Factual error: In this episode, the regulars receive and respond to letters from a Fourth-Grade class in Hawkeye's home town. Charles receives one from a little girl who says she's sent him a birch leaf. Unfortunately, the leaf he removes from her glassine envelope is a maple leaf. (Note: there was no indication that this was supposed to be her mistake.)
Factual error: When Frank sits down on Margaret's bed, he pulls a single metal star out of his butt. Kelly being a Lt. Gen, he should have (and has, as can be seen in other scenes) a single bar of three interconnected stars, not three single ones. Therefore Frank shouldn't be able to find a solitary star in Margaret's bed. (00:19:00)
Factual error: Another premature mention of Godzilla when Col. Blake announces that night's movie, "Godzilla and the Bobby Soxer". (00:01:57)
Factual error: After Radar asks Klinger when his home movies will be ready, Max answers, "Ready whenever you are, C.B." This is the specific punch line to a joke that relates to the actual filming of Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 movie The Ten Commandments, which wasn't released until after the Korean War. (00:16:30)
Dear Sigmund - S5-E7
Factual error: Klinger says he would wear Hula Hoops(R) in his ears if it would get him a discharge. For several reasons, he is using a phrase that does not yet exist: 1) Show wise, Klinger will later try to convince Charles to invest in developing a new toy, a hoola hoop like plastic tube, being inspired by Korean children playing, and 2) plastic hoops which came to be called Hula Hoops were only introduced by Whamo in 1958. Setting episode dates is always difficult for MASH, but the Mash Olympics (inspired by the 52 Helsinki games) are still to come so we can say it must be 52. 3) The Hula Hoop trademark was only registered in 1962 to Whamo. No info. as to what name the hoops were marketed under prior to 62, but Klinger is using a term at probably ten years, at least 6 years, before it came into use. (00:04:00)
Factual error: When reminiscing about Radar's appendectomy, Henry says it took a long time to find because it was behind his secum. The appendix is behind the secum in more than 50% of people, so this shouldn't have fooled a doctor of Henry's caliber. (00:09:00)
Factual error: Throughout the series, actors are seen wearing cuffless permapress fatigues. Neither cuffless nor permapress utilities were available until the 1970s.
Aid Station - S3-E19
Factual error: Mulcahy asks Hawkeye if he trusts God. Hawkeye replies "It says I should on all of my money." However, the phrase "IN GOD WE TRUST" didn't appear on American bills until 1957.
Factual error: When the South Korean Colonel and General are in the mess tent, their rank insignia are wrong. The insignia they are wearing are for the U.S. Army.
Suggested correction: They could have been Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (KATUSA) officers, who were Koreans drafted or volunteered into the US military to act as a liaison between Koreans and the US military. As such they wore US uniforms and rank.
Factual error: Nearing the end of the show, we are told that the Chinese have become involved in the conflict and have attacked with some 300,000 soldiers. This apparently refers to massive attacks by the Chinese starting on November 1, 1950. Although the numbers are correct, the US/UN forces were unaware of the numbers. As late as November 6, the Far East Command continued to insist that there were no more than 34,500 Chinese communist soldiers in country. http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/kw-chinter/chinter.htm.
Factual error: The Logan Ramsey character tells Hawkeye and Trapper that with enough notice he could get them anything, even a B-52. The first B-52A entered service in 1954, a year after the Korean War ended.
Factual error: Throughout the series, there are repeated instances of "I Corps" being pronounced, "Eye Corps." Since Army corps are designated by Roman numerals, it should be pronounced, "First Corps." (I wonder how they would have pronounced "III Corps" or "XVII Corps?").
Factual error: Charles mistakenly injects a Post Op patient with curare instead of morphine. This would have been hard to do. Curare was not approved for use in Korea by the U.S. Army and it would not have been there. Even if it had been, curare was used in conjunction with anesthetics in the operating theatre. It would make no sense to have it in the Post Op. (source pg. 14 "Notable Names in Anasthesia" by J. Roger Maltby, Royal Society of Medicine - Great Britain). (00:12:20)
Sometimes You Hear the Bullet - S1-E17
Factual error: We see Pvt. Wendel trying to hot-wire a jeep to escape. He wouldn't have to hot-wire it, because vehicles assigned to a combat zone were equipped with an ignition switch, not an ignition lock, for the simple reason that keys get lost or mislaid all the time and in an emergency, having to track down keys for vehicles would be extremely detrimental to an unit's combat effectiveness.
Factual error: Radar's mother's boyfriend owns a Nash Metropolitan, a car that was not produced until after the end of the Korean War.
Factual error: The Spot-A-Card pinball machine in the Officers' Club didn't come out until the 60's.
Factual error: When the can of beans explodes all over Hawkeye and Hotlips, they act as though the beans are cold. In fact the beans would have been at boiling temperature as the can overheated, causing it to explode, and the two would have been burned.
Factual error: Out by The Gun, Hawkeye's Captain insignia on his garrison cap is missing the lower corner of one bar. So, it would be considered unserviceable, that is, unfit for use, and should have been replaced with a new insignia.
Suggested correction: While that is true by the Army's standards, it is entirely in character for Hawkeye not to give a flying you-know-what about the state of his insignia.
True, but even he knew that correcting it sooner rather than later would be wise. But, as always, I bow to your knowledge.
Factual error: In the hut with BJ, Zale, and The Moose, there's a Coleman 413E stove in the background. Trouble is, that this unit didn't appear until 1954, and the Armistice ending hostilities, ending the war, was signed July 27, 1953.
