Goofs

In the desert ambush at sunrise scene the shadows cast change directions often, and rarely correspond to the plot point of the sun rising behind the Germans.

The same footage of the British camp in North Africa is used three times while the Germans await the sunrise.

After Maeschen has killed a Frenchman to please his father, he is killed himself. The length of the blood trail from his mouth changes, from long to short to long again between camera shots.

When Noah meets Hope at Michael's party, she's wearing a low-cut evening gown, but when they step out for a walk along the river, she's wearing a dress with a collar.

When Diestl and Hardenberg are riding on the motorcycle across the desert, they are shown passing the same wrecked and burning vehicles twice - on the obvious rear-screen projection behind them.

At the end, when Noah Ackerman is walking across the street to meet his wife who is coming toward him, he has his uniform trousers "bloused" at the tops of his combat boots. This was only done by Airborne troops but Ackerman was in the infantry so this would have been improper.

The opening title states it's New Year's Eve 1938 in Bavaria, yet at the stroke of 12, the baby comes out with a sash that says 1938 - when it should read 1939.

At the conference of German officers in the desert, the senior German officer says that they were expecting a frontal attack from the Allies at any time. From the following stock footage it is apparent that they are referring to EL Alamein. However, the Germans were completely unaware of Allied plans and were taken completely by surprise.

When Hope visits Noah in the Stockade the sign says "Visiting Time limited to 10 minutes", yet Noah is told that his time is up after 3 minutes.

"Sgt. Brandt," as he is credited, wears the same rank as Marlon Brando's character throughout the film. First, as a 1st Lieutenant and later as a Captain. There is even dialogue addressing the fact that he is now a Captain.

Early in the movie, Marlon Brando's character is riding in some sort of staff car. The car is right-hand drive; the Germans did not use right-hand drive. However, the staff car is a French-made Laffly V15T, which is, indeed, right-hand drive and was used by the French Army in WWII. The vehicle was probably captured from the French Army.

When Distle gives his report to the Captain after the ambush is French town near the beginning of the film. He reports one casualty, Maeschen. But as Distle and the rest are bailing out of their vehicle one of the soldiers in the back is hit, goes down on the street and doesn't get up.

All of the female fashions and hairdos date from the 1950s rather than from the time of WWII, i.e. 1939 and the years immediately following.

The milkman is driving a 1954 Ford P-350 "Vanette", and the bus Hope and Noah take in Brooklyn is a 1953 GM TDH.

There are several instances of characters giving post - war views. Dean Martin says that in ten years Germany and Japan will be allies. Francoise mentions head - shaving for collaborators which started after Liberation. The extermination camp commandant would not have known details of the numbers of those killed in total and details of other camps.

After Whiteacre and Ackerman help Crowley across the canal, the next scene shows a long line of German soldiers and civilians seeming to flee. At one point, in the foreground, the license plate of an overturned car can be read: 769 S77. This number (which is to be read 769 S 77) is in a format that was introduced in France in 1950, the number itself was issued in 1951, 7 years later.

In the scene where Noah meets Hope's father a shadow of the moving camera and operator can be seen on the church steps as they walk away from the graveyard.

The concentration camp guard addresses Diestl as "Kapitän" (with a French accent, probably because he's played by a French extra, as the scene was shot in France), when the correct way to address him would have been "Herr Hauptmann". "Kapitän" was a naval rank.