The American B-29 Superfortress, a long-range strategic bomber, was envied by the Soviets during World War II. Stalin was desperate for one. On July 29, 1944, three China-based Superfortresses were crippled over Japan and made emergency landings at Vladivostok. The American pilots thought they were in friendly territory, but the Soviets had other ideas. After the pilots were interned, Stalin's military began an inspection and dissection of U.S. military secrets in order to construct the Tupolev-4 aircraft -- a mirror image of the B-29. Two of the B-29s were taken apart, over 100,000 parts and pieces, and by a process of reverse engineering, were copied exactly, including the engines. The third B-29 was used for pilot training. Russian engineers were given a two-year deadline, or else, to produce an exact Superfortress. This they were able to do, and ultimately, Russia produced over 900 B-29 copies. The "Cold War" had begun. A feature-length investigation that answers one of WWII's most intriguing questions: How did the Soviet Union copy the U.S. B-29 Superfortress, the war's most advanced aircraft? With the aid of Russian and American historians who gained access to previously unavailable Soviet archives, the complete story can finally be told.
