Operation Mincemeat

Factual error: When Fleming salutes Cholmondeley and Montague, they return the compliment whilst not wearing their headdress. Members of the British armed forces never salute if they are not wearing a hat, instead they would stand to attention.

Revealing mistake: When the body is in the morgue, his eyes flick left, and then the eyelids move as if to blink.

Other mistake: The body of a man is dropped from a plane into the sea with fake documents to mislead Germans. To convince the enemy that he's a soldier, cause of death needs to pass for drowning. The first drowned corpse viewed has no legs, so Firth keeps looking. He's told that a man who took rat poison to end his life is a good fit since the poison is undetectable. However, no mention is made of the fact that there is no sea water in his lungs - something any coroner would discover. (01:43:40)

More mistakes in Operation Mincemeat

Question: Is the Spanish flag seen on the building in Huelva the accurate one used during Franco's regime or the modern one?

Answer: During Franco's reign, 1938 to 1977, the flag (Rojigualda) had a different coat of arms, the Eagle of St. John, with 'Una Libre Grande' inscribed. It changed in 1945 to a bigger eagle, overall covering some of the red bands of the flag, so, as this is 1943, from what one can see, the flag is correct in the film.

Barndog