Corrected entry: In the film, Hal Moore repeatedly fires his weapon at NVA soldiers near the command post. In actuality no NVA soldiers got into the command post area, and Hal Moore never fired his weapon.
We Were Soldiers (2002)
21 corrected entries
Directed by: Randall Wallace
Starring: Mel Gibson, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Madeleine Stowe, Chris Klein
Factual error: At the end of the movie, Maj. Crandall is depicted as flying a UH-1 gunship, and attacking the NVA positions. Maj. Bruce Crandall was the Company Commander of A Co., 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division at the time of the Ia Drang battle. A/229th was a "lift" company, flying UH-1D "slicks" (troop carriers). There were no gunships assigned to that company. The gunships (UH-1Bs) supporting the battle were from D Co., 229th AHB. It's highly unlikely that Maj. Crandall would have commandeered an aircraft from the gunship company to attack the NVA.
Sergeant Ernie Savage: Beautiful morning, Sergeant.
Sergeant Major Basil Plumley: What are you a fucking weatherman now?
Trivia: This can only be seen in the deleted scenes on the DVD version. In the church where the wives are having mass as their husbands are flying into combat, Second Lt. John L. Geoghegan's wife, played by Keri Russell, is sitting in front of the real widow of Second Lt. John L. Geoghegan.
Question: The early versions of the M16 had severe problems with jamming. There may have been several causes; instructions issued that the rifle was "self-cleaning", improper ammunition design, improper magazine design (therefore in a later stage 18 rounds instead of 20 were used in the mag). It is not necessarily a mistake, certainly not by the filmmaker, but there are several writers mentioning serious casualties amongst fighting troops specifically because of jamming M16 rifles. Why does this book/film not even include a hint of that problem which surely must have existed at that time and place?
Chosen answer: There is no definitive information on this topic, and although factually accurate, a technical problem with a weapon was probably not enough to build an entire sub-plot, and would not hold the interest of the moviegoer. There were enough casualties without having to take into consideration weapon malfunction.
Answer: The M16's used in this battle were second generation M16A1's easily distinguished by the forward bolt assist on the right hand side of the rifle. The original M16 had no bolt assist and the jamming was caused by a different propellant that made the weapon very dirty.
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Correction: Artistic license, not a mistake.
Twotall
This is still a factual error. Any factual error could be said to be "artistic licence." That doesn't mean it's not a factual error.
Necrothesp
I don't think you really know the definition of "artistic licence" or "factual error." This movie is a dramatization, not a documentary. As such, film makers are free to use artistic licence to further the action and make the story more intense. Having Moore, for instance, use a gun that was made after the Vietnam War, would be a factual (historic) error.
Twotall
It becomes a gray area and I agree the term "artistic license" is too much of a blanket statement that can be used to wipe away factual errors. Generally artistic or dramatic license can allow a film, show, or book based on a true store to have composite characters, fictional characters, or real characters doing things in dramatic fashion. But having NVA soldiers in an area they historically never were should be a mistake just like if a dramatization of Apollo 11 mission had a crew of 4.
Bishop73