Plot[]
In the winter of 1944, the Allied Armies stand ready to invade Germany at the coming of a New Year. To prevent this occurrence, Hitler orders an all out offensive to re-take French territory and capture the major port city of Antwerp. "The Battle of the Bulge" shows this conflict from the perspective of an American intelligence officer as well as from a German Panzer Commander. Written by Anthony Hughes <husnock31@hotmail.com> [1]
Errors and Explanations[]
Internet Movie Database[]
Character error[]
- When General Grey is standing on the steps of his new headquarters a messenger runs up and hands him a folded white piece of paper but when he and Colonel Pritchard walk inside seconds later its the Colonel that is holding the paper and hands it to him telling him its the intelligence information he had requested earlier. Grey could have hand the paper to Pritchard for confirmation of the contents.[1]
Factual errors[]
- The opening narration states that "Montgomery's 8th Army was in the north..." Montgomery did command the British forces in NW Europe, but the 8th Army, formerly commanded by him, was in Italy. Maybe there was a plot to convince the Germans that 8th Army had moved.[1]
Revealing mistakes[]
- When the Germans disguised as MPs parachute behind US lines, they are shown just as they've landed and are depicted as a tightly clustered group. In fact, paratroops (especially when they jump at night) tend to drift and scatter on the way down and require time to regroup upon landing. They could have developed a way of staying close in order to land next to each other.
- In the beginning of the movie when Kiley visits Grey in the headquarters, General Grey says to a soldier near the Christmas tree: "Step outside". If you watch this soldier carefully it's clear that he's just standing there, waiting for the order. In fact, he looks at Grey and then starts leaving too early, before the command is said He obviously realised he would be ordered to leave.
- When Lt. Col. Dan Kiley first meets Sgt. Guffy blocking the road, Guffy shouts "Hold it! Hold it!". The shot changes and Guffy shouts "Hold it! Hold it!" again. It is obvious that this is the same recording played slightly quieter. Sgt. Guffy is reinforcing his order.[1]
Movie Mistakes[]
Corrections[]
- The German panzergrenadiers follow the tanks on foot right from the beginning of the advance. Panzergrenadiers were armoured infantry and travelled in halftracks, only dismounting to fight. Even ordinary infantry advancing with tanks would have used trucks - to do otherwise would have slowed the tanks down to a crawl and rendered them ineffective. The reason for the infantry moving on foot was the severe shortage of fuel, tanks were on priority. This was a key reason for the German advance to fail, they could not reach their targeted US fuel dumps. Corrected by Airborne60
- During the battle for Bastogne a German tank is coming over a wall. Two GIs place plastic explosives the size of bricks (and white), on the underside of the tank. Watch as the explosives are placed - they disappear, then they return again just before the explosion. In the first sentence you mention the town of Bastogne. The scene you describe was actually during the battle of Ambeleve. It is the only scene in the entire movie where a town is being attacked. Also, the only scene at Bastogne was the scene where the Germans send out a messenger with an ultimatum, under a white flag of truce. He is subsequently blindfolded and taken to the American command post to deliver it.
- In the movie, all of the German soldiers are wearing Jackboots, tunics with scalloped pockets, and/or greatcoats. Yet due to material shortages, Tunic pockets were cut straight, and low boots with leggings were issued. As for winter gear, many soldiers were issued winter camouflage. The cut-down uniforms were issued to new recruits, but longer-service soldiers would have continued to wear the old-style uniforms if they still had them.
- Lt. Col. Daniel Kiley is in the scout plane taking pictures of suspected German activity. He is using what I believe to be a "Speed Graphic" - a camera commonly used by the press for many years. The problem is the camera has no telephoto capability and could not have produced the photo of the German Colonel which was later shown. The Anniversary model Speed Graphic had a detachable 10" telephoto lens. This particular camera and lens combo was used by Joe Rosenthal to snap his famous 'Flag Raising on Iwo Jima' picture in February 1945.
- Sgt. Guffy is shown with Lucky Strike cigarettes in a green carton. At the beginning of WW2 an ingredient in the green dye was determined to be necessary for war production. The carton was changed to white & red; "Lucky Strike Green Goes to War" as the advertisement said. Since the Battle of the Bulge was in Dec. 1944 it is doubtful cigarettes that were 3 years old would still be around. According to one un-named Movie Mistakes contributor, troops stationed at Fort Gordon GA in 1970 were issued cigarettes that were four years old. And early in WW2 American soldiers were issued rations from WW1.
- Necrothesp The panzergrenadier commander, Major von Diepel, wears the double-breasted field grey uniform that was only worn by panzer artillery. Panzergrenadiers wore standard infantry uniform with green piping (which he does wear). The panzergrenadier commander, Major von Diepel is in fact correctly wearing the infantry version of the panzer uniform in field gray issued to certain panzer-grenadier troops in 1944, particularly the Panzer Lehr elite Panzer Division.[2]