Trivia / One of Our Aircraft Is Missing

• Backed by the Pentagon: The RAF lent a real Wellington fuselage to film the scenes inside "B for Bertie".
• Bad Export for You: Twenty minutes were cut from the original American release.
• California Doubling: Of course, the crew couldn't film in what was then occupied Holland, so the sequences set there were actually filmed in and around Boston. (No, not that one—the British city in Lincolnshire.)
• Cast the Expert: The extra squadron members were all active members of the Royal Air Force (XVI) squadron.
• The Cast Showoff: Emrys Jones (Bob Ashley, wireless operator and footballer) was an international soccer player before the war. The character was made to be a footballer because he could already play well.
• Writing by the Seat of Your Pants: Although the screenplay was not completely developed by the time of production, Michael Powell considered it "half-finished...it remained (that way) for most of the production." One of the reasons for continual revisions to the screenplay were the constant advances in wartime technology that were occurring. The Admiralty informed the producers and directors of the use of "lobster pots", floating steel platforms, hitherto unknown to the public, that had been anchored in the North Sea to facilitate rescue of downed airmen. When Powell learned of this innovation, he pointedly rewrote the screenplay to include this refuge as the means to deliver the crew to safety. With help from the Ministry of Information, permission to use these platforms was obtained.

---