Factual error: Group Captain Massey is referred to several times, even by British officers, as "Captain" Massey. Group captains are always called group captains.
Necrothesp
19th Feb 2013
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988)
12th Feb 2013
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988)
Factual error: Johnnie Dodge wears no medal ribbons. Even if the real Dodge had not had the DSO, DSC and MC, it would be inconceivable that a major who had fought in two world wars would have no campaign ribbons.
12th Feb 2013
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988)
Factual error: Colonel von Lindeiner was not executed. He testified to the investigation into the Gestapo murders and died in 1963 at the age of 82.
7th Jan 2013
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Other mistake: When giving Sting to Bilbo, Gandalf tells him it is an Elven blade and will therefore glow blue when Orcs are near. However, Glamdring and Orcrist are also stated to be Elven blades, but they do not glow blue.
8th Nov 2012
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988)
Factual error: MacKenzie is referred to as "Gunnery Sergeant". This is not a rank used by British and Commonwealth forces. He actually wears the rank insignia of a Flight Sergeant.
2nd Oct 2012
Ted (2012)
Continuity mistake: After John and Lori crash into the rear of Donny's car, the front of their car is visibly smashed in. However, when we see their car later it seems more or less undamaged except for a damaged number plate.
2nd Oct 2012
Lost Colony: The Legend of Roanoke (2007)
Factual error: When the wraiths first invade the stockade, one of the officers orders his men to fire their "rifles". This is the 16th century. They're firing muskets.
22nd Jul 2012
Telstar: The Joe Meek Story (2008)
Factual error: The Major and the band are (correctly) summonsed to appear before a magistrates' court for driving without insurance, but then appear before a judge in full robes. Judges do not sit in magistrates' courts.
16th Jul 2012
Paths of Glory (1957)
Continuity mistake: According to one of the characters, the firing squad is drawn from the 3rd Battalion of the 701st Infantry Regiment, the same regiment as most of the other characters. However, all the members of the firing squad (except the officer and sergeant, who are credited characters seen elsewhere in the film) have "710" on their collar patches. This can be seen when the sergeant, who has "701" on his collar patches, is briefing them.
1st Jun 2012
Escape From Sobibor (1987)
Factual error: Some of the SS rank insignia is incorrect. Most of them do wear correct insignia, with two exceptions. Wagner, who is addressed as Hauptscharführer, actually wears the collar and epaulette insignia of the next higher rank of Sturmscharführer. In reality, Wagner held the lower rank of Oberscharführer. Frenzel is addressed using his correct rank of Oberscharführer, but oddly wears the collar patches of the lower rank of Scharführer and the epaulettes of the higher rank of Hauptscharführer. Bauer and Beckmann, on the other hand, wear the correct collar patches and epaulettes for the rank of Oberscharführer which they did hold.
22nd Apr 2012
Joyeux Noël (2005)
Factual error: A very common error in First World War films. British soldiers were not permitted to shave their upper lips until 1916 - in 1914 almost all (unless physically unable to grow them) would have had moustaches.
22nd Apr 2012
Joyeux Noël (2005)
Factual error: Units in trenches were very closely packed and officers visited their subordinates regularly. It is inconceivable that three platoons from different sides could have fraternised for so long without a single more senior officer showing up to find out what was going on. The basic unit was the company and all the officers of the company usually shared the same dugout.
22nd Apr 2012
Birdsong (2012)
Factual error: With the exception of the RSM, no NCOs are ever seen. Stephen appears to have no platoon sergeant and no section NCOs (corporals or lance-corporals). There is no company sergeant-major (the RSM appears to do his job). There are no NCOs in the tunnelling company (which appears to consist only of a captain and half a dozen sappers). The entire army appears to pretty much consist of officers and privates with nobody in between.
22nd Apr 2012
Birdsong (2012)
Factual error: The battalion commander wears the correct crown and pip of a lieutenant-colonel, but the four cuff rings of a full colonel (lieutenant-colonels wore three).
13th Apr 2012
Sherlock (2010)
The Hounds of Baskerville - S2-E2
Factual error: Sherlock finds a photo of Major Barrymore's father and says he's wearing the Distinguished Service Order. The ribbon is not that of the DSO.
25th Mar 2012
The Red Baron (2008)
Factual error: Lanoe Hawker is depicted with a beard. As a British Army officer this would be forbidden. Hawker actually only had a moustache.
25th Mar 2012
The Red Baron (2008)
Factual error: Roy Brown describes himself as a captain in the Royal Canadian Flying Corps and wears a British Army uniform. In actual fact Brown was a flight commander in the Royal Naval Air Service and would have worn Royal Navy uniform.
22nd Mar 2012
The Path to 9/11 (2006)
Factual error: Filipino police officer Aida Fariscal is described in the screen caption as a captain. She actually held the rank of senior inspector, since the Filipino police does not use army-style ranks.
22nd Mar 2012
The Path to 9/11 (2006)
Factual error: Throughout the series, traffic in Pakistan is depicted driving on the right. In Pakistan, traffic drives on the left.
21st Mar 2012
Sherlock (2010)
The Hounds of Baskerville - S2-E2
Deliberate mistake: The army major wears a full beard. British Army personnel may not wear beards. (The beard is a nod to the original canon character on which he's based, John Barrymore, who is described in the book multiple times as being a "black-bearded man").
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