Continuity mistake: When Mary and Schaffer are firing the MP-40s from the back of the bus, a shot from outside of the bus shows the rear windshield broken/cracked one way but in the next shot from inside the bus looking out the rear windshield is broken/cracked differently. (02:15:35)
Revealing mistake: When the bus is being pursued, Smith steers it to trip several prepositioned explosives that blow up trees to block the road. In order to by pass a downed tree the Germans push a motorcycle around it, and you can plainly see that the tree was cut by a chainsaw. (02:18:40)
Continuity mistake: As the stolen bus ploughs through the German airfield Smith yells to Schaffer, "Take out the control tower," so Schaffer and Mary point their guns high and start firing. There is a long shot of bullets strafing the control tower, glass shattering and the traffic controller falling backwards as he is hit. It is followed by a quick close-up of him in perfect health, shouting into his radio, then being mowed down by the stream of bullets. (02:20:00)
Continuity mistake: When Smith fires at the last German Kübelwagen chasing his team on the Oberhausen airfield runway, the scene alternates between two perspectives of Smith firing from the bus's engine cover: One from the front, the other from his backside. In each of these alternating shots, Smith holds the front part of his MP40 in a different grip. (02:20:55)
Factual error: The Germans in the castle are using Bell 47 helicopters which a) were American, not German, and b) weren't even in operation until 1946.
Continuity mistake: Major Smith forces Carnaby to reveal his true identity by firing a single bullet which fragments the upper section of his chair. Soon after when Smith stands behind Carnaby (revealed as Cartwright Jones) the chair is undamaged.
Factual error: The aircraft at the Oberhausen airfield at the end of the field are T-6 texan trainers of the Austrian air-force painted with Luftwaffe markings.
Character mistake: In the courtyard of the castle there is an anti-aircraft gun. You could probably not find a worse place for a gun like that even if you tried (except maybe if you put it inside, in a windowless room). In the position it is placed it can only fire at targets directly above the castle. What you want to do is fire at targets before they reach the castle. It would be better if they placed it on the roof, or even near the village below.
Factual error: In the flashback scene where the commandos are being briefed on their mission, they are told that General Carmody was on his way to a meeting with Russian officers on Crete. Hardly the best place for a meeting between the Allies since Crete was then under German occupation.
Continuity mistake: When Smith is driving the bus, there are at one point several bullet holes in the bus' windscreen and in the next shot they have vanished.
Other mistake: In the scene where Burton and Eastwood are in the radio room, two grenades are thrown, which blow the main radio room door off the hinges and Burton and Eastwood run behind the small door and hide in that room. The German soldiers then run up and one of them throws another grenade supposedly into the radio room. However, the actor in his attempt to throw the grenade into the room instead throws the grenade into the door and it bounces back into the hallway in which he is standing and lands in front of him, yet no one reacts to this and seconds later we see an explosion as if the grenade had actually gone into the room, but it is really on the floor in front of the door and would have certainly blown the German soldiers to bits.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where the Germans are beating down the door to the hallway leading to the cable car, when the door is about to give way, in the clip from inside the door, it is moving a lot under each blow, but when seen from the outside it doesn't move at all.
Continuity mistake: When the team is about to jump from the cable car into the river, seen from the cable car, they wait until they get close to the shore. But when they jump, seen from below, the cable car is moving across the river from the far side, and they land in the middle.
Plot hole: A minor point but no mention is ever made of the pilot who deliberately crash-landed General Carnaby's plane at Oberhausen airfield. Presumably he would also have been taken to the castle for questioning but I suppose this would have further complicated the plot and be another person needing to escape.
Continuity mistake: Smith puts on one glove just before he hops onto the cable car with the two German spies. The next shot shows him with two gloves on.
Plot hole: The radio set used to communicate with headquarters in England was in fact a British low power VHF transceiver with a range of a couple of miles at best. It simply didn't have the capability to reach England.
Plot hole: We never get an explanation why the three German spies in the British team are killing their team mates - and it doesn't really make any sense. They could just wait until they entered the Castle - and then ensure that they all got caught.
Plot hole: How could Colonel Turner both be in London during the mission and in the pick-up plane? A Juncker can fly approx 220 km/h. It is approx. 1200 km from London to Southern Bavaria. That means that Colonel Turner would have had to leave London 5½ hours before the pick-up. The team does definitely not spend 5½ hours from the last time we see Colonel Turner in London until the pick-up.
Revealing mistake: As the spy troupe prepares to leave by airplane, a Kübelwagen with soldiers comes up, which Burton shoots with his MP40. As the car bursts into flames, the driver and passengers are revealed as dummies, since no one could or would sit around quietly while they were on fire.
Continuity mistake: The car that Schaffer and Smith are riding in with the Germans is launched in the air by hitting a pile of snow and then comes to a sudden stop by hitting a pile of gravel where the Germans are killed. What happened to the pile of snow when Schaffer and Smith push the car backwards?
Chosen answer: This is not unusual in older films. Earlier costume designers were less attentive to historical accuracy and freely incorporated current fashion trends into period movies. It was just an accepted practice and movie audiences back then were often less discerning and/or unaware of inaccuracies. Today's costumers have greater access to historical information, do more research, and strive for authenticity.
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