I was watching a bit of the Band of Brothers series earlier today, and I think I spotted some inaccuracies. The two episodes Carentan and Replacements feature quite a few tanks. The first one I spotted is when Easy spots a Tiger hiding behind a house, which later blows up the snooty English tank commander. The Tiger is a Late Production as it has no air filters on the back as well as Zimmerit coating, but the hatch opens upwards, like the Early Prod. Error?
There is also a Jagdpanther, Early version, with Zimmerit, but with the later single viewport. Another error?
Of course, for the eagle eyed, first Easy gets hounded by a Tiger, a StuG and a Jagdpanther. Next episode, they’re hounded by a Tiger, a StuG and a Jagdpanther… Something personal?
Oh there are many, but only to the experienced eye. The average Joe wouldn’t know better. I think they did a great job overall in trying to reproducing the vehicles. The Stug was inaccurate in many ways, this in being converted from a Brit APC. Loved it though.
Probably all the filmmakers had to use, since there are not a whole lot of those things in all their variants in running condition left in the world. At least they made a great effort rather than those older films where straight up M-47’s and 48’s are used for Panzers, and M-24’s/41’s stand in for M-4’s. Not perfect, but a vast improvement.
I love the series too, just funny to notice these things now. Three months ago I wouldn’t have known the difference between a Sherman and a christmas tree. Now I’m going to go back and count the bolts…
Even Saving Private Ryan, had it’s share of errors, but again, minor in my book. The most obvious, being the oft-mentioned Tiger I that was converted off of a T-34 frame, with all the running gear still in place. As mentioned, there just isn’t many in running condition anymore. [V]
Well, considering the tanks are T-34/85 Soviet tanks made to look like Tiger tanks, I think they did a pretty good job. You have to cut them some slack if the Tiger looks like a late but has hatches like an early. It is a lot more realistic than just painting a US style tank and adding German crosses like they did in older movies like Patton and Battle of the Bulge.
I don’t care as long as they try. There isn’t a pile of old Tigers sitting around waiting for the occasional movie. What does bother me is when they can’t get a costume right or the excessive gasoline explosions. Grenades and artillery are not filled with gasoline. Another one of my favorite things to hate is the bottomless magazine. [2c]
I guess i’ll be showing my age but here goes…as i remember it, just about every movie( battle of the bulge,longest day, etc) and every tv show(combat) up until the 70’s at least, if not later, used straight-up US tanks painted with the german cross to represent german tanks…I think the first actual German vehicle I can remember was a Famo in the late 60’s (Dirty Dozen) and I remember in the early 70’s when I saw a real T-34 being used as a…Russian T-34 in Cross of Iron, it was great…remember Kelleys Heroes?..70s movie…they did a pretty good job of makeing-up a t-34 to look like a Tiger…and its only gotten better since then.
Another blatant movie error is in the atrocious WWI “horror” movie “Deathwatch”, where they have a 1918 machinegun in 1916. Guess they thought it looked cool. Won’t go into the British 18-pounders in the background of some French WWI movie… Although now I’m nitpicking.
Was watching a program on one of the history channels the other days about the African campaign. They showed an aerial shot of the German army, now THAT was a LOT of tanks.
ive seen longest day and patton, and the tanks are obviously us tanks painted like german ones. also in another movie (i cant remember the name in english, but in spanish its “mas alla de la gloria”) the numerous tanks that appeared were all m10s in german crosses. and about the jagdtiger in band of brothers, it was that one that runs over that wounded german?
I think you’re thinking of “The Big Red One” with Lee Marvin and Mark Hamill.
Great topic though, I’ve been nitpicking those movies for ages! My favorite is the afore mentioned “Cross of Iron”, James Coburn, Maximillian Schell and James Mason. The T34/85’s were great to see though there is some doubt that they had them at that particular time, the summer of '43. The only really fake thing is the stock footage of them getting bombed by planes, the planes are F4U Corsairs! [;)]
Steve, I don’t remember the Corsairs…but it has been about 30 years since I’ve seen Cross of Iron[:D] but I do remember that, haveing read the book, when the movie came out a few years later I was blown away at the to me, realism and gritiness of the movie…especially compared to things like Battle of the Bulge, etc.
that movie about the boys of the rifle squad that goes from africa to sicily, france etc. and that german officer that always encounter with them. and the girl that takes the helmet of the sargeant and fills it with flowers[(-D].there is also a “tiger” hiding in a house, firing.
