Stalag 17 corrections

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Stalag 17 (1953) - 5 corrections

Directed by Billy Wilder, starring Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Peter Graves, William Holden

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Inmates in German POW camps did not receive sufficient food. This was particularly true late in the war when even the German people were beginning to go hungry. Yet in this film, which took place late in the war, all the inmates appear to be well fed and even fat such as Animal. There is no logical reason for this because the prisoners are only fed soup which is shown to be so inedible it's used to wash clothes. [It is stated in the movie that almost all of the inmates trade with the Germans. Sefton has a distillery, and can even get fresh eggs.] Corrected by MovieGuy

A great deal is made in the opening about the escape attempt taking place on 'the longest night of the year', meaning December 21. Yet the narrator says that the barracks were rousted out the next morning at 6 a.m. to view the bodies of the would-be escapees, and the sun is high in the sky. [The prisoners were brought out at 6 AM and forced to stand in the mud. The commandant made them wait several hours that way to punish them.] Corrected by MovieGuy

Even when POW's, Americans are still considered members of the military and subject to military laws and regulations. Accordingly, Lt. Dunbar would have taken command of barracks 4 as soon as he was assigned to live there. This would not have been an option but required not only by him but by Hoffy, the enlisted man and barracks commander, who would have immediately handed command to the higher ranking Dunbar. Also the Germans would not have recognized anyone but Dunbar as barracks commander by virtue of his rank. [Lt Dunbar was put in Stalag 17, barracks 4, only because he blew up a train and they could not get him to the officer's POW camp. Since he was temporary he might not have wanted real command of the barracks. The Germans ended up taking him away the first night anyway because he was a saboteur and no longer considered a POW.] Corrected by Rlvlk

When the Commandant asks Lt. Dunbar for his serial number; Dunbar has to read it from his dog tag. Military members knew their serial number (which was not your social security in those days) as well as their name; I still remember mine 45 years later. [All new prisoners received a German-issued identification number, i.e., "Jerry dog-tags," when they first arrived in camp. Lt. Dunbar couldn't have been expected to know this new number when asked by the Commandant because he would have just been issued it (by the Germans) the day before.]

During World War II American military personnel used the slang term "Kraut" to refer to Germans, and British military personnel used the term "Jerry." This film featured American POW's and no Brits yet the term "Jerry" was almost exclusively used. [It's a possibility that the U.S. POWs were members of the British RAF and they picked the term up.]