Zeppelin post

Zeppelin post is mail carried by airship. Germany led the way with internal/domestic flights beginning c.1909. Great Britain, Italy and the United States also had airships with mail-carrying flights.

 File:Germany ZRIII flt cover.jpg|1924 ZR-3 transatlantic flight, Friedrichshafen to New York City. File:US airship Bermuda flt.jpg|1925 USS Los Angeles (ex-ZR-3) Bermuda flight. The red cancel is the only distinctive marking aside from the typed remark. File:Italy Nobile polar flt.jpg|1926 Nobile polar flight cover, Rome to Nome. Covers bore a special label and were often autographed by a crew member. File:US USS Akron flt.jpg|1932 USS Akron training flight cover. 

LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin
Graf Zeppelin began German proving flights in 1928, then a transatlantic flight and back to the US later that year. Special airmail stamps were created, but any German airmail stamps could and would be used. It also tested drop mail, recognizable by receiving cancels from each location.

In August 1929, the Graf Zeppelin began its round-the-world flight, encouraging a number of countries including the United States to issue Zeppelin stamps for the carriage of mail via the airship. Mail could be carried for the whole voyage or intended for various legs. More domestic and international flights followed.

In 1930, a Europe-Pan American flight was conducted, Germany to Brazil to the US and return. Germany issued a new series of Zeppelin stamps for this. Several South American countries also issued Zeppelin stamps for mail carriage. This was followed by more international flights. In 1932-36, the Graf Zeppelin was making regular round trips to South America along with other flights.  File:Germany zepp 1st America flt.jpg|1929 Graf Zeppelin America Flight card. File:US Graf Zepp round flight.jpg|1930 Europe-Pan American flight, Friedrichshafen to Brazil, US dispatch. File:Germany zepp polar flt.jpg|1931 Polar Flight card, cancelled on-board. 

LZ-129 Hindenburg
Beginning in March 1936, the Hindenburg began making regular round trips between the US and Brazil among a few domestic flights. It was in May 1937 when landing at Lakehurst that the airship caught fire and was destroyed. 337 pieces of damaged mail was recovered and forwarded in ambulatory envelopes. Mail intended for the return trip was marked PAQUEBOT and sent to Germany.

Forgeries of the crash cover are known, but records for the 337 genuine covers still exist for comparison. 



The Hindenburg disaster and example of one of the crash covers from the National Postal Museum

LZ-130
In 1938-39, this airship made several domestic flights plus at least one to the Sudetenland. 

