Where Eagles Dare

Plot hole: When Smith and Schaffer are entering the castle via a rope Mary has lowered for them, Smith stops halfway up to look through a large window. Clearly visible through this window are the faces of at least two soldiers with others in the background. It is inconceivable that not one of them would notice: A) the rope suddenly dangling outside; B) Smith's solid frame as he stares in at them; C) Schaffer scrambling up the rope after Smith; or D) the rope bouncing around while Schaffer drags it in along with the attached backpack. (01:10:00)

Plot hole: Why do all the Germans abandon the cable car control room after the alarm has been sounded? If the cable car is critical for access to the castle then you would expect a hard core of SS troops to remain behind to control access and protect the machinery in the event of an attack. (01:42:55)

Plot hole: A minor point but no mention is ever made of the pilot who deliberately crash-landed General Carnaby's plane at Oberhausen airfield. Presumably he would also have been taken to the castle for questioning but I suppose this would have further complicated the plot and be another person needing to escape.

Plot hole: The radio set used to communicate with headquarters in England was in fact a British low power VHF transceiver with a range of a couple of miles at best. It simply didn't have the capability to reach England.

Plot hole: How could Colonel Turner both be in London during the mission and in the pick-up plane? A Juncker can fly approx 220 km/h. It is approx. 1200 km from London to Southern Bavaria. That means that Colonel Turner would have had to leave London 5½ hours before the pick-up. The team does definitely not spend 5½ hours from the last time we see Colonel Turner in London until the pick-up.

Jacob La Cour

Plot hole: We never get an explanation why the three German spies in the British team are killing their team mates - and it doesn't really make any sense. They could just wait until they entered the Castle - and then ensure that they all got caught.

Jacob La Cour

Plot hole: When Smith and Shaffer take the gondola up to the castle, they step down on the roof of the car with heavy steps. It is completely unrealistic that the Germans inside did not hear them.

Jacob La Cour

Plot hole: In one scene, the heroes of the film (i.e. Burton, Eastwood and others) locked themselves up in the cable car control room within the castle. The pursuing Germans wasted valuable time trying to break down the heavy wooden door of the control room with axes. Why didn't the Germans use grenades or other explosives? They could have instantly blown open even the sturdiest wooden door.

Continuity mistake: When the team are about to jump from the cable car into the river, the view from ground level shows a bare road with no snow on it on the right and a line of trees on the left with German trucks parked next to them, but the view from the cable car shows a snow-covered road and no trucks beside the trees. (02:06:00)

Greg McCreanor

More mistakes in Where Eagles Dare

Mary Ellison: I nearly froze to death in that damn plane. Why couldn't you have supplied some hot water bottles or an electrically heated suit? I thought you loved me.
Major John Smith: Can't help what you think.

More quotes from Where Eagles Dare

Trivia: When Mary goes undercover in the castle, her name is Maria Schenck. They are the middle names of Col Stauffenberg, the German officer played by Tom Cruise in Valkyrie, who tried to kill Hitler.

More trivia for Where Eagles Dare

Question: When Richard Burton is holding his gun on all the people in the meeting and asks if one of the guards could come in and watch them, why doesn't the guard just shoot him?

Answer: When the guard comes in, Burton explains what's going on. Also he is dressed as a German officer so his explanation and actions are plausible.

More questions & answers from Where Eagles Dare

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.