Factual error: When BJ and Hawkeye go to Potter to talk about Cho Lin wanting to get married at the 4077th, Potter mentions he expects to be home in Nebraska in 16 months, three weeks and four days when they try to fool Potter about Cho Lin. Potter has always said he and his family live in Missouri, however.
Revealing mistake: When Baker is talking with Father Mulcahy it is clear that Baker's nose is prosthetic. The colour doesn't match as well as it does in other scenes. (00:05:45)
Continuity mistake: When BJ and Hawkeye are trying to find out who snitched on Potter, they search Charles' belongings back at The Swamp. BJ wraps Charles' white scarf around his neck. Once Charles returns to his tent, the scarf changes positions several times.
For the Good of the Outfit - S2-E4
Revealing mistake: Frank is shaving; when he bends down to pick up the envelope containing shrapnel fragments, the foam on his face and ear suddenly all dries up. The shot must have needed a lot of takes. (00:07:20)
Factual error: In this episode, the regulars receive and respond to letters from a Fourth-Grade class in Hawkeye's home town. Charles receives one from a little girl who says she's sent him a birch leaf. Unfortunately, the leaf he removes from her glassine envelope is a maple leaf. (Note: there was no indication that this was supposed to be her mistake.)
Audio problem: At the end, while Radar is playing drums, he is using drumsticks but drum brushes are heard.
Revealing mistake: Anytime Margaret and Hawkeye are drinking in the bar, there is no liquid in the bottles.
Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen - S11-E16
Revealing mistake: Col. Potter is taking Sophie to the orphanage at the end of the show. "Sophie" is a male horse. Look closely.
Factual error: Hawkeye and Trapper are concerned about the theft of a stock of hydrocortisone, but that drug wasn't introduced by the FDA until 1952.
Factual error: When Frank sits down on Margaret's bed, he pulls a single metal star out of his butt. Kelly being a Lt. Gen, he should have (and has, as can be seen in other scenes) a single bar of three interconnected stars, not three single ones. Therefore Frank shouldn't be able to find a solitary star in Margaret's bed. (00:19:00)
Sometimes You Hear the Bullet - S1-E17
Continuity mistake: As Frank receives his purple heart, Henry calls him 'Franklin D. Burns' All other references to his full name in the series give his middle name as 'Marion'. (00:23:50)
Continuity mistake: Charles (in scrubs), Radar, and Father Mulchahy are all in the changing room when Radar and Mulchahy go take a phone call. When entering the comm room, Charles has appeared and is complaining about waiting for a phone call in his fatigues.
Dear Sigmund - S5-E7
Factual error: Klinger says he would wear Hula Hoops(R) in his ears if it would get him a discharge. For several reasons, he is using a phrase that does not yet exist: 1) Show wise, Klinger will later try to convince Charles to invest in developing a new toy, a hoola hoop like plastic tube, being inspired by Korean children playing, and 2) plastic hoops which came to be called Hula Hoops were only introduced by Whamo in 1958. Setting episode dates is always difficult for MASH, but the Mash Olympics (inspired by the 52 Helsinki games) are still to come so we can say it must be 52. 3) The Hula Hoop trademark was only registered in 1962 to Whamo. No info. as to what name the hoops were marketed under prior to 62, but Klinger is using a term at probably ten years, at least 6 years, before it came into use. (00:04:00)
Factual error: Throughout the series, there are repeated instances of "I Corps" being pronounced, "Eye Corps." Since Army corps are designated by Roman numerals, it should be pronounced, "First Corps." (I wonder how they would have pronounced "III Corps" or "XVII Corps?").
Continuity mistake: In early episodes, Margaret's father was dead. Later, he was alive and visited the camp. Also, in a early episode, Hawkeye writing to his father, tells him to send his love to his mother. Later, he tells Winchester his mother died when he was a child.
Springtime - S3-E6
Other mistake: While Radar is measuring the camp, he says that last year they had 2,986 square feet, but this year they have 2,863 square feet. The square root of 2,863 is about 53.5, so unless the camp is 53 feet by 53 feet (!) his numbers are WAY off. (00:16:15)
Continuity mistake: First, Radar is seen drumming on his tin cans with bare hands. After cut, when the hula girl appears, without interruption of the drum pattern, he suddenly is holding some sort of drumsticks. (00:15:00)
Deliberate mistake: With the show having lasted longer than the war, the producers apparently decided to turn back the clock to the very beginning of the War (June 25, 1950). To do this, it seems they have tried to make things as confusing as possible, intentionally mixing up facts, even when this openly contradicts the facts as presented in earlier episodes. For example, both B.J. and Potter arrived in or about mid 1952, but now are in the O.R. when the Chinese launch their massive offensive on 1st Nov. 1950, almost two years earlier. Trapper and Blake, who were there for the Army Navy Game which would have occurred Nov. 25 1950, are not. Many of the supporting clips also are too early or late for the events being discussed. For example, Winston Churchill's speech must have been before August 28 when the first British troops started arriving, likely also before the Canadians in July 1950, but the first MASH Unit was not set up in Korea until September 1950. Truman's speech to University of Wyoming students is actually from May 9 1950, a month and a half before the beginning of the conflict and 5 months before the first MASH was established, but the clip about his "Whistle Stop Tour" must be from the 1948 campaign. MacArthur's speech, on the other hand, is in response to the ticker tape parade of April 22 1951 when he was replaced.
Continuity mistake: After Hawkeye and Burns drive through the puddle, the mud on the colonel's face is different in the long and closeup shots. (00:02:00)
Answer: Even an Army field hospital would have SOME weapons for self-defense if the enemy attacked. What's meant is that it's not a combat outfit, and therefore wouldn't have enough weapons to actually attack anyone. (It's also mentioned a few times that the Officer of the Watch is supposed to carry a pistol at all times, but Hawkeye refuses to do it when he's in charge and Colonels Blake and Potter don't enforce the rule).
Captain Defenestrator