The Dirty Dozen

Other mistake: When the Major shoots the rope out from under the slow soldier, the rounds should have gone through the floor but did not. There aren't even marks on the floor.

Ian Hunt

Other mistake: There is a lot of shooting with automatic weapons, and a lot of Germans fall - but there is a remarkable lack of bullet holes anywhere; even in such tight quarters as the bell tower, where bullet holes should have appeared.

Other mistake: After Reisman beats up Franko at the beginning, Reisman asks the guard to have 2 prisoners take him back to his cell. After that, Reisman says "lets see if they can do some close order drill now." During the drill, there are 11 prisoners marching instead of 9 as 2 of them took Franko to his cell.

Other mistake: Just as the attack begins on the chateau a German officer is shown for a second time shouting for everyone to head to the cellar. Immediately after this, a younger officer is shown motioning toward his holster, as though he intends to draw his gun but there is no gun in it.

Jon M Brown

Factual error: The raid on the chateau takes place during the evening before the D-Day landings, in Rennes in Brittany, almost exactly halfway between Cherbourg and the Normandy beaches - both thought highly likely to be the site of the Allied landings. On the evening before the landings - the night of the raid - the area was heavily bombed by the RAF and dummy parachutists and radar-jamming devices were dropped into key areas, many close to Rennes itself. One dummy parachute drop succeeded in drawing an entire German infantry regiment away from its position just six miles from the Normandy landing beaches! The Germans knew something was happening and the landings were imminent - they just didn't know exactly where they would happen. Given all of this it is absurd to think that so many high ranking German officers would be enjoying themselves in a glorified brothel. They would be with their units preparing a counterattack, or at the very least on their way back.

More mistakes in The Dirty Dozen

Samson Posey: I reckon the folks'd be a sight happier if I died like a soldier. Can't say I would.

More quotes from The Dirty Dozen

Trivia: Not really a mistake, given the need for drama in a war film, but the mission takes place the evening before D-Day, meaning the Allies had complete air supremacy, and knew the exact time, date and place of the meeting of the German officers, this mission would never have taken place. The brightly lit chateau would have been flattened by a squadron of heavy bombers. Lee Marvin, an experienced combat veteran, pointed this out to the producers and was told to keep his opinions to himself.

More trivia for The Dirty Dozen

Question: What are the small tubes that are collected in Colonel Breed's H.Q.? General Warden seems to figure out who they are.

Answer: Detonators for explosives.

stiiggy

Answer: Rifle firing pins?

More questions & answers from The Dirty Dozen

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