During his argument on the phone, Capt. Staros states, "The time, Sir, is 13:21 hours, 25 seconds" when his wrist watch clearly shows a time of 14:32. The watch also shows other times during the conversation.
When the men are preparing to climb down into the assault craft, there is a shot of Captain Staros thinking to himself. Over his shoulder he carries an M1 carbine which has a mounted bayonet lug (post war feature). When he arrives on the island, suddenly his weapon doesn't have a bayonet lug anymore.
When PFC. Doll shoots the Japanese soldiers (who are going on the hill carrying a machine gun), the first shots he fires we see his face. His rifle recoils significantly, but when it shows the scene behind his back, his rifle does not recoil at all.
The length of Welsh's hair on the boat as the alarm sounds and then later the next day.
Along with the fact that there are no naval support vessels around the invasion transports, the transports themselves are riding high in the water, meaning they were empty. In real WW2 invasions vessels were loaded heavily with tanks, trucks, landing craft and ammunition and would have sat much deeper in the water.
In the credits the rank of private first class is abbreviated as "Pvt. 1cl." which is an abbreviation from The First World War. In World War II the rank was abbreviated as "Pfc."
The ship transporting Charlie Company to Guadalcanal is a Victory Ship, first introduced in 1944, while the film is set in November 1942.
Additionally, the Victory ships were built as Merchant Marine cargo vessels, not troop transports. Navy-operated troop transports would have transported Charlie Company to Guadalcanal.
Merchant Marine vessels would also be manned by that branch, not Navy sailors.
Additionally, the Victory ships were built as Merchant Marine cargo vessels, not troop transports. Navy-operated troop transports would have transported Charlie Company to Guadalcanal.
Merchant Marine vessels would also be manned by that branch, not Navy sailors.
When transporting such a valuable load as reinforcements to an island, there should have been some Naval vessels escorting the transports.
The landing craft transporting Charlie Company onto the beaches of Guadalcanal all have different numbers following the P letter in front. The number would have been the numerical designation of the transport. This suggests there are multiple transport vessels delivering troops. There is only one ship in view.
Some have understood the use of the M1 Garand rifle in the film is incorrect, saying that the characters in the film were US Marines, who were predominantly armed with M1903 Springfield rifles at the time. The use of the Garand is, in fact, correct for the film; the film's main characters are US Army soldiers, not Marines, and they would have been armed primarily with Garands.
When Private Bell's wife is standing alone outside their house, a man, apparently in modern clothing, can be seen in the background of the scene. In fact, if we look closer, the "modern clothing" is an Air Force Captain uniform... Probably the same captain that Bell's wife met in the letter received by Bell.
Capt. Staros's name is wrong. The character is supposed to be Greek and the correct name would be Stavros, which derives from the Greek word for Crucifix. However, the "v" in the correct version of the name is omitted. This could have been changed if and when his family emigrated to the USA from Greece.
The supposedly 'American' patrol boat in the beginning is in fact the Pacific Class HMPNGS Moresby of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force that didn't enter service till 1989. It is pale green, not US gray.
Towards the end, when they are marching in front of the graveyard, there is a modern sprinkler system operating behind the crosses, watering what appears to be a golf course.
The M2A1 105mm Howitzers supporting the troops on Guadalcanal do not recoil realistically as they fire. The barrel assembly should have been pushed back; in the film, it stays in its nominal position, clearly indicating the use of blank ammunition. The 'recoil' is simulated by having the howitzer bounce softly off the ground after a considerable delay after it is fired. While the M2A1 could jump off the ground as it is fired, this is very rare; almost completely absent in wartime footage. When it does occur, however, it is also noticeably a much more violent action than what is seen in the film.
When Sgt. Keck accidentally pulls the pin on a grenade. It is hooked to his belt by the safety spoon. The spoon on the grenade flies off as normal. Yet, the grenade does not drop off the belt.
In one of the flashback scenes where the soldier and his girlfriend are holding hands, modern cars can be seen out the window in the background.
Despite the suggestion that the reference to an "Air Force Captain" was not a goof because the "US Army Air Forces" had been renamed (formerly "Air Corps") in 1941, the term "Air Force" was never used in WWII. The character's wife would have said "Air Corps Captain," because that term was used in everyday speech throughout the war.
A soldier uses a toothbrush with "wear" stripes in the bristles, which were invented in the 1990s.
There is a modern, fiberglass and foam surfboard on the beach.
When we first see the American patrol boat, a surfboard is lying in the foreground. It's a shortboard, which was introduced in the late 60's.
During the earlier stages of the battle to reach the Japanese stronghold (at about 1:00 into the film), an entire camera crew of about 4 or 5 people, along with their microphones and camera, are fully visible along the left side of the shot.
When Welsh is talking to the scared young soldier in the shaving quarters at the beginning of the film, the soldier says, "Only two things that are permanent is dying and the Lord," and the camera and the operator's hand are reflected in the far left mirror (visible only in the widescreen release).
During one flash back to the AWOL island home, there are dolly tracks in the sand.
The wake from the camera boat can be seen cutting across the path of the first wave of landing craft as it makes a sweeping turn in front of them.
Before the flanking assault on the Japanese bunker, a wire is visible, and apparently attached to a US soldier/ stuntman, as he is engulfed in a mortar round explosion (apparently to simulate the jerking force of the impact).