Corrected entry: One of the well known reasons the Germans were defeated in Stalingrad was - snow. But in this movie there is just mud on the ground, but no snow.
Corrected entry: In the scene where Jude is in the fountain shooting the officer in the shower, he seems to be using a M1 Garand which was an AMERICAN rifle.
Correction: Not only is the rifle Vassili using not a Garand, it is bolt action, while the Garand is semi-automatic. Also, throughout the war, American and British equipment was sent to the Russians to help the war effort there.
Corrected entry: Nearer the start of the film when Danilov is driving to escape the Germans through the city square he manages to roll his car. You can see the crash helmet of the stunt driver as the car begins to flip. (00:14:50)
Corrected entry: When Kulikov is shot on the run, we know the bullet goes through his head, because the blood flies out the side of his head and splatters on the wall. However, there is no bullet hole in the wall. It's very unlikely that a soft-nosed bullet would be used by any military in WWII, as bullets that are designed to expand are specifically banned by the Hague Convention, which even the Soviets and Germans tended to stick to. See: http://www.thegunzone.com/hague.html.
Correction: German and Russian snipers began using explosive bullets in 1942, the specific round was called the B-Patrone 8mm in the case of German ammunition. Shortly after impact, a firing pin would be driven into a small capsule of High Explosive, detonating the entire slug and causing massive internal damage. These rounds were authorized by Hitler himself on Jan. 20, 1942 only for use on the Eastern Front because the Russians had not signed the Geneva Convention. Furthermore, these rounds had to be turned back in to the Supply Sergeants if the sniper was to be moved to the Western Front. It is very likely that an elite sniper such as Major Konig would have been equipped with such ammo given his role as a counter-sniper. Furthermore, there is reason to believe that the round itself may not have been sufficient mass to over penetrate through the skull, and would not have left a "bullet hole" in the wall. Sources: https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=16&t=554902 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkRDhtx5AxM.
Corrected entry: In the very beginning when they show a close up of the young Vassili's rifle, it isn't cocked. The firing pin (on the back of the rifle) is not pulled out like on most standard bolt action rifles of that time and the trigger is too loose and too far back when he fiddles with it.
Correction: The knob piece comes back, and it is indeed back. The firing pin does not protrude from a Mosin. The trigger is back due to some apparent trigger work popular on these rifles.
Corrected entry: When the camera looks through the scope of the Russian sniper it is visible that the scope is of the Gewerr '43, the German sniper rifle, not the MOS Russian sniper rifle.
Correction: The Russian scope shown is the standard issue PU scope, it utilized the triple post style. The Zielfernrohr 43 used by the GEW 43 is similar but not identical.
Corrected entry: In the opening battle scene when the Russians are charging at the Germans, one Russian soldier is shot in the leg and then in the head. A few scenes later, the same clip is shown of the man being shot in the leg and then in the head.
Correction: First, as there are no inconsistencies between shots, this is not a continuity mistake. Second - already posted and corrected. Showing the same action from different angles during a frantic action montage is a common film technique.
Corrected entry: In the shot where Kulikov is jumping across the gap between the two buildings and gets plugged in the head, pay attention because you actually see him get shot twice. One shot from the side show him get hit, and then an immediate close-up shows the hole appear again.
Correction: Showing the same piece of dramatic action (eg explosions or gunshot hits) twice from slightly different aspects is not a film mistake - it is a very common film technique.
Corrected entry: When the young Vassili misses shooting the wolf at the start, I'm not surprised he missed, because the rifle's sights are actually obscured by the hessian (burlap) wrapped around the rifle to camouflage it.
Correction: Good observation,but it's only an observation, not a mistake.
Corrected entry: On the movie poster, the bolt handle to Vassili Zaitsev's rifle is on the wrong side.
Correction: This is a poster mistake rather than a movie mistake, and isn't part of the actual film.
Corrected entry: During the scene where Danilov is hiding under the corpses in the fountain, you can see one of the 'corpses' breathing. Just after the Germans have machine gunned the corpses, the shot cuts back to Danilov. A few seconds go by as he shifts the leg off his head. When the shot cuts to a view of Danilov from the side, watch the soldier who's coat flap is covering his mouth. As the camera starts to pan right, you can see the steam coming from this guy's mouth as he breaths. You may need slow motion. Watch for the steam on the jacket of the guy who's leg Danilov put over himself. (00:16:05)
Correction: This has already been corrected - not all of the men die immediately. They are grievously wounded and doubtless will die, but while still alive, they'll be breathing.
Corrected entry: It's doubtful that the car Danilov rolls in the beginning is equiped with seat belts, but somehow he emerges from the wreck with nothing but a few scratches and a broken lens in his glasses, which haven't even fallen off.
Correction: We never see the inside of the car, so we have no way of knowing what steps he took to protect himself, or whether he had seat belts or not. As for the glasses, some time passes before he crawls out. He could easily have lost them, then recovered them and climbed out.
Corrected entry: Kulikov was shot down while jumping the building's gap. He was obviously holding his rifle. So how could Vassili give Kulikov's rifle to the girl? He went down to get it? Not too reasonable, with a sniper after him.
Correction: Vassili wouldn't have been able to move until long after nightfall, when he could be certain Major Koning's visibility was far too low for him to see Vassili. Vassili could have gotten it then.
Corrected entry: When Vassily is ferried over the Volga into Stalingrad, the ships are being attacked by Ju-87D Stuka dive bombers. You can see one Stuka strafing the ships with wing-mounted machineguns. However, the Stuka's guns were mounted on top of the engine to fire through the propeller blades. The only exception would have been the Ju-87G with two wing-mounted 37mm cannons, but it entered service in 1944, 2 years too late. (00:07:45)
Correction: No variant of the JU87 STUKA ever had guns fitted above the engines. The guns were only ever wing mounted, or in the rear gunners position.
Corrected entry: There's something wrong with the opening scene where boats full of Russian soldiers crossing the Volga are being attacked from the air by German Stuka dive-bombers. The bullets raining down on the boats were the large, heavy-caliber types used in aircraft guns; yet when they hit the soldiers they cause only small bullet wounds. They should have practically opened gaping holes in the soldiers' bodies.
Correction: German Stuka-bombers were not equipped with regular aircraft guns. They only used normal rifle-rounds.
Correction: Most of the battle was fought in late summer and autumn. Historical photographs look just like the movie set.
The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from August 1942 to February 1943. There most certainly would have been snow during the winter months. But in any case, the events depicted in the film occurred before the snow came in, the duel supposedly took place before the Soviet Counterattack (Operation Uranus).
However the problem here is that this film follows a fictionalised version of Vasily Zaytsev. The sniper with a total confirmed kill count of over 220 during the battle of Stalingrad. Vasily didn't join the battle until November 10th 1942. Meaning that the snow would already be on the ground when he joined making your point that the events took place prior to the snow coming in is null and void. Sorry.
Ssiscool ★
Vasily Zaitsev was in Stalingrad since September 1942. Also there is no indication there was snow untill the end of November, which is when Operation Uranus started. So he events probably took place in September or October. No snow has to be there.
lionhead