Factual blunders in tv or big screen war movies!

[sniper1shot]

I had read that the Tiger used in Saving Private Ryan was also used in Kelly's Hero's.

My biggest beef is the use of American tanks losely modified to look like German tanks. Case in Point Battle of the Bulge movie.

[Aussie Dave]

One war movie that was a hit, was also so far off the BS scale that one couldn't believe the ammount of inaccuracy in it.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

It portrayed the Japanese engineers as morons that needed the engineering skills of the british POW's to complete the bridge, which was completely false.

The movie also had only one bridge being of wooden construction, when there were actually two bridges built side by side each other.
(The other bridge was made of steel.)

The wooden trestle bridge was completed in February 1943, and the steel bridge in April 1943.

You can see in this picture the steel bridge has been severely damaged by aerial bombing. (Not destroyed in a commando raid, like in the film.)


Cheers,
Dave

[razorboy]

Originally Posted by sniper1shot

I had read that the Tiger used in Saving Private Ryan was also used in Kelly's Hero's.

My biggest beef is the use of American tanks losely modified to look like German tanks. Case in Point Battle of the Bulge movie.

Yeah, they were. The hulls appear to ahave once been British by the roadwheel configuration but I'm not sure. The thing that ruined the whole battle scene in the town with the tigers was Tom Hanks sticking his Thompson's muzzle completely inside the Driver's vision port. Pretty strong guy to push that weapon through 6 inches of bullet proof vison block!

Other than that and the hand to hand scene where the SS mann dispatches the Ranger with the knife while the Ranger says "Wus Up?", "Wus Up?" in extremely modern vernacular, I liked the movie.

rb

[Wolster]

The bit in Memphis Belle between the opening scene and the end credits.

[Panzermacher]

Originally Posted by razorboy

Yeah, they were. The hulls appear to ahave once been British by the roadwheel configuration but I'm not sure. The thing that ruined the whole battle scene in the town with the tigers was Tom Hanks sticking his Thompson's muzzle completely inside the Driver's vision port. Pretty strong guy to push that weapon through 6 inches of bullet proof vison block!

Other than that and the hand to hand scene where the SS mann dispatches the Ranger with the knife while the Ranger says "Wus Up?", "Wus Up?" in extremely modern vernacular, I liked the movie.

rb

Actually, the SPR Tiger was a mock-up built on a JS-T-34 Chassis platform...if you watch the movie again, you will see it has REAR drive sprockets, not front like German vehicles had....and note the track links....definately NOT tiger tracks!
The Kelly's Heroes Tigers were actually Shermans or M-10s with a welded up Tiger turret. I will give those 2 movies credit....at least they TRIED to make the tanks look like German Tanks! (See every OTHER American war movie that uses M-48s as German Tanks....and M-3 halftracks as German halftracks! I guess you just slap on a Balkenkruetz and VIOLA! Instant German Tank!)

Actually...what Mellish was saying as he was being stabbed was not "Wus Up" but rather...." Wait!, Stop, Stop!" Sorry Dave.....

[McCoy]

Originally Posted by Wolster

The bit in Pearl Harbor between the opening scene and the end credits.

I've fixed your typo...

[razorboy]

[quote=Wolster;20048]The bit in Memphis Belle between the opening scene and the end credits.

[Leatchy]

Just wondering if you guys knew that in Hogan's Heroes the men who played Klink and Schultz were both Jewish!

[gi-rene]

Originally Posted by Panzermacher

Actually, the SPR Tiger was a mock-up built on a JS-T-34 Chassis platform...if you watch the movie again, you will see it has REAR drive sprockets, not front like German vehicles had....and note the track links....definately NOT tiger tracks!
The Kelly's Heroes Tigers were actually Shermans or M-10s with a welded up Tiger turret. I will give those 2 movies credit....at least they TRIED to make the tanks look like German Tanks! (See every OTHER American war movie that uses M-48s as German Tanks....and M-3 halftracks as German halftracks! I guess you just slap on a Balkenkruetz and VIOLA! Instant German Tank!)

Actually...what Mellish was saying as he was being stabbed was not "Wus Up" but rather...." Wait!, Stop, Stop!" Sorry Dave.....

Look at the Kelly's Tigers again. Unless Shermans and M-10s have T-34 lower chassis and running gear as well as rear drive sprockets. They are built exactly like the SPR Tiger. And considering the SPR ones came from the Czech Republic and Kelly's was filmed in Yugoslavia there may be a chance its the same ones.

[Tom Houlihan]

Is it me, or does RAID ON ROMMEL steal a whole bunch of footage from TOBRUK? I'm watching the former now (nearly over), haven't seen the latter in a while, but dammit some of these scenes look awfully familiar!!!