York is called Sgt by officer who receives his captured soldiers and by the French who give him a medal. In New York at the Waldorf, his uniform coat sleeves show a corporal's insignia. Later, in TN, he is wearing a Sergeant's insignia on his uniform sleeve.
When George goes to get Alvin from the bar and they are ready to leave. Alvin hands George his coat before the fight begins. At the end of the fight they leave and neither one of them has the coat as they exit the door. However when Alvin and George arrive back home and Alvin is doused with water by his mother he is wearing his coat again.
At the rifle range, after the first shot, York is given 5 rounds. He shoots the first into the target which is then covered by a white round paster. Then he shoots the next four into the paster. When the target is checked by the range personnel, there are 5 holes in the paster instead of 4.
When Alvin steps off the train upon his return to Tennessee, his sister is seen next to the train to his right, fighting toward him through the crowd, but in the next view she is behind Gracie fighting their way toward Alvin from a distance in front of him.
When York confronts Mr. Tompkins after the lightning episode, Tompkins, thinking York will be physical with him picks up a large wrench with his right hand and raises it to his right shoulder (perpendicular to the ground) . In the next camera angle showing both York & Tompkins, the wrench is now lowered, parallel to the ground and again raises it to his right shoulder/perpendicular to the ground.
Sgt. York is shown with his pistol shooting a line of German soldiers coming at him from front to back. In reality Alvin C. York shot them in a line from back to front as he quoted himself, "just like a flock of turkeys".
As General John J. Pershing is shown awarding York the MEDAL OF HONOR, he says that York is being awarded The Congressional Medal of Honor, which is incorrect. As the award citation includes the phrase "in the name of Congress", it is sometimes erroneously called the Congressional Medal of Honor; however, the official name of the medal is, and has always been, MEDAL OF HONOR. As the highest ranking American Army officer of that time, General John J. Pershing would certainly have known that, and would not have made that mistake at Alvin C. York's actual award ceremony.
Although York is shown as clean-shaven throughout the film, the real Alvin C. York grew a mustache while in the Army and kept it the rest of his life.
Alvin York's sidearm in the film was a blank-firing Luger P-08. The real Alvin C. York carried and used a Colt M1911, but the prop men at Warner Brothers could not figure out how to make this pistol fire blanks without manual cycling of the slide.
Alvin C. York carried the American version British Enfield rifle into battle, not the US 1903 Springfield that is shown.
When Private York returns from contemplating his exemption back in Tennessee, The phrase "All right, Sergeant," is not misspoke by the clerk to Private York, it is the Major dismissing the character in the foreground.
When Alvin York plays with the light switch in the hotel, he is making a joke. He comments how it's "Just like the electric signs down the street." He is not marveling at electric light switches. He spent weeks in training in the army and then traveled through Europe, he has had plenty of encounters with electric lights before this.
Incorrectly regarded as goofs - It is noted that when George and Alvin leave the bar, they forgot Alvin's coat and that he has it again later. Actually, Alvin hands it to George who slings it over his left arm. As they get ready to leave, George throws it over his right arm and picks up Alvin's hat with his left hand. The dark coat is just not noticed against George's dark coat.
During the charge of the Americans against the machine guns, the same pirouetting, dying soldier is seen at least a half dozen times, from various angles.
When Alvin is documenting his earnings in August, 1916, the calendar is off one day. The Calendar for September is correct, but if the two months were viewed together, August 31 and Sept 1st would have both been on a Friday.
When York removes a stump, a large boulder nearby wobbles much too easily for a rock of this size, given the minimal contact made.
At 6.10am York and company leave the trenches to attack the German positions. Their shadows however indicate the sun is directly overhead.
When Gracie is showing Alvin their new home, she claims it was bought for Alvin by the people of Tennessee. It was, in fact, the Rotary Club of Nashville which provided the home and the surrounding land. The home was also not waiting for York upon his return from Europe as portrayed in the film. The club purchased the property in November 1919, a year after the war ended and after Alvin C. York and Gracie were already married. The couple did not move into the house until Valentine's Day 1922.
The Movie tagline is "Missiles! Jets! Tanks! ...It's Still The Guy With Guts And A Gun Who Wins The War!" In WWI, there were no Missiles or Jets.
After the lighting strike the mule is lying down on the ground and you can see the mule being struck on it's lower belly with a stick as a signal to stand up.
A guide wire is visible that is connected to a tree stump where the stump is being removed by a horse. The guide wire is visible behind the stump as the stump pulls free from the ground.
At 55:27, after Alvin is hit by lightning, Alvin looks over to his mule where you can see a whip entering from the left hand side of the screen and striking the mule's stomach so it will get up.
A guide wire is visible that is connected to a tree stump in the scene where the stump is being removed by a horse. The guide wire is visible behind the stump as the stump pulls free from the ground.
When Alvin is teaching Sunday school, he is talking about the story of Cain and Abel, which is in Genesis at the beginning of the Bible and referred to in Hebrews and 1 John, near the end of the Bible, but he has his Bible opened in the middle.
When Alvin looks at the calendar at the end of September to write down his most recent earnings, it is obvious from the calendar close-up that the addition from 22 to 23 September is incorrect. The addition of $41.35 plus $2.55 should yield $43.90, however, the incorrect total of $43.80 is recorded on the calendar as the total for Sept. 23rd.