Plot summary

A fictional account of the events leading to the explosion of the German airship, the Hindenburg, while it was attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937 is presented. Such hydrogen-powered airships, built by Frankfurt-based Zeppelin, are flouted by the Nazis as a symbol of their global power, despite Zeppelin officials largely and openly not being Nazi supporters. Although the Germans have received crank reports of such before, they believe that a letter they receive from Kathie Rauch of Milwaukee stating that a time bomb will explode aboard the Hindenburg while flying over American soil to be genuine in its threat because of the specificity of her claims. As such, the Nazi Ministry of Propaganda, which corroborates that the letter's claims support their own intelligence, employs Luftwaffe Colonel Franz Ritter to act "quietly" as chief of security for the next Germany to US flight, when the explosion is to occur. The Nazis do not know that Ritter is not a supporter of their policies, he who would leave the German military if he could, but he does tell them that he believes such airships, even the Hindenburg, to be "flying dinosaurs". What the Nazis don't tell him but what he learns once on board is that the Gestapo have also enlisted an operative, Martin Vogel, for that flight, he who is undercover as the staff photographer. Ritter and Vogel are often at odds with each other on the approach to take on the process of identifying and dealing with a bomber. Although Mrs. Rauch is ultimately identified as a crackpot, Ritter does believe that there truly is a bomber on board, based on evidence he and Vogel collect of the disparate group of passengers and the crew, many of who seem to have the ability or motive to blow up the Hindenburg. What Ritter decides to do is based largely on his anti-Nazi feelings, but his actions may be compromised by Vogel's own strong Nazi leanings.—Huggo