The Hindenburg light or Hindenburglicht, was a source of tallow

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

used in the

trenches A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from erosi ...

of the First World War, named after the Commander-in-Chief of the German army in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany fr ...

. It was a flat bowl approximately diameter and deep, resembling the cover of Mason jar lid (''Schraubglasdeckel'') and made from pasteboard. This flat bowl was filled with a wax-like fat (

tallow Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, includ ...

). A short wick (''Docht'') in the center was lit and burned for some hours. A later model of the Hindenburglicht was a "tin can (''Dosenlicht'') lamp." Here, a wax-filled tin can have two wicks in a holder. If both wicks are lit, a common, broad flame (''zungenfoermige Flamme'') results. The lights were also used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in air raid shelters (''Luftschutzkeller'') or during power cuts, and mandated black outs as emergency lighting. The Hindenburg light is mentioned in the novels and ''Berlin'' by Theodore Plievier, as used on the Eastern Front and in air raid shelters respectively. Also it is mentioned in ''Wheels of Terror'' by Sven Hassel and ''In Deadly Combat A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front'' by Gottlob Herbert Biedermann.

References

{{Reflist Lighting World War I military equipment of Germany World War II military equipment of Germany

See also

References