Factual error: During the first scenes of the film the Greek flag used is the current one, and not the one used at that time. The flag that should have been used is a white cross on blue.
Continuity mistake: Throughout the movie, Ho is referred to as "Captain Ho", however in the closing credits, his name is "Colonel Ho".
Factual error: None of the German tanks are accurate representations of German WWII types. They are all post war US variants. ie. M47 Patton Tanks. [Still a mistake, but an elaboration: This is a common problem in depicting German tanks: few, if any, survived the war. The few museum examples wouldn't be released for movie work, and certainly WHERE, some 20 years after the war, would one find a brigade's worth of running Tiger II tanks? Never mind that Kampgruppe Pieper, which Hessler's command is loosely based on, actually used Mark IV and Panther tanks. There was one King Tiger battalion, and it was in reserve well behind KG Peiper. The M47s versus the M24 Chafees (mistakenly called "Shermans" at times) is a fairly accurate comparison of the respective sizes, firepower, and other combat capabilities of the respective tanks. Some other movies, like "Kelly's Heroes", have their "Tigers" mocked-up with sheet metal, wire mesh, and sacking over a different type of tank (in that case, T-34/85s of the Yugoslav army are mocked up as Tiger Is, a fairly decent job).]
Continuity mistake: When Hugh O'Brian and Barbara Bouchet are driving up from the beach during the Japanese attack, they are in a Lincoln convertible. When the car explodes and goes over the cliff, it is either a Ford or Mercury convertible.
Plot hole: The whole concept of how Brandon was stop-lossed was obviously done to further the plot and is in no way accurate on how a soldier was stop-lossed in reality during the Iraq War. Apparently, he returned from Iraq, was scheduled to leave the Army a few days later, and was told he was stop-lossed on his ETS (discharge) date and was going back in a matter of weeks. First of all, no soldier returned from Iraq and got discharged a few days later, there are mandatory procedures required that usually take up to 90 days after return to complete. As for the stop-loss itself, it was implemented a minimum of 90 days prior to a planned deployment. If you can forget those oversights by the writer, then when at the end of the movie Brandon returned to deploy after all he wouldn't have just been let back in with open arms by his chain of command. Considering the charges he could have received (Disrespect to a Commissioned Officer, Disobeying a Lawful Order, Assault, and Absent without Leave), he would have at a minimum been demoted one rank. More than likely, instead of deploying, he would have faced a court-martial or been discharged. A Lieutenant Colonel wouldn't have been able to save him from the charges at that point like he claimed in the deal he would give Brandon for returning to base. Facts about the actual process of stop-loss were either not researched or were blatantly ignored to further an anti-war agenda from the writer of the movie.
Continuity mistake: There's one peaceful scene where the point of view is from a boat drifting down a canal in town. As the boat drifts, it passes by some sort of monument, and a very clear full-body shadow of the camera man and camera is visible against the monument.
Revealing mistake: Towards the beginning of the movie, young Alexander tames a horse and then jumps on the horse and rides off. He is supposed to be riding bareback, but in one of the shots from a distance, you can tell that the actor's feet are in stirrups.
Continuity mistake: In the last scene, 2nd Lt. Blair is holding an army carbine on which the barrel is noticeably bent downward.
Factual error: On a number of occasions uniformed Wermacht officers and men are shown saluting Albert Speer. Speer was a civilian and (obviously) not in uniform. Military men do not salute civilians.
Factual error: In the shot where the three officers ride the aircraft elevator from the hangar deck to the flight deck after arriving aboard the admiral's carrier, you can briefly see some of the aircraft parked on the hangar deck, and they are jet aircraft. The aircraft have pointed noses, no propellers, and the fuselage shape and markings are consistent with first generation Navy carrier jets. These types were not in service until the mid-50s (See "Bridges of Toko-Ri").
Continuity mistake: When John Mills is looking through the periscope whilst searching for the German battleship the side view shows him moving the periscope from right to left, but when it suddenly cuts to a shot of what he is actually seeing through it the periscope is strangely moving from left to right.
Continuity mistake: When Lou is finally convinced that he won't get hurt being the umpire in the "Hit The Umpire" game, he runs to take his place then stops in front of the batter. As Lou runs to take his place he isn't wearing a baseball cap, nor is he holding one in his hands, but in the next shot, when he gets hit in the head by the batter, one has mysteriously appeared on his head.
Continuity mistake: Just after Knoll has been beaten up we see Elwood sitting next to him. As Elwood switches on the light, we see that the left side of Knoll's face is covered in blood. After Elwood applies the bandage, the blood on his face has changed with much less blood on the left side. The blood was never wiped off.
Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie, Jack parks the car in front of a palm tree and walks onto the beach. The shot changes while he stands there for a few minutes. As the shot changes back to show him walking off the beach, the car is no longer in front of the tree, nor does he drive by during the credits. I hope he enjoys his walk back to Miami.
Continuity mistake: In the sequence entitled "Their State flag. The spirit of the South". When Ben Cameron enters the room and picks up his little sister, he is wearing his saber. When he then carries her across the room and shows her the flag, his saber is missing. (00:28:30)
Continuity mistake: After Ciki gets out of the trench to get a lighter from his pal's bag he lights a cigarette while he is still squatting outside the trench. In the next shot you hear the lighter snap shut, and Ciki is leaning against the wall of the trench. (00:12:30)
Continuity mistake: When Woody has the landing gear lowered on the burning airliner, only the right main gear comes down. When Pappy warns him that the other gear isn't down, he pulls up and goes around. As the camera pans over the plane, it shows the left gear down, and the right up. Then when Woody retracts the gear, once again the right one is down.
Factual error: Major Stewart addresses the Indian NCO as "Sergeant Major" and he is so described in the credits. There was no such rank in the British Indian Army. Indian cavalry sergeants were known as Daffadars. More senior Indian cavalry officers held VCO ranks (Jemadar, Risaldar and Risaldar Major) which had no British equivalent. Given the importance of rank and protocol, it is highly unlikely that a British commissioned officer would be unaware of this.
Plot hole: Alain joins the Legion, goes through extensive training and eventually gets his photograph taken. That's how Galgani recognises him and sends two men to kill him. They arrive with a platoon at the fort just after Alain, Mackintosh and Luther. The photograph would have taken a while to get back to France and then the two men would have to go through the same training. So how do they both end up in the same fortress after they joined the legion long after Alain?
Revealing mistake: When the mayor's wife attempts suicide by stuffing herself with pills, she is lying behind a sofa, only her arm and the pill bottle being visible as she pours the contents into her mouth. In the next shot (a close-up), however, the crown of her head is visible, and it is evident that she pours the pills over the top of her head.
Suggested correction: Speer, in his capacity as Reichsminister of Armaments and Munitions, would have been very recognizable to all Germans at this time and respected. Additionally, no Wehrmacht members actually salute or interact with Speer (by my memory), only Waffen-SS, who would doubtless be more loyal to a senior party member and willing to salute him. More so, if the entry refers to the Hitlergruß, the Hitlergruß was given regardless of rank per National Socialist ideology related to social equality.
One of Speer's many defences at his postwar trial was that he was a civilian, mistrusted by the military and never accorded military courtesies, which included them saluting him.