Hugo Eckener
Encyclopedia
Dr. Hugo Eckener was the manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
during the inter-war years, and was commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin
for most of its record-setting flights, including the first airship
flight around the world, making him the most successful airship commander in history. He was also responsible for the construction of the most successful type of airships of all time. An anti-Nazi who was invited to campaign as a moderate in the German presidential elections, he was blacklisted by that regime and eventually sidelined.
as the first child of Johann Christoph Eckener from Bremen and Anna Lange, daughter of a shoemaker. As a youth he was judged an "indifferent student", and he spent summers sailing and winters ice skating.
Nevertheless, by 1892 under Professor Wilhelm Wundt
, Eckener had earned a doctorate "magna cum laude" in what today might be deemed experimental psychology. at the University of Leipzig
.
Eckener then began his military service in the Infantry Regiment 86
in Flensburg.
Eckener's early career was as a journalist and editor; by August 1893 he was working for the ; in October 1897 he married Johanna, daughter of the publisher-family Maaß. He later became a correspondent for the Frankfurter Zeitung
in 1905 and 1906, whilst writing a book on the social effects of capitalism
.
LZ1 and LZ2, Eckener was critical of both airships' marginal performances, but praised Count
Ferdinand von Zeppelin
's dedication to his cause. Because several scientists and engineers had criticized his airship plans, the Count sought to speak to his critic and Eckener was so impressed by him that during October 1908 he agreed to be a part-time publicist for the Zeppelin Company. He became extremely interested in airships, and joined the company on a full-time basis.
His aptitude at flying was noticed early on in his career, and he became an airship captain, obtaining his airship license in 1911. However, when Eckener attempted his first flight on 16 May 1911 in the LZ 8, christened Deutschland II, he decided to launch in a strong wind which pushed the craft into the hangar wall, damaging it seriously. Nonetheless, he became a very successful airshipman.
, who had died on 8 March 1917. After considerable conflict with Zeppelin's business manager, Alfred Colesman, who wanted to replace the production of airships with production of other (and likely more profitable) products, Eckener was able to keep the Zeppelin factory at Friedrichshafen on Bodensee (Lake Constance) in Württemberg
, southern Germany, from being retooled. Colesman left the company soon afterwards.
The Treaty of Versailles
had forbidden Germans to construct airships of the size needed to operate the profitable trans-Atlantic service that was Eckener's goal. However, after much skilful lobbying, he persuaded the US and German governments to allow the company to build LZ 126
, later rechristened the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3), for the US Navy as part of Germany's war reparations. Eckener himself captained the airship on its delivery flight to Lakehurst, New Jersey
. The Los Angeles became the longest-serving rigid airship ever operated by the US Navy.
government, Eckener and his colleagues began a nationwide fund-raising lecture tour in order to commence construction of Graf Zeppelin
, which became the most successful rigid airship ever built.
The first flight to America was fraught with drama; on the outbound flight the airship was nearly lost after becoming caught in a severe storm. Fabric was ripped off the left fin. The ship was saved only by Eckener's skilled piloting and the courage of his son, Knut Eckener, and other crew members who climbed out onto the fin to repair the damage. Upon arrival in America, a country which Eckener grew to love, he and the crew were subject to the first of two New York ticker tape parades.
Eckener captained Graf Zeppelin during most of its record-setting flights, including the 1928 first intercontinental passenger airship flight, the 1929 flight around the world (the only such flight by an airship, and the second by an aircraft of any type) and the 1931 Arctic flight.
A master of publicity as well as a master airship captain, Eckener used the Graf Zeppelin to establish the Zeppelin as a symbol of German pride and engineering.
After these flights the public treated Eckener as a national hero. During the early 1930s, Eckener was one of the most well-known and respected figures in Weimar Republic Germany.
In the German presidential election, 1932
Eckener had intended to run against Hitler, and this angered the Nazi party. In supposed anger and fear of Eckener, Hitler's de-facto deputy, Hermann Esser
, once called him the "director of the flying weisswurst". He was encouraged to campaign for the presidency to oppose the National Socialist German Workers Party
. Contrary to popular belief, Eckener accepted to campaign for president, but stopped when Paul von Hindenburg
campaigned for President again.
Eckener did not make any secret of his dislike of the Nazis and the disastrous events he foresaw. He criticised the regime frequently, and refused to allow the Nazis to use the large hangars at Frankfurt
for a rally. Eventually the Nazis declared Eckener to be persona non grata
and his name was no longer allowed to appear in print.
During his many years as manager of airship operations, Eckener always made safety his absolute priority. With Eckener's management, the Zeppelin company had a perfect safety record with no passenger ever sustaining a serious injury on any of the more than 1 million air miles that the rigid airships flew, until the Hindenburg
disaster of 1937.
During the 1930s, the Nazi government nationalized the Zeppelin operation. The Nazis sidelined Eckener in favour of men who were more compliant with their wishes. In their haste to please the Nazi regime, these newly promoted airshipmen did not always obey Eckener's safety procedures. For example, the maiden voyage of the Hindenburg nearly resulted in disaster when Captain Ernst Lehmann brought the ship out in strong winds in order to undertake a Nazi propaganda
flight. The ship was damaged, and there was an argument between Eckener and Lehman and Eckener and the Nazi propaganda ministry.
Hugo Eckener was in Graz, Austria when he heard news of the Hindenburg disaster
of 6 May 1937. In the official inquiry he concluded that a static spark ignited leaking hydrogen in the aft section of the ship. The leak would have been caused by a sharp turn, which he believed caused a wire to break and rip a gas cell.
After the destruction of the Hindenburg, the nearly-completed LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin
was redesigned as a helium-filled ship, although, owing to geo-political considerations, the American helium was not available. Thus the ship never began commercial service. However, with the command of Captain Albert Sammt, the ship performed a number of controversial espionage
flights over Great Britain.
Eckener, however, had by this time little influence on the Zeppelin Company. He survived World War II despite his disagreements with the Nazis. Post war, he was involved with a plan by the Goodyear
Zeppelin Corporation to build large rigid airships. However this did not happen.
In 1945, Johannes Weyl and Eckener co-found the regional newspaper and Eckener started writing for German-French co-operation.
In November 1945 Eckener was confronted with the charge of collaboration with Nazi Germany
. In 1947 the French occupying powers fined him 100,000 German Reichsmark
s. Many personalities lobbied for Eckener's rehabilitation
. The judgement was rejected in July 1948 and Eckener was rehabilitated.
Eckener's home town of Flensburg had a Danish-oriented majority in its council since 1945, with a goal of Danish unification. Eckener remained active in local politics campaigning for a German majority in Flensburg, while at the same time, during a "thundering" one hour speech in 1951, warning against small-mindedness in border concerns.
Eckener died in Friedrichshafen on 14 August 1954 just after his 86th birthday.
Eckener was responsible for many innovative aviation developments, notably the trans-Atlantic passenger services offered by the airships Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg. Together with his chief designer, Dr. Ludwig Dürr
, he was responsible for developing the rigid airship to near-perfection for the time.
Since his death his achievements have been remembered by airship enthusiasts and historians. Additionally, the town of Friedrichshafen
, scene of his many triumphant homecomings in Graf Zeppelin, has recognised his memory by naming a large new conference centre after him.
Online
illustrated brief biography - photograph - photograph
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German company which, during the early 20th century, was a leader in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, specifically of the Zeppelin type. The company was founded by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin...
during the inter-war years, and was commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
for most of its record-setting flights, including the first airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
flight around the world, making him the most successful airship commander in history. He was also responsible for the construction of the most successful type of airships of all time. An anti-Nazi who was invited to campaign as a moderate in the German presidential elections, he was blacklisted by that regime and eventually sidelined.
Background
Eckener was born in FlensburgFlensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
as the first child of Johann Christoph Eckener from Bremen and Anna Lange, daughter of a shoemaker. As a youth he was judged an "indifferent student", and he spent summers sailing and winters ice skating.
Nevertheless, by 1892 under Professor Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt was a German physician, psychologist, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology"...
, Eckener had earned a doctorate "magna cum laude" in what today might be deemed experimental psychology. at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
.
Eckener then began his military service in the Infantry Regiment 86
Infantry Regiments of the German Imperial Army (1871 - 1918)
-Nr. 1 to 100:* Grenadier-Regiment Kronprinz Nr. 1* Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich Wilhelm IV Nr. 2* Grenadier-Regiment König Friedrich William I Nr. 3...
in Flensburg.
Eckener's early career was as a journalist and editor; by August 1893 he was working for the ; in October 1897 he married Johanna, daughter of the publisher-family Maaß. He later became a correspondent for the Frankfurter Zeitung
Frankfurter Zeitung
The Frankfurter Zeitung was a German language newspaper that appeared from 1856 to 1943. It emerged from a market letter that was published in Frankfurt...
in 1905 and 1906, whilst writing a book on the social effects of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
.
Pre-war airship activities
Asked to cover the first flights of the ZeppelinsZeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
LZ1 and LZ2, Eckener was critical of both airships' marginal performances, but praised Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Ferdinand von Zeppelin
Ferdinand von Zeppelin
Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin was a German general and later aircraft manufacturer. He founded the Zeppelin Airship company...
's dedication to his cause. Because several scientists and engineers had criticized his airship plans, the Count sought to speak to his critic and Eckener was so impressed by him that during October 1908 he agreed to be a part-time publicist for the Zeppelin Company. He became extremely interested in airships, and joined the company on a full-time basis.
His aptitude at flying was noticed early on in his career, and he became an airship captain, obtaining his airship license in 1911. However, when Eckener attempted his first flight on 16 May 1911 in the LZ 8, christened Deutschland II, he decided to launch in a strong wind which pushed the craft into the hangar wall, damaging it seriously. Nonetheless, he became a very successful airshipman.
World War I
Eckener was responsible for training most of Germany's airship pilots both during and after World War I. Despite his protestations, he was not allowed on operational missions due to his important value as an instructor.Head of the Zeppelin Company
After the War, Eckener succeeded Count Ferdinand von ZeppelinFerdinand von Zeppelin
Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin was a German general and later aircraft manufacturer. He founded the Zeppelin Airship company...
, who had died on 8 March 1917. After considerable conflict with Zeppelin's business manager, Alfred Colesman, who wanted to replace the production of airships with production of other (and likely more profitable) products, Eckener was able to keep the Zeppelin factory at Friedrichshafen on Bodensee (Lake Constance) in Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, southern Germany, from being retooled. Colesman left the company soon afterwards.
The Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
had forbidden Germans to construct airships of the size needed to operate the profitable trans-Atlantic service that was Eckener's goal. However, after much skilful lobbying, he persuaded the US and German governments to allow the company to build LZ 126
USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)
The second USS Los Angeles was a rigid airship, designated ZR-3, that was built in 1923-1924 by the Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it was originally designated LZ-126...
, later rechristened the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3), for the US Navy as part of Germany's war reparations. Eckener himself captained the airship on its delivery flight to Lakehurst, New Jersey
Lakehurst, New Jersey
Lakehurst is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,654.Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a...
. The Los Angeles became the longest-serving rigid airship ever operated by the US Navy.
The golden age of the rigid airship
Refused funds by the impecunious WeimarWeimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
government, Eckener and his colleagues began a nationwide fund-raising lecture tour in order to commence construction of Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
, which became the most successful rigid airship ever built.
The first flight to America was fraught with drama; on the outbound flight the airship was nearly lost after becoming caught in a severe storm. Fabric was ripped off the left fin. The ship was saved only by Eckener's skilled piloting and the courage of his son, Knut Eckener, and other crew members who climbed out onto the fin to repair the damage. Upon arrival in America, a country which Eckener grew to love, he and the crew were subject to the first of two New York ticker tape parades.
Eckener captained Graf Zeppelin during most of its record-setting flights, including the 1928 first intercontinental passenger airship flight, the 1929 flight around the world (the only such flight by an airship, and the second by an aircraft of any type) and the 1931 Arctic flight.
A master of publicity as well as a master airship captain, Eckener used the Graf Zeppelin to establish the Zeppelin as a symbol of German pride and engineering.
After these flights the public treated Eckener as a national hero. During the early 1930s, Eckener was one of the most well-known and respected figures in Weimar Republic Germany.
In the German presidential election, 1932
German presidential election, 1932
The presidential election of 1932 was the second and final direct election to the office of President of the Reich , Germany's head of state during the 1919-1934 Weimar Republic. The incumbent President, Paul von Hindenburg, had been elected in 1925 but his seven year term expired in May...
Eckener had intended to run against Hitler, and this angered the Nazi party. In supposed anger and fear of Eckener, Hitler's de-facto deputy, Hermann Esser
Hermann Esser
Hermann Esser entered the Nazi party with Adolf Hitler in 1920, became the editor of the Nazi paper, Völkischer Beobachter, and a Nazi member of the Reichstag. In the early history of the party, he was Hitler's de facto deputy.Esser was born in Röhrmoos, Kingdom of Bavaria...
, once called him the "director of the flying weisswurst". He was encouraged to campaign for the presidency to oppose the National Socialist German Workers Party
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
. Contrary to popular belief, Eckener accepted to campaign for president, but stopped when Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
campaigned for President again.
Sidelined
The National Socialists came to power in January 1933. An arrest of Eckener in 1933 was intended but blocked by Hindenburg. Hitler met Eckener only one time, in July 1933, but the two barely spoke.Eckener did not make any secret of his dislike of the Nazis and the disastrous events he foresaw. He criticised the regime frequently, and refused to allow the Nazis to use the large hangars at Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
for a rally. Eventually the Nazis declared Eckener to be persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
and his name was no longer allowed to appear in print.
During his many years as manager of airship operations, Eckener always made safety his absolute priority. With Eckener's management, the Zeppelin company had a perfect safety record with no passenger ever sustaining a serious injury on any of the more than 1 million air miles that the rigid airships flew, until the Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg
LZ 129 Hindenburg was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume...
disaster of 1937.
During the 1930s, the Nazi government nationalized the Zeppelin operation. The Nazis sidelined Eckener in favour of men who were more compliant with their wishes. In their haste to please the Nazi regime, these newly promoted airshipmen did not always obey Eckener's safety procedures. For example, the maiden voyage of the Hindenburg nearly resulted in disaster when Captain Ernst Lehmann brought the ship out in strong winds in order to undertake a Nazi propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
flight. The ship was damaged, and there was an argument between Eckener and Lehman and Eckener and the Nazi propaganda ministry.
Hugo Eckener was in Graz, Austria when he heard news of the Hindenburg disaster
Hindenburg disaster
The Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, which is located adjacent to the borough of Lakehurst, New Jersey...
of 6 May 1937. In the official inquiry he concluded that a static spark ignited leaking hydrogen in the aft section of the ship. The leak would have been caused by a sharp turn, which he believed caused a wire to break and rip a gas cell.
After the destruction of the Hindenburg, the nearly-completed LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin
The Graf Zeppelin II was the last of the great German rigid airships built by the Zeppelin Luftschiffbau during the period between the World Wars, the second and final ship of the Hindenburg class named in honor of Paul von Hindenburg...
was redesigned as a helium-filled ship, although, owing to geo-political considerations, the American helium was not available. Thus the ship never began commercial service. However, with the command of Captain Albert Sammt, the ship performed a number of controversial espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
flights over Great Britain.
Eckener, however, had by this time little influence on the Zeppelin Company. He survived World War II despite his disagreements with the Nazis. Post war, he was involved with a plan by the Goodyear
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
Zeppelin Corporation to build large rigid airships. However this did not happen.
In 1945, Johannes Weyl and Eckener co-found the regional newspaper and Eckener started writing for German-French co-operation.
In November 1945 Eckener was confronted with the charge of collaboration with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. In 1947 the French occupying powers fined him 100,000 German Reichsmark
German reichsmark
The Reichsmark was the currency in Germany from 1924 until June 20, 1948. The Reichsmark was subdivided into 100 Reichspfennig.-History:...
s. Many personalities lobbied for Eckener's rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation is the process by which a member of a political organization or government who has fallen into disgrace, is restored to public life. It is usually applied to leaders or other prominent individuals who regain their prominence after a period in which they have no influence or...
. The judgement was rejected in July 1948 and Eckener was rehabilitated.
Eckener's home town of Flensburg had a Danish-oriented majority in its council since 1945, with a goal of Danish unification. Eckener remained active in local politics campaigning for a German majority in Flensburg, while at the same time, during a "thundering" one hour speech in 1951, warning against small-mindedness in border concerns.
Eckener died in Friedrichshafen on 14 August 1954 just after his 86th birthday.
Legacy
Ludwig Dürr
Ludwig Dürr was an airship designer.-Life and career:After completing training as a mechanic, Dürr continued his training at the Höhere Maschinenbauschule in Stuttgart, an affiliate of the Königliche Baugewerkschule...
, he was responsible for developing the rigid airship to near-perfection for the time.
Since his death his achievements have been remembered by airship enthusiasts and historians. Additionally, the town of Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
, scene of his many triumphant homecomings in Graf Zeppelin, has recognised his memory by naming a large new conference centre after him.
See also
- Graf ZeppelinGraf ZeppelinGraf Zeppelin may refer to:*Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin , German officer and engineer, founder of the Zeppelin airship company *LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, the first airship named after Count Zeppelin...
- HindenburgLZ 129 HindenburgLZ 129 Hindenburg was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume...
- ZeppelinZeppelinA Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
- List of Zeppelins
- Ferdinand von ZeppelinFerdinand von ZeppelinFerdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin was a German general and later aircraft manufacturer. He founded the Zeppelin Airship company...
Further reading
Books- Botting, Douglas. Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine (2001) Harper Collins ISBN 0-00-257191-9
- Dick, Harold G. / Robinson, Douglas H.: The Golden Age of the Great Passenger Airships. Graf Zeppelin & Hindenburg. Washington, D.C./London 2nd edition 1987.
- Meyer, Henry Cord: Airshipmen, Businessmen and Politics 1890–1940. Washington/London: Smithsonian Institution Press/Airlife Publishing Ltd. 1991. with chapters: Eckener's Struggle to Save the Airship for Germany, 1919–1929; Politics, Personality, and Technology: Airships in the Manipulations of Dr. Hugo Eckener and Lord Thomson, 1919-1930.
- Payne, Lee: Lighter than Air. An Illustrated History of the Airship. London: Thomas Yoseloff Ltd 1977. with chapter: Hugo Eckener and the Graf Zeppelin.
- Robinson, Douglas H. Giants in the Sky: A History of the Rigid Airship (1973) University of Washington Press ISBN 0854291458
- Vaeth, J. Gordon. Graf Zeppelin - The Adventures of an Aerial Globetrotter (1959) Muller, London
- Whitehouse, Arthur George Joseph. The Zeppelin Fighters (1966) Robert Hale Limited ISBN 0-7091-0544-4
Online
illustrated brief biography - photograph - photograph