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There is a close-up of a parachutist's boot as he leaves the aircraft. It is a DMS boot. DMS boots were not issued to the army until much, much later. Late sixties, early seventies as I recall. See more...

Trivia

John Addison, the film's composer, actually served as a tank officer in XXX Corps during World War 2. See more...

A Bridge Too Far (1977) - 3 corrections

Directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Michael Caine, Sean Connery (add more)

Genres: Action, Drama, History, War

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The British PIAT anti-tank weapon could not be readied for the first shot as quickly as shown in the movie. It was not a rocket launcher like the US Bazooka, but rather a bomb launcher; the gunner had to use his entire strength, and his hands and legs, to cock it for the first shot, because the firing pin spring in the weapon was very strong. For subsequent shots, the force of the propellant charge would do the work. [PIAT (Projectile Infantry Anti Tank) had to be physically reset after each round was fired. As previously stated the launcher had to be reset by use of the whole body usually standing up. Therefore the firer in this scene would have cocked the weapon under cover from enemy fire/view (prior to the scene opening). Due to the chamber of this weapon being open topped the round/missile would not had been loaded until the firer was ready in his fire position if the weapon was moved whilst loaded the round could have fallen out. The projectile had no propellant so there was no gas to build up in the weapon to allow the working parts to reset. The launcher was simply a large spring that ejected the round/missile in to the air; the round flew so slowly it could be seen flying towards the target just like the scene suggests. Unlike a bazooka or modern launcher the projectile had no propellant (like a rocket) to power itself through the air therefore there was no firing pin in the launcher. The scene doesn't show the whole process of loading and firing a PIAT subsequently putting doubt into viewer's minds how accurate the scene is.]