GPS June 2020

cards in a series published by DELAG, Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-
Aktiengesellschaft, a zeppelin operating firm tied to Luftschiffbau
Zeppelin. The message side has a handwritten note “From the airship,
which regrettably has not yet opened its doors to me, an ordinary mortal,
for a trip – nevertheless, I’m sending you my warmest greetings. Yours,
with greetings from the air.” The sender name is illegible. The sender
handed the card to either a crewmember or passenger on the flight. The
addressee was Mrs. Ila Folsdner at 124 Olgastrasse in Friedrichshafen,
a home on the lakefront west of the city center. No doubt, she was
impressed to receive this card as her family saved it for generations!
Image 5. After leaving Flensburg, LZ-126 flew through the night, arriving in Berlin at
10:20 a.m. This real photo postcard by A. Gross shows huge crowds mesmerized by
the site of the zeppelin overhead.
Separated after the drop, this mailbag and one of its cards are
now reunited after most of a century and from sales in two auctions
on different sides of the Atlantic Ocean. I am proud to be the zeppelin
matchmaker who brought them together.
Resources
“Fahrt-Bericht L.Z. 126.” Archiv der Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH,
Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Manfred Lösemann and Werner Rau, Zeppelin “LZ 126-ZR3” Handbuch
über die Postbeförderung (Dülken/Friedrichshafen: 1998).
Special thanks to Dieter Leder, Margit Naden, Patrick Russell, and
M.T. Sheahan.
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German Postal Specialist