Flight 15.4.1955
A German Airline April 1st, 1955, was a red-letter day in the calendar for Deutsche Lufthansa, for on that day the German airline made its first commercial flight for almost exactly ten years. It was on April 21st, 1945, that a Lufthansa aircraft took off from Templehof, Berlin, for Munich and Madrid on what proved to be the last scheduled service before all aviation in Germany was halted at the dictates of the victorious allies. Now activities have resumed to a schedule approved by the Western Powers. At the start of this month domestic services within the Federal Republic were opened between Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich. The next development will be proving flights to London, Paris and Madrid – starting today.
Air-to-Air Atomic A nuclear weapon exploded over the Nevada Desert on April 6th was intended to simulate the effect of a guided missile fired into a bomber formation by a defending aircraft. Said to have been six feet long, and apparently rocket-propelled and electronically guided, it was released from an aircraft and directed towards a target consisting of a smoke-trail pattern previously laid by jet aircraft. The missile exploded, reportedly above this target, "with a blinding orange and white flash." The usual mushroom-shaped cloud was absent; instead there was a gigantic smoke-ring which hung in the sky for twelve minutes.
‘Dam Busters' Film Indicative of the hold which No. 617 Squadron's operations against the German dams still retains on the public imagination is the news that the world première of The Dam-Busters film was "sold out" almost as soon as the date was announced. Organized jointly by the Pathfinder Association and the R.A.F.A. the première has been arranged for Monday, May 16th, and H.R.H. Princess Margaret has graciously consented to attend. All the seats, priced from 5s to 5gns, were sold within 24 hours.
Source: Flight International
