Deliberate mistake: The film crew did not always bother to switch out the rank insignia on the uniforms of extras. In this episode, that leads to all kinds of enlisted and noncom rank insignia being present in the lineup of brand-new recruits when Klink inspects them. Rightfully they should all wear a single eagle on a borderless patch of a Flieger on their collar.
Doc
6th Jan 2023
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
18th Mar 2020
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
I Look Better in Basic Black - S1-E28
Factual error: The American women the SS brings into camp claim to be entertainers having performed for troops. The series is allegedly set in 1942. Before June 6th, 1944 there were no allied troop concentrations in central Europe, certainly not in Germany, and very certainly none of a size and security rating the USO (or probably rather its predecessor organization, since the USO was founded in 1941 and would not have been fully operational yet) would send a troupe of female entertainers to.
5th Jan 2020
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
The Great Impersonation - S1-E21
Plot hole: This episode revolves around training the reluctant, untalented Schultz to impersonate Klink to get the captured heroes back from the Gestapo. This is actually a pretty common theme, somebody, usually one of the heroes, impersonating an officer to free a prisoner. The plot gives no reason why this time, they would have to use the cowardly, untalented Schultz instead of doing it themselves.
4th Jan 2020
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Oil for the Lamps of Hogan - S1-E14
Plot hole: The Heroes take an empty oil drum to the depot, knowing full well that Schulz will protest, allowing them to steal a full one. However, all but their barrel have snow on it. Since it's really salt, it all falls off as they load it on the cart. With real snow, that wouldn't happen. It would be quite obvious that the barrel they are taking out is not the one they brought in.
4th Nov 2019
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to London - S3-E5
Plot hole: When the driver of the car addresses Roberts (the real Roberts that is, not the double), Roberts reprimands him, telling him not to call him Baumann. It is safe to assume the guard was supposed to be speaking German, since he addressed Roberts by his German identity. That poses some interesting questions. Did Roberts speak English? In those days, most Germans did not even have a basic knowledge of the English language. Did he speak German? That would imply he has a good enough command of the German language to pass as a German. Roberts however isn't a spy like Hogan and his crew, but a pilot in the RAF.
5th Sep 2019
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Trivia: When the show was translated to German, the producers feared that some of the more patriotic lines of Klink would be too nationalist for the bruised German sensibilities. As a result, whenever Klink starts talking patriotic drivel in the original, in the German he starts rhyming nonsense rhymes or talks about his housekeeper and (secret) affair "Frau Kalinke" which does not even exist in the original.
27th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
The Top Secret Top Coat - S2-E29
Factual error: In Klink's quarters, there's an (obviously fake) banana in the fruit bowl. Bananas were luxury items in Europe in the 1940s, and certainly so in war-torn Germany. The majority of Germans didn't have access to exotic fruit until the 1960s, and fake fruit of this type wasn't available then either.
12th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
German Bridge Is Falling Down - S1-E7
Character mistake: When counting the prisoners right at the beginning of the episode, Schultz counts to 15. However, including Hogan there are 19 men in formation.
12th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
German Bridge Is Falling Down - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: When we see the men lighting cigarettes, there are 25 people forming the arrow. When we are treated to an aerial view of it, there are 37 dots of light visible.
12th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
German Bridge Is Falling Down - S1-E7
Plot hole: We see Hogan's men empty out the gunpowder from a lot of cartridges inside the armoury. What did they do with their empties? It's not like a mound of empty cartridge cases on the ground wouldn't draw some suspicion is it? Yes, I am aware some options come to mind, e.g. putting the bullets back in and stuffing them back into the belts, but none of that is actually shown or talked about - LeBeau even chucks one cartridge over his shoulder, implying they are not very concerned about hiding their tracks.
8th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
German Bridge Is Falling Down - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: During his experiments to create explosives in the tunnels, Carter has a pretty extensive set of glassware on his workbench. Necessarily he would have to replace (most of) that after each explosion - not to mention various light bulbs, furniture and other non-blast-proof stuff by the way. A lot of that glassware is specialty equipment, it would not be easy to come by even one set of in peacetime for a free civilian. In wartime, for an allied prisoner (even with the heroes' connections) it should be nigh impossible, and totally impossible to have an inexhaustible supply of the stuff. So we can either assume a giant plot hole, or treat it (as I did) as a big continuity mistake.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Considering they regularly get equipment of all kind air dropped from "London", a few laboratory instruments and containers would hardly be challenge.
Firstly, considering the number of explosions, it's not "a few" but more like "QUITE a few." Secondly, if they had had the option to receive airdrops at the time, they would just as have had them airdrop the explosives instead of the glassware for carter to blow up, wouldn't they? Or are you suggesting they would have more spare laboratory equipment in store than a wholesale laboratory outfitter, "just in case"?
8th Dec 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Happy Birthday, Adolf - S1-E17
Character mistake: The artillery officer asks "Does headquarters expect a squad of infantry to replace experienced artillery men?" Hogan only offered "his detachment", and he's wearing a Luftwaffe uniform (and so is LeBeau). Why does the artillery officer get the idea that the "detachment" would be infantry, that is to say, ground forces (Heer) troops? To avoid confusion: Yes, the Luftwaffe did have infantry units, but those would be viewed by other branches as Luftwaffe guards primarily, not as infantry.
30th Oct 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Continuity mistake: All through the episode, we are in a snowy, wintry camp surrounded by hills and trees. The target Gen. Burkhalter points out however is a little shed on a flat-as-a-board prairie with not a flake of snow OR a single hill visible anywhere, and the brown grass of late summer. (Yes I noticed there are some mountains off in the distance. So not relevant for this mistake).
1st May 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
To Russia Without Love - S6-E18
Revealing mistake: As the motorcycle and the side car split apart and drive around independently, you can see that the side car has been given two extra wheels, and some other stuff underneath as well that's not present on regular Wehrmacht BMW sidecars - probably a remote control of sorts. Also, the motorcycle Schultz rides has training wheels mounted in the shot where the side car comes off.
27th Apr 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Factual error: Frankel suggests manipulating the missile's gyroscope, and Hogan suggests an electromagnet as means to do it, which is later implemented. Gyroscopes however are not affected by any magnetic force, which is what makes a gyroscopic compass superior to a magnetic one in many situations. To enhance that effect, gyroscopes are deliberately built out of materials with as little magnetic susceptibility as possible. A large electromagnet next to the missile could potentially cause all kinds of havoc with all kinds of parts of the missile guidance and control, but the gyroscope itself would not be among them.
11th Feb 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Plot hole: In several occasions throughout the story, e.g. S4E18, Hogan attends parties at Stalag 13 wearing an immaculate US dress uniform. Where did he get that? Dress uniforms are not part of the usual kit a bomber crew brings along with them on their missions.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Considering they have a tailor (Newkirk) and are air dropped everything from explosives to penicillin, a Class A dress uniform would hardly be a challenge to make or receive.
Klink: "Hogan, where did you get that uniform?!" - Hogan: "Oh, I had OSS airdrop it together with our latest shipment of explosives and ammunition. We brought it in through our tunnel last night and stored it there."
I got it from the Red Cross.
Only a few high ranking intelligence officers are aware of Hogan's mission. Hogan's activities would under normal circumstances be considered fraternisation. While it might be true that he could theoretically obtain a class A uniform via the red cross, doing so would brand him as a collaborator and traitor.
9th Feb 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Kommandant of the Year - S1-E3
Factual error: A sharp brass cone has been put over the spike on Klink's Pickelhaube, so Hogan can pin the page torn from the Geneva Convention onto it. The real spike of a Pickelhaube has concave slopes, and it isn't pointy enough to pin a piece of paper onto it.
27th Jan 2018
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
The Kommandant Dies at Dawn - S5-E6
Trivia: This is not really a plot hole but more of a plot device: The episode revolves around using the unsuspecting Klink as a courier by hiding secret information in his belt. This episode however is the only time in the series Klink wears a belt on his coat. In all other episodes, he doesn't wear one.
16th Nov 2017
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
How to Win Friends and Influence Nazis - S3-E7
Deliberate mistake: Burkhalter pulls some papers out of his bags marked "Top Secret." Why would German papers be marked in English, so the prisoners know what not to look at?
16th Nov 2017
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
Plot hole: The prisoners fake a fire with some smoke bombs to have an excuse to rush into the print shop and smash up the print plates. Afterwards they even receive thanks and a reward for their valiant efforts. In reality, the guards would notice immediately that nothing in that room is even singed, but everything important has been smashed by fire axes.
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