B-99s?


Why did they call the bomber a B-99, when there was no such bomber in the U.S. inventory? Was that what the Germans called them, was it a security precaution, did B-99 just sound cooler? Does anyone have any ideas?

Good film. Thank you, TCM.

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It was for security reasons.

You're not getting old, the music just sucks.

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"B 99" does seem like a good code name for a secret program. It's hard to explain why but it does seem that way.

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That's a good question really. By 1944 the krauts knew most all of the aircraft we had in our inventory - except for the B29 which was used only in the Pacific.
I figure the "B99" bit was just a ruse pushed by the war dept.

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Development for this pic could well have started in 1942; the plane name is generic. Not germane to the point of the pic.

Steven Wright: Right now, I'm having amnesia and deja vu - I think I forgot this before.

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You're preachin' to the choir amigo!
I've been around.
Oh yeah, name rank and serial number is all you'll get!

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Oh yeah, the 109 footage is early war but the B25s (B99s?) are shown in strictly 1944 markings.
There are about a dozen different aircraft depicted in the raid, courtesy of stock footage!
Back to the drawing board, case closed.

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Simple answer: The "B-99" was a stand-in for any new craft that the Germans might want to get information about. B-99 was made up for the purpose of this production so that they could demonstrate how the Germans would try to learn more about a new weapon -- in this case, a "B-99," but it could be anything -- a new tank, ship, cannon, etc.. It would seem silly to military audiences watching this if the Germans were portrayed as eager to learn the air speed of, say, a B-17. Furthermore, they would not want to discuss the actual facts about a genuine new weapon (like, say, a B-29) for obvious reasons. So it makes sense to make up a fictional craft for the purpose of the film. In the "world" of the film, this craft is real, but in the real world, it isn't, so no secrets are disclosed. Nevertheless, the techniques are realistically illustrated. Think of the B-99 as a McGuffin. They chose a far-out number so it couldn't possibly coincide with a real plane under development (many numbers were used in development addition to the ones that were actually produced).

A side note: Aside from being an eye-opening primer on interrogation techniques, this is a very entertaining, riveting film in its own right. Bravo to Ronald Reagan (the producer) and the others involved in this project, job well done.

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