We Were Soldiers

Other mistake: In the scene where Mel Gibson fires off a few rounds into the nearby woods and bushes to see if there are any NVAs, there is a M60 crew, the weird thing about them is that you can only see the muzzle flame from the M60 the first couple of rounds - after that there is no muzzle flame, but the M60 continues to fire at the same rate.

Other mistake: When the black guy from their base gets shot in the head the camera slows down and you can see his forehead starts bleeding but there's no hole on his helmet. [Actually there is. If you pause it, you can see it on the (his) right side of his helmet. Although it looks as if it exploded outwards instead of inwards as a bullethole would.]

Factual error: At the end of the movie, Maj. Crandall is depicted as flying a UH-1 gunship, and attacking the NVA positions. Maj. Bruce Crandall was the Company Commander of A Co., 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division at the time of the Ia Drang battle. A/229th was a "lift" company, flying UH-1D "slicks" (troop carriers). There were no gunships assigned to that company. The gunships (UH-1Bs) supporting the battle were from D Co., 229th AHB. It's highly unlikely that Maj. Crandall would have commandeered an aircraft from the gunship company to attack the NVA.

rotorhead

More mistakes in We Were Soldiers

Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: I think you oughta get yourself an M-16.
Sergeant Major Basil Plumley: Sir, if the time comes I need one, there'll be plenty lying on the ground.

More quotes from We Were Soldiers

Trivia: In the beginning of the movie, the actor playing the French solder playing the trumpet, who gets shot in the neck, is the director's son.

Quantom X

More trivia for We Were Soldiers

Question: Would a sergeant-major participate in a mission?

Answer: This one did, everything ascribed to him in the film was true.

Farmersboy

CSM Plumley's records show that he served in 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion as a scout. The 320th participated in two glider assaults in the European Theater. Also, Plumley never served in Korea during the Korean War, so he couldn't have participated in one of the two combat jumps of that conflict. His record book indicates he was at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky (1951 to early 1953) when he received orders to Germany. Finally, he never claimed to have made any combat jumps in his career.

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