Factual error: In the scene where Admiral Kimmel is inspecting the crew of the battleship an aide comes up with a message to send some ships to the Atlantic. Admiral Kimmel starts complaining about the orders. No Admiral would ever do this especially in front of enlisted men. In fact he was placed in charge of the Pacific fleet when his predecessor complained about moving the fleet from San Diego to Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Plot summary
Directed by: Michael Bay
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, Jon Voight, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, William Lee Scott
Pearl Harbor is a docudrama depicting a love triangle between Danny, Rafe, and Evelyn centered around the December, 7 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan. Also depicted was the courageous attack on Tokyo by Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and his Raiders flying B-25 Liberators off the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.
More mistakes in Pearl Harbor
Rafe: Ma'am, I'm never gonna be an English teacher, but I know why I'm here, to be a pilot, and you don't dogfight with manuals, you don't fly with gauges, I mean it's all about feeling and speed and lettin' that plane become like it's a part of your body, and that manual says that a guy who's a slow reader can't be a good pilot... That file says I'm the *best* pilot in this room... Ma'am, please... Don't take my wings.
Trivia: When the Japanese are heading towards Pearl Harbor, there is a shot of a pilot waving to kids playing baseball. This is a true story - the pilot was trying to wave them away before the attack started. (01:26:35)
Question: Why does Evelyn get a Purple Heart? As far as I understand, the only way to get it, is if you are wounded in combat.
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Answer: From Dec 7, 1941 to Sept 22, 1943, the Purple Heart was also awarded for meritorious performance of duty. For wounds, "in combat" is much more restrictive than the actual requirements. Any injury caused directly or indirectly by a hostile foreign agency counts, including friendly fire if it was intended to hit an enemy.
Myridon