the weather off the coast of Galway was turbulent and got worse until visibility was virtually nil. It seemed suicidal to continue so they turned back and landed at Beale Strand near Ballybunion in County Kerry. Fitzmaurice was co-pilot of the Xenia with Maurice W. Piercey for the five and a half-hour flight that only took them 300 miles off the Irish coast. Bremen flight On 12–13 April 1928, Fitzmaurice flew in the crew of the Bremen on the first transatlantic aircraft flight from East to West. The crew consisted of: Captain Hermann Köhl (1888–1938), pilot Captain James Fitzmaurice, (1898–1965) co-pilot Baron Ehrenfried Günther Freiherr von Hünefeld (1892–1929), owner Köhl made a "perfect three-point landing" on a shallow, ice-covered, water reservoir (which James called a "lagoon") for the lighthouse at Greenly Island, Canada. Just as the Bremen came to a stop, it broke through the ice. The tail then projected about 20 feet (6 m) into the air. Everybody got wet but everybody was safe. After the flight On 2 May 1928, the 70th United States Congress authorized the President, Calvin Coolidge, to confer the United States Distinguished Flying Cross on the fliers. In recognition of their trans-Atlantic flight achievement, Fitzmaurice and his two companions were bestowed the Freedom of the City of Dublin on 30 June 1928. After the successful flight Fitzmaurice was promoted from Major to Colonel, but he resigned from the Service on 2 February 1929. He was divorced in January 1931. Fitzmaurice met Hitler in 1933, following an invitation extended shortly after the Reichstag elected Hitler as Chancellor, Fitzmaurice was reportedly present to witness the Reichstag fire. During much the 1930s Fitzmaurice lived in New York. He spent World War II in London, where he ran a club for veteran pilots. After the war he returned to Ireland. On June 1, 1955, Fitzmaurice was guest of honor when Lufthansa inaugurated airline service between Shannon and New York. Fitzmaurice died in Dublin on 26 September 1965. Legacy There are streets named for Fitzmaurice in four German cities: Bremen (at the airport), Cologne, Ulm and Pfaffenhofen an der Roth. In addition, streets have been named for him in cities in a number of English-speaking countries, including in Wagga Wagga, Australia. The Fitzmaurice Flying School was opened in Baldonnel in February 1996 and in April the restaurant in the Kingswood County House Hotel was named after the aviator. In