M*A*S*H

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen - S11-E16

Deliberate mistake: BJ mentions to Charles that if they don't sign the armistice it will be the second time in 2 years and then he will miss his daughter Erin's second birthday. This is BJs 7th season and when he arrived at the beginning of season 4, Erin was already born, making it absurd that seven years later she could still be one year old. Because the real war lasted 3 years and the show 11, there are obviously some errors like this that can't be avoided but this was blatantly egregious.

Mprete

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: That is assuming that every season the show ran is supposed to cover one year, and that all seasons are supposed to be consecutive, which hypothesis is not solidly supported in the show at all.

Doc ★

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Mistakes

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen - S11-E16

Other mistake: How did Hawkeye Pierce, a surgeon, know how to drive a tank? It is nothing like driving a car and takes skills, training and experience that a surgeon simply would not have. He wouldn't even be able to start the engine.

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Questions

Dear Dad - S1-E12

Question: A number of times it is mentioned that the outfit is unarmed, yet several times, Frank has a rifle, or a pistol, and once Klinger had a grenade, and the guards and Klinger, while on sentry duty, has a rifle. Was this standard, or is this a mistake?

Answer: Even an Army field hospital would have SOME weapons for self-defense if the enemy attacked. What's meant is that it's not a combat outfit, and therefore wouldn't have enough weapons to actually attack anyone. (It's also mentioned a few times that the Officer of the Watch is supposed to carry a pistol at all times, but Hawkeye refuses to do it when he's in charge and Colonels Blake and Potter don't enforce the rule).

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: The Geneva Convention allows even doctors to carry a sidearm to be used in their self defense or the defense of their patients, however it is rare to do so.

stiiggy

Answer: As an old medical unit staffer, my experience is that med units have combat units assigned to defend them. Usually it was marines.

Answer: My old doctor (now deceased) served in Korea during the War. He was required to carry a sidearm anytime he was not in the hospital.

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