Corrected entry: When asked whether he had a gun, Cillian Murphy says he had a .303. As an officer (his shoulder strap shows the insignia of a British Second Lieutenant), he would have carried a pistol but not a rifle. It was not until later in the war that British officers began to carry weapons other than sidearms, and even then it was usually SMGs and not rifles.
Necrothesp
9th Aug 2017
Dunkirk (2017)
28th Aug 2013
Patton (1970)
Corrected entry: The drum major leading the British pipes and drums into Messina is a corporal wearing the usual two point-down chevrons on his upper arm. British Army drum majors, who all hold a minimum rank of sergeant, wear four point-up chevrons on their lower arm (on a leather strap if in shirt-sleeve order).
Correction: It is very possible for a corporal to have been appointed as acting drum major, particularly in a highland unit's pipe band. The pipe bands were allocated at battalion level, and the musicians had actual soldier jobs in the units (usually stretcher bearers). If the Drum Major was killed during the campaign, it would not be unusual for a lower-ranking soldier with musical training to take on the role in an acting capacity.
10th Aug 2017
Dunkirk (2017)
Corrected entry: Commander Bolton addresses the rear-admiral by his full rank. In fact, he would undoubtedly just address him as "Admiral", the courteous form of address for all flag officers.
Correction: A rear-admiral can be referred to as such. It is not technically incorrect.
26th Jan 2016
Peaky Blinders (2013)
Episode #2.4 - S2-E4
Corrected entry: Tommy Shelby says that he is exporting whisky to Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is under prohibition, as is all of Canada and the United States. There was no prohibition in Canada. Not a mistake a businessman as astute as Shelby is likely to have made, especially as he's based his whole business plan on it.
Correction: Except Season 2 occurs in 1921-22, well after Prohibition ended in Canada.
Correction: This is incorrect. In March 1918 Ottawa stopped, for the duration of the First World War, the manufacture and importation of liquor into provinces where purchase was already illegal. However, prohibition was too short-lived in Canada to engender any real success and was not strongly enforced. Individual provinces repealed the law over the next 5 years starting with Quebec in 1919 through to Nova Scotia in 1930.
19th Apr 2015
World War Z (2013)
Corrected entry: If Indian troops were already fighting the zombies, it seems unbelievably unlikely that only Israel knew about it. Even the media would probably have got hold of it in this day and age, let alone world intelligence agencies.
Correction: The entire point of the conversation in Israel is the concept of the 10th man. Yes, others knew but no one believed the word zombie was to be taken literally. Israel survived because the 10th man investigated the claims as though zombies were real.
9th Oct 2015
The Longest Day (1962)
Corrected entry: The Mayor of Colleville turns up on one of the British beaches, but Colleville was actually next to Omaha Beach.
Correction: The man was mayor of Collvile sur orne. Not Collvile sur mer.
6th Mar 2011
The Pacific (2010)
Corrected entry: Gunnery Sergeant Haney wears three chevrons and one "rocker", actually the insignia for the lower rank of Platoon Sergeant.
Correction: In the book "the Pacific", it's explained: everyone (including Captain Haldane and Cowboy) calls Haney "gunny" but he actually does not hold that rank. He was one of the few Marines to see combat in WW1, and was relegated to a stateside assignment in WW2, but he jumped a ship and headed for combat in the Pacific. Due to his experience, demeanor, etc., everyone respectfully refers to him as "Gunny" Haney.
2nd Dec 2009
Battle of the Bulge (1965)
Corrected entry: The panzergrenadier commander, Major von Diepel, wears the double-breasted field grey uniform that was only worn by panzer artillery. Panzergrenadiers wore standard infantry uniform with green piping (which he does wear).
Correction: The panzergrenadier commander, Major von Diepel is in fact correctly wearing the infantry version of the panzer uniform in field gray issued to certain panzer-grenadier troops in 1944, particularly the Panzer Lehr elite Panzer Division.
17th Mar 2012
Sherlock (2010)
The Hounds of Baskerville - S2-E2
Corrected entry: Dr Frankland refers to his "cell number. No British person refers to a mobile phone as a cellphone.
Correction: It's actually a plot point, revealing that Frankland had spent a long time in America.
16th Aug 2010
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Corrected entry: In the bar, Major Hellstrom, while recognising accents, refers to the two German-speaking Basterds as Lieutenant Stuttgart and Lieutenant Munich. However, these are both in Germany and Wicki is Austrian-born. Either a mistake or Hellstrom isn't as good with accents as he thinks he is.
Correction: Major Hellstrom actually says Munich for Wicki and Frankfurt for Stiglitz, not Stuttgart. Aldo cleary states earlier in the movie, during the scene where the Bear Jew beats the German Seargant, that Wicki was an Austrian Born Jew that got out of Munich while the getting was good. Just because Wicki was born in Austria doesn't mean he didn't move at a young age.
5th Aug 2009
Saints and Soldiers (2003)
Corrected entry: In the final shootout, the GIs are using at least one semi-automatic American M1 Garand rifle. It is never explained where they got this from, as all they had before were captured German bolt-action Mausers. They are escaped POWs and have been stripped of their own weapons. They have encountered no American corpses or vehicles except an ambulance, which they specifically state has been stripped of everything of use. At one point Gould actually says all they have is a "bolt-action".
Correction: The escaped POW's ambush a German vehicle at the French woman's home. They found a cache of weapons in the back, including the Garand. It's not unreasonable to think that the Germans had taken a Garand off a dead/wounded/captured American or simply found one somewhere.
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Correction: With all the fighting he could have easily run out of ammo for his pistol (or lost the pistol) and picked up a .303 to continue fighting. Saying he had a .303 is not the same as claiming he was issued a.303.