SHADOW BEFORE THE FLAME

A storied airship exports Nazi propaganda—then goes down in flames.

The Hindenburg is remembered for its final moments—“thirty-four ghastly seconds that shocked the world,” Katz writes. But the zeppelin’s fiery 1937 crash in New Jersey is just one facet of this expansive, illuminating history of the interwar years. The latest from the author of the acclaimed The Daughters of Yalta (2020) boasts absorbing storylines about technological milestones and fascist branding. Germany weaponized zeppelins during World War I, but the eponymous airships were a source of widespread fascination by the 1920s. “Lighter-than-air” zeppelins were “the fastest and safest” way to cross the Atlantic. The 800-foot-long Hindenburg was “the largest thing ever to appear in the sky.” Katz unearths numerous unforgettable details. Lifted by “highly flammable hydrogen” gas cells, zeppelins couldn’t carry unnecessary weight. Therefore, the Hindenburg’s piano was aluminum and passengers received one napkin for multiday trips. The sense of wonder dimmed as the airship, its tail inscribed with swastikas, became an important “propaganda tool” for Hitler. Throughout the book, Katz makes smart use of written recollections by survivors. She interweaves anecdotes about passengers’ careers, families, and onboard pets with broader looks at the era’s entertainment and media trends. One particularly productive throughline follows a radio journalist whose report on the crash heralded a new era of breaking news. Another chronicles the simultaneous rise of airplane travel, which enjoyed “scalable” advantages over zeppelins. A third, starring American reporters in Germany, focuses on the accruing horror caused by Hitler. Her narrative of the crash’s aftermath efficiently explains the apparent technical mishap that set the Hindenburg ablaze. The book only loses steam once, when she spends perhaps more time than necessary on wild conspiracy theories that sought to blame the downing on subterfuge.

A talented historian’s engrossing narrative of an iconic disaster in the sky.