Factual error: While eating, General Haggarty was told about how Conway should be a cook. Haggarty said "Change his (Conway's) MOS. MOS means Military Occupational Specialty, your job in service. Since M*A*S*H was set in the early 50's, Haggarty wouldn't have said that, because 'MOS' wasn't used until 1965.
Suggested correction: "MOS" most certainly was used during the Korean War. In 1965, the MOS system was simply changed, not created.
I perhaps misspoke. It was titled PMOS, and revamped in 1965 as just MOS. My apologies and thanks for the info.
According to "Introduction to Special Regulations SR 615-25-15, Enlisted Personnel Military Occupational Specialties" from the Department of the Army in November 1950, it's MOS. The "P" just means primary, but MOS was/is used way more than PMOS.
Character mistake: As Hawkeye goes to help Maj. Burns right at the end of the episode, he touches the patient with his bloody, contaminated gloves he used to work on the last patient. Such a blatant error would be anathema to any surgeon from the civilized world of the 20th century, let alone one of Hawkeye's caliber.
Other mistake: When the scene is of the cow in the barn, the background hilly area can be a painted backdrop.
Continuity mistake: After the files blow up, Klinger sees BJ looking at them. If you look carefully, you see that his head changes position between shots.
Cementing Relationships - S9-E3
Other mistake: When the mistake in the cement is discovered, Klinger is addressing Pierce, saying "Mr. Putty Putty, here." Problem is, that it was Mulcahy singing, "Cement mixer, putty putty.
Factual error: In the Swamp, Dr. Wu says "maeu gamsahabnida" when taking out the needle. It was translated as "Dr. Wu says the treatment is completed." The correct translation is "thank you very much"
Factual error: When the bird Charles lands on the land mine, you can see thing bounce on one side of the explosion. If the bird had really landed on the mine, it would have been obliterated.
Suggested correction: Anti personnel mines are specifically designed to badly wound someone rather than kill them outright, as it takes more people to deal with a wounded casualty rather than if they were dead. Movies exaggerate the blast effect as anti-personnel mines don't actually blow anyone to pieces, even a large bird.
True, but in this instance, it was a small bird. The mine in question can severely maim or destroy limbs, therefore the bird shouldn't have been seen.
Other mistake: When Penobscot is approaching the group, you can make out "4077 USA MASH" on the bumper, even though the the numbers and MASH are partially obscured.
Other mistake: As Burns, driving the tank, runs over the Swamp, there's no sign of the still anywhere.
Other mistake: While playing golf, something blows up Henry's golf ball. When the camera does a closeup on Henry's ball, you can see that it isn't a golf ball, but a prop designed to blow up.
Other mistake: As Hawkeye sings in the Swamp to mock Frank, watch Trapper. He's miming the words until his cue to join in.
Factual error: When BJ opens the first box of tongue depressors the tongue depressors are packaged in a plastic bag inside the cardboard box, my research says that plastic bags were not available in the early 1950's. (00:08:06)
Continuity mistake: In this episode, as they come from the pad, Hawkeye told them to get his canvas tub. But in "None Like It Hot", he had one that caused a lot of trouble and they traded it away for ice cream.
Suggested correction: There is no reason he couldn't have gotten another one.
Other mistake: Many times during the series, soldiers are around the OR carrying a loaded weapon (magazine attached for example), when there is a sign outside the entrance that says "all weapons must be cleared before entering the building" or similar.
Suggested correction: With the rampant rule breaking seen in the show, why would this be a mistake?
Yessir, That's Our Baby - S8-E15
Plot hole: Charles has the money and family connections. Why didn't he try to get the baby girl sent to the US? Trapper and his wife almost adopted a seemingly orphaned Korean boy in an early episode, so it couldn't have been impossible.
Suggested correction: There is a difference between adopting a child and merely sending it to the States without any support system to be put into an orphanage.
Plot hole: This episode revolves around the doctors trying to "transfer" a north Korean surgeon to the outfit. To this end, they get him papers, uniform, dog tags, etc. In the end, the plot is toppled and The Korean Surgeon taken to a POW camp by the MP. In reality, it would not have ended quite so pleasantly. A combatant wearing the uniform of an enemy is usually automatically considered a spy, and Hawkeye, BJ and Radar would also have been considered guilty of espionage or at least complicity therein.
The Abduction of Margaret Houlihan - S5-E6
Other mistake: As Frank cocks his gun in the Swamp, the slide locks open and he has to hit the slide release to get it to move forward. Next he fiddles with the hammer. Next we hear the shot go off. Burns' excuse later is that he was cleaning The Gun and it went off (although admittedly, Frank doesn't always stick to the truth that religiously in situations like that). The slide on a semi-automatic locks open only if the magazine is empty or missing. The Gun locking open is also a clear, unmistakable indication that the breech is empty. He would have to insert a filled mag, then pull the slide back again to chamber a round before The Gun even had the chance to go off. One never does that while cleaning a gun. One does what Frank did to begin with: Pull the slide back without a magazine inserted to make sure the breech is empty.
Suggested correction: Frank has demonstrated on numerous occasions that he does not follow the rules of safe gun handling, so ascribing his failure to do so is not a mistake.
You are missing the point. His gun is demonstrably unloaded when we last see it. He would either have to change his mind about cleaning it and load it instead, or load it first and then try to clean it (which makes even less sense), neither of which is not supported by anything in the dialogue.
Factual error: During the Hawkeye and Trapper argument in the tent, Trapper seems to wearing a 70s digital LED watch which didn't exist at the time of the Korean war.
Other mistake: In all the opening sequence of each episode, a group of people are waiting on the pad to get the wounded off the choppers. If you look closely as the group goes to move, Mulcahy is there, but it's George Morgan, who played the role in the pilot episode. From the third episode on, it was played by William Christopher.
