. I’ve also spoken with the British, and they are going to station troops in Peking and Shanghi, and help handle security with the Chinese for an additional year. By 1950, China will be on her own, and hopefully on her own two feet and free from the Red threat.
Speaking of the “Red Threat”, I received a letter forwarded to me from the State Department from our Ambassador to the German Empire. Apparently, the Germans are getting information from Poland pointing to increased support for the local communist party from the USSR, and they fear some sort of Red uprising could occur in Warsaw sometime soon.
-Personal Diary of President Will Rogers, “Personal Documents of President Rogers, from the Hull Presidency,” The Will Rogers Presidential Library, Claremont, OK.
ROGERS TO PULL TROOPS FROM CHINA
WASHINGTON, AUG 25- President Rogers told Congress yesterday that all American peacekeeping troops would be home from China and Asia by Summer of 1948, and that the first phase of withdrawl would begin in October of this year. This comes as a direct response to Republican critics who have been clamouring for a return of the troops from the Asian theater ever since the war with Japan ended last year.
The president addressed Congress that “this administration has given Victory to the American People. Now it is time to bring forth a return to Peace and Prospertiy. America, our boys will soon be coming home. We will assist China in rebuilding where we can, but we cannot and will not fight their civil war for them. We can aid them, we can teach them, but we cannot fight for them.” This message was met with a standing ovation from members of the Congress that had gathered at the White House for the President’s announcement.
-“Rogers to Pull Troops from China,” The New York Times, August 25, 1947.
TRAGEDY AT NY AERODROME
NEW YORK CITY, SEP 30- During a horrendous thunderstorm that struck the New York City last night, 4 airplanes crashed at the New York City Aerodrome, which experts are describing as the worst aerial related disaster in civilian flight history. Two planes were forced down after being struck by lightening and having their equipment shorted out. The other two airplanes crashed when a flight coming in from Washington attempted to land on the same runway that another flight was taking off from, creating a head on collision that killed all but 25 people from both craft. So far, the death toll is nearing 100 people. Due to the tragedy, NYC Aerodrome officials have temporary closed the facility. Officials from PanAm, however, made it known that the nereby New York Air Harbor was still open for business.
- “Tragedy at NY Aerodrom,” The Washington Post, September 30, 1947.
When President Rogers announced his intentions to pull American troops from China, the Chinese Nationalists moved fast to secure their power. They went out to all the major cities, and to some degree in the coutnry side, to campaign for the National Assembly election. When the votes were cast in November, the Nationalists held a strong majority. By then, the Northern and Southern Communists had split, and it looked as though the Northern Communists would split over whether or not to receive support from Russia (eventually, those against Russian aid won, and the northerners stayed together).
On May 1, the National Assembly announced that the Constintution of the Federal Republic of China had been approved, and that elections would be held in July. The result of those elections put Chang Kai’sheck into the office of Chinese President, and his nationalists firmly in control of the unicameral Chinese Senate. The new government, who’s army had been training with the Americans and the British since the end of the war with Japan, promised to rid China of the communist threat by the beginning of 1950. And they did, with some British aide. By the end of 1949, the Northern Communists had been soundly defeated, and in 1952, the southerners surrendered to the Federalist Army.
- Sheetz, Dr. Angela. History of China, 1890-1990. New York: Colombia University Press, 1990.
MARXISTS BOMB WARSAW
WARSAW, MAR 14- Polish authorities have confirmed that radical marxists have bombed the Parliament Hall in Warsaw. The group, a far left wing of the Polish Communist Party called the Polish Liberation Force, snuck a bomb in to the building with a shipment of office supplies. Thankfully for the Polish government, it detonated prematurely while still in the storage facility, minimizing fatalites. 16 people have been confirmed killed, along with another 34 injured.
The Communist Party in Poland has been rising in popularity as of late, and gained many seats in the last parliamentary election.
- “Marxists Bomb Warsaw,” Frankfurter Zeitung, March 15, 1949.
PART XI: THE POLISH WAR
REVOLUTION IN POLAND
WARSAW, APR 4- Official reports from the Polish capital now confirm that the Polish Liberation Force has stormed the government district and taken control over much of Warsaw. Similar events have occurred in other major cities, especially in the east. The western half of Poland seems to be in support of the government that has now escaped to (insert town name here).
As of yet, none of the major European powers have directly responded to this event. The German Ambassador to the United States said that his country wasn’t taking any action at the moment, so long as this remains an internal matter. From what we can gather from the Germans, the main fear among Europeans at this point is that the Soviet Union might interveen and assist the Communist Poles. As of yet, however, there has been no action taken by the Russians.
- “Revolution in Poland,” The Washington Post, April 4, 1950
SOVIETS CROSS INTO POLAND!
BERLIN, APR 8- Western Polish authorities have informed the Imperial government that troops from the Soviet Union have crossted the Polish-Russian border into Poland, supposidly at the request of the Warsaw Soviet, which has assumed control of the eastern half of the country.
The Republic of Poland has asked the German Empire to send assistance to prevent the Soviet Union from swallowing up Poland. As of yet, the Emperor nor any member of the government have issued any statement concearning the invasion. However, many in the capital believe that the Empire will go to war to prevent the Russians from being at our eastern border.
-“Soviets Cross into Poland!,” Frankfurter Zeitung, April 8, 1950
WAR ON THE CONTINENT!
BERLIN, APR 9- War has broken out on the contintent of Europe for the first time in over 30 years as Germany declares war on the Soviet Union. Yesterday, it was confirmed that the Russians had crossed the border into Poland, stating that the revolutionary government in Warsaw had requested their assistance. Shortly there after, the Republic of Poland asked for assistance from Berlin, which was granted earlier this morning. At 5:00a.m. local time, Imperial Panzers and infantry men crossed over into Western Poland, heading to first secure the government of the Republic, which has relocated to Krakow. After the government is secure, the Reichswehr plans on launching an attack against the Reds at Lodz and then Warsaw.
German troops are also being sent to secure Danzig, and troops already stationed in East Prussia have been put at high alert. Several german scout airships have taken of from East Prussia to get a better look at the Soviet troop movements.
-“War on the Continent!,” The Times (London), April 9, 1950.
By May, German troops had Western Poland fully under their control, securing the government in Krakow on May 21, 1950. Soon thereafter, Luftwaffe pilots began bombing strategic military points in Warsaw and attacking Russian and Red Polish troops. Suprisingly to the Germans, the Russians had mobilized very quickly, and had a large garrison in Warsaw by May. It would come to light after the war that the Polish revolutionaries had informed Moscow of their intent to being a revolution, and so the Russians had mobilized their forces at the end of March.
Things stalmated for a time, until in late August the Germans were able to push the Russians back and take Lodz. By the end of September, 1950, German troops were in the suburbs of Warsaw, and the city fell to German/Republican troops on October 2, 1950. The Warsaw Soviet evacutated to the Russian held city of Brest. Following the fall of Warsaw, the battle lines stabalized during the winter, with only slight gains made by the Germans.
On March 9, 1951, the Soviets made a surprise push, and briefly retook Warsaw, holding the city up until May 1. In the interveaning time, the Soviets invaded the Baltic Republics, saying that they feared the Imperialists using those states as a base for launching invasions into the Soviet Union. Following this, the German Navy blockaded the Baltic states and the Russian-held portion of the Gulf of Finland, and launched attacks agains Leningrad (now Petrograd) from aircraft carriers. By summer of 1951, the Germans had pushed the Russians back, and took the town of Brest on July 30. The Russians began to pull back by September, and by the end of the year, most of Poland was under German/Republican control.
- Plaks, Dr. Jeffry, The Polish War and the End of Communism, Cambrigde, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987
LIBERATION OF BALTIC STATES BEGINS!
DANZIG, FEB 28- The Imperial Army and Navy have reported that troops have crossed in to Lithunaia, and have landed troops in the port city of Tallinn, Estonia. The Russians, by all reports, are putting up a good fight, and the Reichswehr Command do not believe that the Baltic Republics will be fully liberated quickly. Their main hope is to have the Russians back in their homeland by 1953.
-“Liberation of Baltic States Begins!,” Berliner Morgenpost, February 28, 1952.
FORMER AGITATOR RELEASED
MUNICH, MAR 19- German authorities announced today that former political agitator and one-time head of the once feared National Socialist, or Nazi, Party Adolf Hitler will be released from prison today, due to failing health and what the warden called a “change of attitude.”
Hitler ran for the office of German President in 1932, but was defeated by world-renouned Dr. Hugo Eckener. Within a year, Hitler would be in jail after an attempt was made on Eckener’s life that resulted in the death of the German Chancellor, and his Nazi Party would be banned. According to the prison warden and guards at the Bavarian State Prison, Hitler has given up on much of his former violent behavior and attitude, but still clings to his ideology that he put forth in Mein Kampf. Hitler has written a second book that will be released in April explaining his views on why the Nazis didn’t come to power back in 1932.
Hitler will be moving to his sister’s home in western Austria, where he will spend the rest of his life in seclusion, and according to our sources, plans to pain during his ample free time. Doctors at the Bavarian prison do not believe Hitler will live long enough to see 1952.
-“Former Agitator Released,” The Times (London), March 19, 1950.
The Baltic Campaign went better than expected, and by July of 1952, the capitals of all three Baltic States were under German control. In addition, a secondary campaign had been launched, aimed at taking the city of Minsk, which would happen on October 9, 1952. The Minsk campaign was a turning point in the cause of the war, where the goals shifted from liberating formerly free territory from the Russians to trying to put an end to communism.
After the fall of Minsk, the Germans began using new experimental rocket technology, and by 1953, after making continued territorial advances, were being able to hit Moscow with the H-3 rockets. One of thes weapons would ultimately end the lives of both Josef Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov on October 30, 1953. In July of that year, Germany launched it’s most darring attack of the war. On the 17th, German troops landed near Leningrad, and by the end of August, the city and surrounding area were in the control of the German army.
In the aftermath of the death of Stalin and Molotov, NKVD Chief Beria took initial control of the Soviet Union, killing the head of the Red Army and declaring himself as the General Secretary of the Communist Party. However, at the beginning of 1954, things began to decintigrate. Many members of the Red Army were not loyal to Beria, and on February 19, 1954, Red Army troops stormed the Kremlin and killed Beria. Several military commanders took control of the Government, “until a more capapble leader can be selected,” and called for a cease fire with the Germans. Such a cease fire was granted on March 1, 1954.
-Plaks, Dr. Jeffry, The Polish War and the End of Communism, Cambrigde, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987
TRUCE!
LENINGRAD, MAR 1- The Ruling Council of the Soviet Union, which was established following a Red Army coup agaisnt Soviet General Secretary Beria late last month, has asked for a cease fire with the German Empire, and that truce was granted last night by the Imperial Government.
The Imperial Foreign Ministry is now trying to set up treaty negotiations with the new government, and hopes to put a more permanent end to the fighting before summer. Negotiations will likely take place in Leningrad.
The main issue for the two sides to figure out will be what to do with the Soviet territory now occupied by the Reichswehr. Most in Berlin do not want to hand the occupied territory back to Russia, but incorperating it into the German Empire seems most unlikely. One suggestion that has been floating through Imperial circles is the possibility of making Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich as the “Czar of the Imperial Russian Federation”, althought there has been no official comment on this as of yet.
-“Truce!,” Frankfurter Zeitung, March 1, 1954.
HUGO ECKENER DEAD!
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, MAR 14- Zeppelin-Goodyear International officials have confirmed that famed zeppelin-pilot-turned-statesman Dr. Hugo Eckener has passed away. Eckener had suffered a stroke in 1942 and has since been living in Friedrichshafen. In the interveening 12 years, he has suffered one more major stroke and two smaller ones. Last night, Eckener went to bed at his normal time, and did not wake up this morning when his wife went to check on him.
Eckener is regarded as one of the most famous and influentual Germans of the 20th century, and it is expected that he will have a grand state funeral in Berlin. Eckener served as the last president of the German Republic from 1932 until 1939, and then went on to serve as the German Foreign Minister until his first stroke in 1942. Since then he has worked as a consultant for ZGI, but has mainly been enjoying retirement with his family. Born on 10 of August, 1868, gone to be with Christ on 14 March, 1954, the 85 year old Dr. Eckener was a giant among men, and will be sorely missed by not only the people of this nation, but the people all over the world.
-“Hugo Eckener Dead,” Berliner Morgenpost, March 14, 1954.
The final years of Eckener’s life were filled with peace and rest, with a few excitign interruptions along the way. In 1949, Zeppelin-Goodyear International honored Eckener with the launch of the LZ-155 Presiden Eckener, the first of 5 Eckener Class airships built by ZGI. She was the largest airship ever built for passenger service (the other four Eckener class airships were deliberatley 10 feet shorter) at 1800 feet long. She could carry nearly 300 passengers in the height of style. Eckener took his last trip to America on the maiden voyage of the LZ-155 on May 1, 1949.
In 1951, the ZGI company went through it’s worst accident in it’s history, when the American made GZ-33 crashed over Oklahoma en route to Los Angeles after leaving New York with 194 passengers. Luckily, the break up was slow, and so only 27 people died in what is to date the worst passenger airship accident in aviation history. Many thought this might damage the reputation of the company, and for a time it did. However, it was able to bounce back, and put an end to the competition practices between the US and German shipyards. Eckener made several public appearances to assure people that airship travel was safe.
Eckener died on March 14, 1954, passing away peacefully in his sleep in his home on the shores of Lake Constance. His death was mourned by the entire German nation, and indeed by millions around the world. The loss of such an important figure in Germany put a damper on the triumphant mood of a nation that had just ended 4 years of tough fighting agianst the Soviet Union. His funeral on March 23, 1954, was the largest Berlin has seen to date, with nearly 300,000 people flocking to the city to pay their respects. His body was loaded into the LZ-155 on March 18, where upon it was flown direct to Berlin, where Eckener’s body lay in state in the Reichstag Chamber from March 19 until the Funeral.
At the ceremony itself, held in the Berliner Dom, Kaiser Louis Ferdinand I gave a moving eulogy, where he said, “Dr. Hugo Eckener has earned his place in the great annals of history, where he stands in the host of some of the greatest Germans ever known. Bismark, Luther, Barbarossa, and Frederick the Great. He stands even higher still on the pedastl of world history, as famous as George Washington, Queen Victoria, or Abraham Lincoln. Germany would not be what it is today without the struggles that Dr. Eckener went through. He secured a bright and glorius future for his homeland, and for all of Europe, and the world. His life’s dream of world-wide Zeppelin travel has come true, and like he had hoped, the Luftschiff has become a symbol of peace and unity. Dr. Eckener, as you stand today in the host of the angles of the Almighty, we say a humble and heartfelt thank you.”
After the funeral, Eckener’s remains were again loaded aboard the LZ-155, which took a 4 day journey home, flying over all the principle cities of Germany before landing at Friedrichshafen. On March 29, 1954, Eckener’s body was placed in a temporary crypt, to await the completion of a masoleum that the Kaiser had ordered built for Eckener in Friedrichshafen. That masolem, which was built to closely resemble an ornate Zeppelin Hangar, but far more ornate, was completed in May of 1956, and Eckener’s mortal remains were moved to the memorial on August 10, 1956 on what would have been his 88th birthday. The tomb itself, built of granite and marble, sits on a hill overlooking Lake Constance, and has huge glass walls, resembling the giant doors of airshp hangars, that face the shore. These doors can be opened, and often are duirng good weather. The interior itself consists of one large hall, 4 stories tall, with massive marble walls that have carved into them the depictions of different events in Eckener’s life, from the 1929 round the world flight, to the 1941 Danzig Crisis. In the center of the hall is a large marble and granite replica of the Graf Zeppelin, inside of which lie the remains of Eckener and his wife. One interesting detail outside the monument itself are the two flag polls that are on the shore-facing side. The one on the building’s right, the one that would be the place of higher honor, flies not the Imperial Flag, but the Black, Red, and Gold flag of the German Republic, with the Imperial Flag flying on the other flag poll. This is the only place in all of the German Empire where the old republican flag is given such a place of honor.
After Eckener’s death, he would become emortalized, slowly but surely, by the Imperial Government. Eckener’s face was already on the 5-mark bill, which was redesigned in 1960 to feature more airships and a new portrait of Eckener. On August 10, 1968, on the anniversary of Eckener’s 100th Birthday, Kaiser Louis Ferdinand I declared August 10 “Eckenertag”, which was to be an official public holiday with fireworks and all sorts of celebrations. In 1978, the three towns of Zeppelinburg, Friedrichshafen, and Luftstadt were incorperated into “Eckenerstadt-Friedrichshafen”. In 1979, the archives of the old Zeppelin Company, along with the Eckener Library, came together to form the “Zeppelin Institute”, which serves as an archive of Eckener and Count von Zeppelin’s life, along with their life’s work, the rigid airships. The Zeppelin Institute building was opened on the 50th anniversary of the Graf Zeppelin’s 1929 flight around the world. Eckener’s name lives on all over Germany and rest of the world. Dozens of air harbors, parks, and public buildings have statues or busts of the famous aeronaut, along with the numerous streets, highways, parks, and public buildings that bear his name. in 1999, Time Magazine named Hugo Eckener the “most widely known man of the 20th Century”, followed closely by President Will Rogers of the United States.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President." Epilogue the Final Years and the Eckener Legacy.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003
