Read-Aloud Play/Historical Fiction
An
Unforgettable
Disaster
The explosion of the
Hindenburg was the
first major disaster
captured on film:
Photographs and
film footage of the
tragedy shocked
people around
the world. These
powerful images
helped ensure that
the event would
never be forgotten.
The
Hindenburg
Disaster
UP
CLOSE
By Kate Marks
Günter [GOON-ter]:
Werner’s older brother
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S T O R Y W O R K S
Max Pruss [PROOSS]:
captain of the Hindenburg
Mr. Doehner [DAY-ner]: a
passenger
*Mrs. Doehner: his wife
Irene: their daughter, 16
Walter: their son, 10
Herbert Morrison: a reporter
*Indicates large speaking role
POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMAGES (HINDENBURG)
*Werner Franz [VEHR-ner
frahnts]: a 14-year-old boy
Text features
As you read this play,
look closely at the dramatic photos and
detailed captions. How do they help you
understand this historic disaster?
Prologue
Circle the character you will play. (Note: All characters are based on real people.)
*Narrator 2 (N2)
Scene 2
LOOK FOR WORD NERD’S 7 TERMS IN BOLD
Characters
*Heinrich Kubis [HINE-rik
KOO-bis]: chief steward on
the Hindenburg
Scene 1
N2: Werner Franz and his
brother, Günter, live in
Germany.
N1: Werner needs a job.
Werner Franz: Günter, are
any hotels hiring?
Günter Franz: Not that I
know of.
Werner: Hmm. Maybe I
can get a job at a restaurant.
Günter: Look up in the sky! Here comes the
Hindenburg!
Werner: It’s amazing!
Günter: I wonder if you can get a job on that
airship.
Werner: That would make me the luckiest boy
in the whole world.
The incredible
true story of the largest
airship ever built—and
a terrifying disaster that
will never be forgotten
*Narrator 1 (N1)
N1: People all over the
world dream of traveling in
this fast and fancy airship:
the Hindenburg.
N1: A giant silver aircraft soars through the sky.
N2: It looks like a flying cruise ship.
N1: Inside, celebrities and millionaires relax
in large, comfortable rooms as they float
through the clouds.
N2: This might seem like a scene from the
future, but it is a scene from the past.
N1: It is 1936. For the past 30 years, airships,
also called zeppelins, have ruled the skies.
N2: Germany has just built the largest one ever
made. It is nearly three football fields long.
N2: Seven months later, Werner’s dream
comes true.
N1: He becomes the new cabin boy on the
Hindenburg.
N2: Chief Kubis gives Werner a tour of the
ship.
Heinrich Kubis: Here are the sleeping rooms.
It is your job to make the beds.
Werner: There won’t be a single wrinkle in the
sheets!
Kubis: I like your attitude.
N1: Kubis leads Werner up a flight of stairs.
Kubis: This is the dining room, where
passengers enjoy fine food and fantastic
views.
Werner: It feels just like being in a hotel.
Kubis: It’s better! Our hotel can float through
the clouds.
Werner: Incredible!
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N2: Werner loves his job.
N1: He enjoys several voyages on the Hindenburg.
N2: On May 3, 1937, the Doehner family arrives
at the airship for a trip across the Atlantic
Ocean, from Germany to the United States.
Pruss: Welcome aboard.
Mr. Doehner: Thank you, Captain!
Floating Luxury
The Hindenburg
traveled at twice the
speed of the fastest
steamship in the
1930s. Passengers
slept in cozy
bunkbeds, ate hearty
meals, and gathered
to sing around a
lightweight piano.
The airship was
ingeniously designed
to be strong but
light. Thousands of
steel beams (shown
below) were covered
by a fabric skin.
N1: Unlike airplanes, zeppelins float up gently
into the air.
Scene 4
AP IMAGES (KITCHEN); OFF/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (DINING ROOM); CORBIS (INSIDE HINDENBURG)
Scene 3
Kubis: Our cabin boy will help you with your
luggage.
N1: Werner carries away the family’s expensive
bags.
Mrs. Doehner: Look at the velvet curtains!
Irene: I wonder if any movie stars are on
board!
Mrs. Doehner: This airship looks beautiful, but
it feels dangerous.
Kubis: Madame, zeppelins are the safest way to
travel.
Mr. Doehner: When are we going to take off?
Irene (laughing): Father, we took off 10 minutes
ago!
Mr. Doehner: What?!
N2: Mr. Doehner looks out the window. He is
surprised to see that the ground is far below
them.
KEYSTONE-FRANCE/GAMMA-KEYSTONE/GETTY IMAGES (BUILDING THE HINDENBURG); AP IMAGES (OVER MANHATTAN)
Kubis: Just make sure none of the passengers
have matches or lighters.
N2: The Hindenburg is filled with hydrogen,
which makes it float. But this gas burns easily.
Kubis: A single spark could turn our entire
airship into a ball of flames.
N1: Captain Pruss walks by.
Max Pruss: Don’t scare the boy, Kubis. It’s his
first day!
N2: For the next two days, the passengers enjoy
a smooth voyage.
N1: But thunderstorms delay the airship’s
landing in New Jersey.
N2: Captain Pruss orders the crew to circle New
York City while he waits for the weather to
improve.
N1: The passengers enjoy the amazing views.
Irene: Look, there’s the Empire State Building!
Mrs. Doehner: Walter, come see the big
buildings!
N2: Her son is busy playing with his toy truck.
N1: He pushes it along the carpet and it makes
a spark.
Kubis: Oh, no!
N2: Kubis grabs the toy.
Walter: Mama, he took my truck! Make him
give it back!
Kubis: I am very sorry, but I can’t do that. A
tiny spark could cause a terrible fire on our
airship.
Scene 5
N1: After several hours, the Hindenburg floats
toward Lakehurst, New Jersey.
Pruss: The weather isn’t perfect, but we can’t
wait any longer. Tell everyone we will be
landing shortly.
Kubis: Yes, sir.
N2: Back in the lounge, the passengers look out
the windows.
Irene: Aren’t you glad we took the Hindenburg,
Mother?
Mrs. Doehner: I’ll be glad when we are on the
ground.
N1: Outside, people wave at the passengers.
Irene: Look at the reporters!
N2: Walter makes faces at the
crowd.
Walter: Ha ha! You can’t ride in the
zeppelin!
Mrs. Doehner: Walter, stop that
right now.
Mr. Doehner: My camera is out of
film. I’ll be right back.
N1: Mr. Doehner rushes to his
cabin to grab more film.
Irene: Hurry! You don’t want to miss the
landing.
Scene 6
N2: Meanwhile, Werner cleans up the kitchen.
N1: BOOM! Suddenly, the airship shakes.
N2: Werner falls to the floor in a pile of
broken dishes.
Werner: What was that?
N1: WHOOSH! A ball of fire rushes toward
him.
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S T O R Y W O R K S
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8
S T O R Y W O R K S
N2: Fire roars toward them.
N1: Mrs. Doehner and Kubis jump out the
window just in time.
Scene 8
N2: On the ground, Werner cries in fear.
N1: Kubis runs by, carrying an injured
passenger.
Kubis: Werner! Pull yourself together. Go and
see if you can help anyone.
N2: Werner runs toward the airship.
N1: But the zeppelin is burning fast.
N2: In just 30 seconds, the Hindenburg is gone.
N1: A news reporter, Herbert Morrison, talks
into his microphone.
Herbert Morrison: Oh, the humanity! This is
the worst thing I’ve ever witnessed!
N2: The sky fills with smoke.
N1: Thirty-five people are dead, including
Irene and her father.
Scene 9
Epilogue
N1: What caused the fire that destroyed the
Hindenburg on May 6, 1937?
N2: Was it sabotage?
N1: Maybe a spark made leaking hydrogen
catch on fire.
N2: Recently, a
Lucky Survivor
One day after the crash,
scientist came
Werner returned to the
up with another
wreckage to search
theory. The
for his beloved pocket
Hindenburg’s
watch—and found it.
Franz died
silver paint could
in 2014 at
have caught
the age
on fire because
of 92.
of the static
electricity in the air.
N1: The true cause remains a
mystery.
N2: One thing is certain:
News coverage of the
disaster shook the world.
N1: Nobody could forget
the pictures of the
Hindenburg bursting
into flames.
N2: The dream of flying
in a zeppelin turned
into a fiery nightmare.
After the disaster, people
stopped traveling by
airship.
N1: But Werner always
fondly remembered his time
working on the Hindenburg.
Werner: Those were the
best days of my life.
AP IMAGES (WERNER FRANZ)
N2: The next day, the entire world hears
Morrison’s radio broadcast about the disaster.
Morrison: It has burst into flames, and it’s
crashing! Get out of the way!
N1: Back in Germany, Werner’s family gathers
around the radio to listen.
Günter: How could this happen to the
Hindenburg!?
N2: They wait nervously for news about
Werner. Finally, the doorbell rings.
N1: Werner’s parents turn pale with fear as
Günter races to the door.
Günter: It’s a telegram from Werner. He’s alive!
N2: Everyone in the family cries tears of joy.
BETTMANN/CORBIS (CRASH)
Werner: Fire! Chief
Kubis! There is a fire
in the kitchen!
N2: The ship tilts
sideways. Then it
begins to sink to the
ground.
N1: Werner slides toward
the flames.
Werner: Help!
N2: Suddenly, a water
tank explodes and puts
out the fire around
him.
N1: Soaking wet, Werner
The Last Airship One minute after the explosion, the dazzling Hindenburg
was little more than a flaming pile of metal. Experts agree that the deadly
snaps to his senses.
disaster ended the age of the zeppelins and opened up a new chapter in the
N2: He looks around for
history of travel. Just two years after the Hindenburg crash, the first passenger
a way to escape.
airplane crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Werner: The supply
hatch!
to be very brave.
N1: He runs to a large door in the floor.
Walter: OK, Mama.
Normally, it is used to load the kitchen with
N1: She picks up Walter and dangles him out of
food.
the window.
N2: But today, it is Werner’s only hope. He
N2: She spots Captain Pruss on the ground.
kicks open the hatch.
Mrs. Doehner: Captain Pruss, can you catch
N1: Outside, the ground rushes toward him.
my son?
Werner: We’re crashing!
Pruss: Yes! Hurry!
N2: He waits until the last possible second.
N1: She drops Walter, holding her breath as he
Werner: Three. Two. One!
falls through the air.
N1: Werner jumps out and lands on the
Pruss: I got him!
muddy earth.
N2: Mrs. Doehner quickly pushes her daughter
N2: The flaming airship bounces off the ground
toward the ledge.
as Werner runs to safety.
Mrs. Doehner: It’s your turn, Irene.
Werner: I made it! I’m alive!
Irene: Where is Father?
Mrs. Doehner: We can’t look for him now. We
Scene 7
have to jump.
N1: The back of the airship crashes to the
Irene: Not without Father.
ground, but the front is still 20 feet in the air.
Mrs. Doehner: Irene, please. We’re running out
N2: Inside the lounge, the fire grows bigger.
of time!
Kubis: Everyone stay calm. We need to exit
N1: Irene doesn’t listen. She runs into the
through the windows.
smoke.
Mrs. Doehner: Walter, come quickly.
Irene: Father! Where are you?
Walter: Mama, did my toy cause the fire?
Mrs. Doehner: Irene, stop! Come back!
Mrs. Doehner: No, sweetheart. Now I need you
Kubis: We have to go NOW!
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