Graf von Zeppelin's first airship was flown in 1900. Initially finance for the research was supplied by the count himself, by private donations, and even a lottery. With the growing success of each flight, public interest also grew. In 1908, the Zeppelin LZ 4 was destroyed during a high-profile test flight. This proved fortunate, since it caused a flood of public support. The ensuing donation campaign collected over 6 million German marks which was used to set up both Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH was set up by Graf von Zeppelin in 1908 thanks to funds raised by the public after the Zeppelin LZ 4 was destroyed during a high-profile test flight. 'Luftschiffbau' is a German word meaning building of airships. The company manufactured many Zeppelin airships for both civilian and military use over the next few decades. However, with the rise of the Nazis in 1933, focus shifted to 'heavier than air' aircraft, due to their military superiority. By the beginning of World War II demand for airships had disappeared. The last active vessel (LZ 130) was decommissioned early in the war and broken up for its aluminium. In the late 1920s to 1940 the company worked with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to build two Zeppelins in the United States and the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation was created to facilitate the relationship. The partnership ended after World War II began, but the American company continued to build blimps under the Goodyear name. Luftschiffbau Zeppelin stopped manufacturing in 1938, though by the autumn of 1941 the company had accepted contracts to produce V-2 rocket propellant tanks and fuselage sections. In June 1943, Allied bombing during Operation Bellicose hit the Zeppelin V-2 facility, and production was subsequently moved to the Mittelwerk. The company continued during the war and disappeared sometime around 1945. Almost 50 years later, the company re-emerged in Germany. The parent group company of the current Zeppelin maker was re-established in 1993 and the operating company producing the current Zeppelins was created in 2001.