Zeppelin Mail: When Airships Still Carried Letters
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Zeppelin mail was a fascinating era in the history of aviation and philately. Between 1908 and 1939, the majestic zeppelins carried not only passengers but also mail on their journeys around the globe.
The Beginnings of Zeppelin Mail
From 1908, the first zeppelins carried so-called drop cards. These were dropped during the flight and carried a request to the finder to deliver them to the nearest post office. This allowed information about the course of the flight to be quickly transmitted. In 1912, the airship LZ 11 "Viktoria Luise" had the first official postal operations office on board.
The Golden Era of Zeppelin Mail
Zeppelin mail experienced its heyday between 1928 and 1937 with the airships LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin" and LZ 129 "Hindenburg". These were in busy scheduled services with North and South America and benefited from official mail transport. On special occasions such as the 1929 world flight, the Reichspost issued its own stamps. Special zeppelin stamps also appeared in the USA and South America.
Characteristics of Zeppelin Mail
Special flight confirmation stamps, which were affixed next to the normal postage stamp, were characteristic of zeppelin mail. They bore inscriptions such as "On Board the Zeppelin LZ 9" and confirmed the transport by airship. In some cases, on-board post offices were set up to accept passengers' mail and stamp it with an on-board postmark.
The Tragic End
The end of zeppelin mail came with the crash of the "Hindenburg" in 1937 in Lakehurst and the outbreak of World War II. The last zeppelin mail was carried in 1939 with LZ 130. Today, the few rescued mail items from the "Hindenburg" disaster are among the most sought-after collectors' items. They are a reminder of a time when airships still served as mail carriers and fascinated people all over the world.
