 A Heinkel HE 12 aircraft was launched (by catapult) off the NDL liner "Bremen" during her maiden voyage crossing the Atlantic in 1929, shortening the mail delivery time between Europe and North America.Both the Bremen and her sister ship "Europa" launched mail planes on their scheduled North Atlantic crossings until 1935.Even though the early years of the decade saw a difficult financial situation due to the Great Depression, Deutsche Luft Hansa further expanded its international route network in South America, and launched scheduled flights from Germany to the Middle East.