The Hindenburg Page #8

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- You've seen my knife. I'm busy.

Come on!

- This is Knorr's knife, isn't it?

- The hell it is.

A nick on the guard like Knorr said.

You stole it when you broke your own.

- What were you doing?

- It's my knife!

- You're lying.

- You can't arrest me without Ritter.

Watch.

Vogel, you Gestapo idiot.

You're making the mistake of your life.

Captain, some of the passengers

are getting nervous.

How long will it be before we land?

Whenever Naval Air at Lakehurst

gives us the green light.

- When do you estimate that'll be?

- Tell the passengers...

we'll land when conditions are right

and not a minute sooner.

Three degrees out of trim.

Light in the bow.

Drop ballast aft. Two hundred kilos.

Yes, she does feel tail-heavy, Captain.

She's tail-heavy

because wind drove the rain aft.

The moisture will evaporate

in a few minutes.

When we're over the field,

how long will it be before

- The passengers are certain to ask.

- A high landing takes 15 minutes.

Allow another 20

to disembark passengers.

Um, I understand the Countess's

passport is being held.

Rotten. Vogel said it was

a matter of internal security.

- Vogel took it?

- What's the matter with you, Ritter?

I assume you know what's going on

in your own department.

Yes, sir, I do.

If the wind shifts...

have your linesmen hang on

until the main wire comes down.

Boerth?

I'm looking for Boerth.

Have you seen him?

I need him too. Try the north section.

- What's that?

- That's just a worn place we patched.

I'm sure it's secure.

All right, but let's have a man watch

this bag till we're on the ground.

Yes, sir.

Boerth? Boerth!

Send a Decca. Recommend landing now.

Ground crew is ready.

Reply to N.A.L. Proceeding to land.

Will be late for dinner.

Apologies to madam. Signed Pruss.

I'm uneasy about cell four, Captain.

We might have to make

a major repair before going back.

We'll see. Landing stations.

Two degrees light in the bow

and tail-heavy.

Six men from the off watch into the bow.

- Have you seen Boerth?

- No, Colonel.

No, sir. He should be here.

- Wind shifted to the west.

- Gusts?

- No reading on gusts.

- No wonder they lose all their airships.

Hard rudder to port.

Aft engines, full astern.

Line up with her, knuckleheads!

Move your butts!

She'll keep her nose to the wind!

Come on. Move it!

Where's Boerth?

His landing station's in the nose.

Ship in trim but rising slightly.

Valve all cells, five seconds.

Stand by for starboard line drop.

Beautiful. Level as a board.

- Pruss is really showin' us how.

- The ship is standing still now.

Everything seems remarkably still.

She hovers just short of the mast, waiting

for her nose cone to be connected up.

A great floating palace.

Please, Mr. Douglas, you have to leave.

I'm closing up.

So we're finally landing.

That calls for another drink.

I should have taken a rowboat.

Neuhaus, we've got a jammed cable.

Come bear a hand.

Out, Ritter. I've taken over.

Out!

Boerth! Boerth, it's Ritter!

It's 7:
20. Where's the bomb?

He stole my knife.

Listen to me.

There's less than ten minutes left.

We're all gonna die. Where's the bomb?

Repair patch four.

Ritter!

No. No!

It burst into flame! It burst into flame

and it's falling, it's crashing!

Watch it! Watch it!

Get out of the way, please!

Get out of the way! Get this, Johnny!

Some landing.

Run! Run! Get outta there!

Hold it! Hold it! Stand fast, damn it!

No, Dimmler, don't drop ballast!

Let the stern fall.

Give them a chance to get out back there.

Oh, my God!

Down the stairs. Come on.

Here! Give me that!

- Fire extinguishers!

- Come on! Fire extinguishers!

Stay with me. Help me.

Hurry! Grab those ropes!

- No! I can't! I can't!

- Jump! Jump! Please!

- My babies! No!

- Jump!

It's your only chance!

Oh, no! No! No!

Come on!

- Jump!

- Come on, jump! Hurry!

Come on! Come on!

- Get up! Jesus, run!

- Get outta here!

Come on! Jump! Don't be afraid!

Couple of yellow-bellies!

Are you gonna let a girl

be braver than you are?

Run!

Come on! Your brother did it!

You can do it too!

Oh, God!

Oh, my God!

- You're all right.

- Oh, my God! My God!

Sailor! Help him out!

This way!

Major! Emilio!

- I was afraid your luck had run out on ya!

- It's a miracle anybody's alive.

All right, get outta here!

Come on, get out!

Take care of yourselves! Go ahead!

Thank you!

All right. Turn on the water.

Trudi! Trudi!

Oh, my baby! Oh, thank God!

Lehmann.

Ernst.

What happened, Ernst? Ernst.

Ernst!

How did it happen?

Colonel Franz Ritter, dead.

Rigger Karl Boerth, dead.

S.S. Captain Martin Vogel, survived.

Captain Max Pruss, survived.

Captain Ernst Lehmann, dead.

Albert Breslau, dead.

Mildred Breslau, survived.

Edward Douglas, dead.

Elliott Howell III, dead.

Dead. Survived. Dead.

Dead. Dead. Survived.

Survived. Dead. Dead.

Dead. Survived.

In all, 13 passengers,

22 members of the crew...

one navy linesman, dead.

Sixty-two survivors.

The final report

of the board of inquiry states:

"The most plausible theories

for the Hindenburg disaster are:

Structural failure, static electricity

St. Elmo's fire, sabotage."

No completely certain proof

has been found...

for any of the possibilities cited.

The German commission report

goes a step further.

It states:
"The possibility

of deliberate destruction...

must be admitted since no other

originating cause can be proven."

However, the new Reich

could not admit...

that a resistance,

much less a single saboteur...

had brought down

the great symbol of Nazi power.

Chancellor Hitler concluded therefore

that it was an act of God.

During the investigation, the eyewitness

account recorded by Herb Morrison...

for radio station WLS Chicago

was heard many times.

...standing still now.

The back motors of the ship are just

holding it, just enough to keep it from...

It burst into flame! It burst into flame

and it's falling, it's crashing!

Watch it! Watch it!

It's crashing! Terrible!

Oh, my! Get out of the way, please!

It's burning... bursting into flames

and it's falling on the mooring pad...

and all the folks agree

that this is terrible!

This is one of the worst catastrophes

in the world!

Oh, it's... This place is...

Oh, four or five hundred feet

into the sky it...

It's a terrific crash,

ladies and gentlemen.

The smoke and the flames now,

and the frame is crashing to the ground...

not quite to the mooring mast.

Oh, the humanity, and all

the passengers screaming around here!

I told you...

I can't even talk to people...

whose friends are on there.

It's... It's... It's, uh... Oh!

I can't talk, ladies and gentlemen.

I can't...

Listen, folks, I'm gonna have to stop

for a minute because I've lost my voice.

This is the worst thing

I've ever witnessed.

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