Factual error: Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance is the tactical commander during the Battle of Midway in the film when in reality it was Vice Admiral Frank Fletcher who was in charge.
Suggested correction: While true it's not a mistake, as the movie deliberately focuses on Spruance because of his greater role in the actual battle. Spruance was on scene approximately 36 hours before Fletcher. He had two carriers to Fletcher's one. After Yorktown was torpedoed, Fletcher evacuated to a nearby cruiser. When Spruance asked if Fletcher had additional orders, Fletcher replied "will conform to your movements", effectively turning command over to Spruance.
They didn't 'focus' on Spruance. They deleted Fletcher.
Semantics. If Fletcher is deleted, the only USN Task Force Commander left for the movie to focus on is Spruance.
Factual error: During WW2, 16 B-25s were loaded onto the USS Hornet at Naval Air Station Alameda. All 16 of the planes were placed on the deck, as B-25s were too large to fit in the below deck hangar space. In the movie, when the USS Hornet and USS Enterprise are shown together, just prior to launching the raid, there are only 14 B-25s on the deck.
Continuity mistake: The ack-ack Japanese gunners seem to be the same 2 on numerous ships and carriers. One grits his teeth and the other has a long concentrated look.
Factual error: They show several scenes of Pearl Harbor after the attack where there is no indication that anyone is observing blackout regulations when in reality the whole island was under blackout conditions afterwards.
Factual error: During the funeral scene for the men killed at Pearl Harbor, specifically the LT from the Arizona, it shows the white wooden crosses marking the graves in a disorganized pattern. All graves are arranged so that when looking at the crosses or head stones they all form a straight line in every direction.
Suggested correction: This would have been a temporary burial. The remains would later be moved to a permanent location with the neatly arrayed rows of headstones. Historical video footage from many of the Pacific Island campaigns show temporary cemeteries on the islands, were soldiers and Marines died, being established using wooden crosses, often not in perfect alignment.
Other mistake: When the attack from Japan starts at Midway and the message is reported to Nimitz, he is telling Layton that he was off slightly on his calculations. He looks at his watch, which should show 6:40 ish, but shows 3 o'clock.
Suggested correction: This is very questionable. First to get a good look at the hands on the watch, you have to pause the movie. When paused, you see a fuzzy view of the hands of the watch. You can make out one short hand (hours) and two longer hands (minutes/seconds). The short hand is pointing down towards around six or seven. One of the long hands is pointed up, at around twelve. The other long hand points towards the area of four, neither long hand (minutes) position of which would give a time of 3:00.
