Factual error: Why is Hilts not wearing a uniform? A serving officer captured behind enemy lines in civilian clothing risked being shot as a spy. If a prisoner's uniform was too worn or damaged to wear, it was routine for the German authorities to replace it - a P.O.W. in civilian clothes is an obvious escape risk. He is wearing a pair of tan chinos, a cut off sloppy Joe sweatshirt, both ridiculously anachronistic - Sixties hipster fashions - and nowhere even close to a World War 2 uniform. He is also wearing Army Type III Service boots - something that would never have been issued to a fighter pilot.
Continuity mistake: A blond boy in a light brown shirt is attacked by a crow and goes from having no blood on his neck to having a lot of blood smeared on his neck between shots. (01:14:10)
Continuity mistake: The train is stopped because Spectre has pushed a 1950's style Dodge truck full of flowers in the trains path. Later, when James is driving it trying to avoid the grenades dropped from a helicopter, the truck has turned into a very different looking 1961 Chevrolet truck.
Other mistake: Take a look at the size of the rock that the boys push onto Piggy. A rock of that size, falling from that height would've exploded Piggy's head like a ripe melon. It also would've crushed his body into a mangled heap.
Continuity mistake: Paul Newman and the Count are in the car heading to the rehearsals. When they are about to arrive, the background behind the Count shows a pier, but when the angle changes the background behind Newman shows the car surrounded by buildings.
Continuity mistake: When James Coburn is about to leave the phone booth where he's been lighting matches, the number of matches he leaves on the top of the phone changes between shots.
Continuity mistake: When Theo and Eleanor decide to explore the house, before the arrival of Luke and Dr Markway, they are in one of the dark corridors of the house. When Eleanor speaks the leaves of a plant shake, close to her right shoulder, but Eleanor is standing perfectly still, touching the right hand side of her chin with her right hand. Eleanor then hears a gasp, and we hear her thinking. In the next shot of Theo, Eleanor, now in the background, has moved a meter or two away from the plant, she is more to the centre of the archway. The next shot shows Eleanor standing next to the plant again.
Suggested correction: The character of Hilts was based (in part) on the life of a British OSS agent who managed to pass as pilot by stealing a flight jacket (revealed in the DVD). We can only assume that since the Germans believed the camp was escape-proof, it didn't matter what Hilts was wearing, since he wouldn't be going anywhere.
Cobblers. Hilts is wearing casual clothing typical of the time the film was shot, not when it was set. No prisoner of war would be dressed the way he was. The posting is correct.
I've always assumed that the actor, Steve McQueen, insisted on the outfit so he would look hip per his image. He had a reputation for being a prima donna on set.