Continuity mistake: In the scene where the tank crew meet up with the weary band of soldiers, Fred Clarkson (Lloyd Bridges) has a very distinctive graze on the right side of his forehead. It seems to disappear then appear then disappear during the film. When Clarkson lies injured there is no sign of the graze - there should at least be a small mark of the graze but there is nothing.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where a gun battle with the enemy has ended, Sgt. Joe Gunn calls out the names of the soldiers. All answer except the South African soldier (Stegman). Gunn makes his way to the trench where Stegman is. Gunn sees Stegman has been shot dead. He takes Stegman's hat and there is a bullet hole in the hat but no blood on the hat or on his shirt. For a head shot there would be a considerable amount of blood. (01:09:50)
Revealing mistake: In the scene where a British soldier (Williams) and Sgt. Joe Gunn (Humphrey Bogart) are in a trench, the British soldier is shot dead by a German sniper. Joe Gunn moves in for a closer look and it can be seen that the "dead" soldier is breathing, his shoulder is moving. (01:15:30)
Revealing mistake: In the scene where we first get a glimpse of the German fighter, it banks to the left and it can be seen there are no fuselage-mounted machine guns. Then when we have a close up of the pilot, the machine guns are mounted just in front of the cockpit. When the aircraft is making its strafing run, the fuselage-mounted machine guns are not there.
Continuity mistake: When the German scouts at Bir Acroma are killed or captured, Gunn's men acquire a water cooled machine gun from their half-track. On the vehicle is a German 1908 Maxim in 7.92mm caliber. When it is shown being carried to the ruins it has now become a British Vickers Mk I in .303in caliber (which it generally stays as for the rest of the film) on its matching Mk IV tripod. And in a few shots showing the gun being fired from behind it is now a Browning M-1917 gun in .30in caliber.
Factual error: Towards the end when Bates is talking to Sargent Gunn, before the Germans coming running to drink the water out the well, Bates is wearing DMS boots. The sole is rubber. These boots weren't issued until the late 60's. The correct boots were ammo boots with metal studs on the bottom.
Continuity mistake: The Allied soldiers attack the German Scout car and either kill or wound at least three of the the four occupants (three who exit the vehicle and the machine gunner who remained inside) it is unclear if the fourth was wounded. Yet afterward Sgt. Gunn interrogates two unscathed Germans.
Answer: Thank you for that! I first saw Sahara on television when I was eleven, with my mother, father and younger brother. When we saw the shell explode in the well to re-open the water supply, we all dismissed this as Hollywood hokum. But sometimes it is amusing to be proved wrong. You put a smile on my face when you informed me, and quite convincingly too, that the well really could have dried up but then opened up again.
Rob Halliday