Factual error: Sgt. Bostick wears the unit patch of the U.S. Army's 4th Armored Division. The movie takes place in 1943, but the 4th Armored never served in North Africa, Sicily, or Italy, hitting the beaches of Normandy, France, on July 11th, 1944 after being stationed and training in England.
Scott215
17th Sep 2015
Von Ryan's Express (1965)
17th Sep 2015
Von Ryan's Express (1965)
Factual error: Sergeant Bostick tells Colonel Ryan he is from the 113th Armored Division. The U.S. Army never had a 113th Armored Division in WW2.
10th Dec 2014
The Rat Patrol (1966)
Factual error: The tanks, half-tracks and self-propelled guns are modern American vehicles painted in a a bright yellow color rather than a muted desert sand color. The only vehicles which actually did see action in North Africa in WW2 would have been the M-7 Priest Gun Motor Carriage and the M3 half-tracks being used by the Germans in "The Rat Patrol."
28th Oct 2014
Fury (2014)
Factual error: One scene has Sgt. Collier having a conversation with Norman as they are riding on the turret of "Fury" without their tank intercom throat mikes and headphones. The noise of the moving tank alone would cause any conversation to be a shouting match between the two soldiers. Further, they are in column with three other noisy tanks, which would make a casual conversation even more difficult without utilizing their tank intercom system. (01:14:20)
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Suggested correction: You can talk on a moving tank. It's not a 747.
Yes, unknown poster, you can talk on a moving tank, as I have done it many times. But on the old WW2 Shermans, talking at a conversation decibel level would be difficult without throat mikes and intercoms. They were not quiet like my old M1 Abrams tank.
28th Oct 2014
Fury (2014)
Factual error: The film shows the American and German tanks firing at each other on the move. Tank warfare doctrine dictated that tanks must be stationary when shooting at a target, to ensure a hit. Some tanks were equipped with stabilizers on their guns to allow firing on the move. All the tanks in "Fury" (German and American) were not so equipped. (01:17:15)
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Suggested correction: The Sherman was one of the first widely produced tanks to feature a gyroscopic stabilized gun and sight. The stabilization was only in the vertical plane, as the mechanism could not slew the turret. The stabilizer was sufficient to keep the gun within 1/8th of a degree, or 2 mils while crossing moderately rough terrain at 15 miles an hour. This gave a hit probability of 70% on enemy tanks at ranges of 300 to 1200 yards. Yes they did fire on the move, although very slowly.
Suggested correction: This entry is half right. German tank Doctrine dictated that vehicles come to a halt before firing. US Army manuals from the period state that if you are out ranged you charge while firing on the move. All of the M4 variants in the film have single axis stabilization systems and by the point in the war depicted in the film were trained to use it.
25th Apr 2014
Combat! (1962)
The Letter - S5-E7
Factual error: Sgt. Saunders is looking at a color photo of his kid brother in a letter from home. Aside from being prohibitively expensive for the average family to afford, color photos were not common. Also, the wartime rationing of photo chemicals for color film used by civilians would not be available.
18th Mar 2014
Combat! (1962)
Factual error: As Caje provides cover fire for Sgt. Saunders, Caje's M-1 rifle fires more than the eight shots it holds.
27th Jan 2014
Combat! (1962)
Factual error: As Stevens charges the German machine gun nest, he fires more bullets than his M-1 rifle could hold (the rifle could hold only eight rounds per clip).
13th Jan 2014
Combat! (1962)
The Losers - S5-E2
Factual error: As Sgt. Saunders and his squad dodge artillery fire in the ruined city, modern high-tension electrical towers are shown. Also, no electrical towers whatsoever would have survived a prolonged artillery bombardment without being damaged or destroyed.
6th Jan 2014
Combat! (1962)
Factual error: The long shots show the supporting tank reversing, but the close up shot of the tank's drive sprocket shows the drive sprocket moving forward, thus the tank should be moving forward, not reversing.
Suggested correction: Is this actually an error? I believe the British Regiment who feature in this film are The Ninth Fusiliers. Well, there never has been a Ninth Fusiliers in the British army, either! For that matter, there never was a Colonel Joseph L Ryan, or a Major Eric Fincham, or a Major Battaglia. While this film is set in the Second World War, it is openly admitted that it is a wholly fictional story. Some Second World War films (A Bridge Too Far; The Longest Day; The Battle Of the Bulge) were made to recreate historical events, and so refer to soldiers and military units who existed. Other Second World War films like this one (Sahara, Escape To Victory, Ice Cold In Alex) while referencing actual events, and, showing sequences of events that are not beyond probability, are still stories. Since this is a fictional, imagined story, is it acceptable for soldiers to serve with fictional regiments or imaginary fighting units?
While some fictional accounts can be taken for granted and not counted as errors (even films based on true stories can have fictional characters), there are limits when setting films in the past. To have a 113th Armored Division is a valid mistake as the highest number in WWII was the 20th Armored Division, unlike Infantry Divisions that went into the 100's. This could almost be the same as giving a character an 8 or 11 number phone number.
Bishop73
The anonymous drive by hit and run "contributor" (not referring to you, Bishop73) may not have seen another post I made about Sgt. Bostick wearing a 4th Armored Division patch on his uniform: he says he is from the 113th A.D. (which never existed) but wears the 4th A.D. patch, which did exist in WW2, but did not see service until France in 1944.
Scott215