Goofs for
Memphis Belle (1990) More at IMDbPro »

• Continuity: Number of blades on propeller of first wounded B-17 returning to base.
  
  
• Anachronisms: Features P-51 Mustangs in May 1943, several months before they were introduced into the European theatre.
  
  
• Factual errors: Set in May, a farmer can be seen harvesting crops, normally done in late summer.
  
  

• Factual errors: Numerous errors to do with bombsight aiming and timing, and course corrections.
  
  
• Continuity: After the Memphis Belle drops her bombs and Dennis pulls on the stick to leave, the bomb-bay doors are closed. Then you see Val close the bomb-bay doors.
  
  
• Continuity: The plane that lands still has the ball turret.
  
  
• Continuity: When the Memphis Belle takes off, interior shots show Virge standing just behind the pilot/co-pilot seats. In exterior shots, no one is standing there.
  
  
• Continuity: When Dennis is starting the Memphis Belle's engines, he flips the same switch on twice to start different engines (the far right switch).
  
  
• Continuity: Jack realizes that Eugene had put a sign on his back, and takes it off. In the next shot, he still has it taped to his back.
  
  
• Anachronisms: On the return flight, Val administers closed chest compressions with his hands. This type of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation was not advanced until the 1960s and would not have been used in 1943.
  
  
• Factual errors: When all the Airforce Senior Officers are standing on the balcony of the Control Tower, waiting for the bomber, none of the windows are taped up as a precaution against blast as they would have been since 1939.
  
  
• Continuity: When Val drops the bombs, the interior view clearly shows four bombs dropping. The view then shifts to an exterior view of the bombing group showing eight bombs exiting the bomb bay.
  
  
• Anachronisms: When the B-17s prepare to take off for their mission, one close-up on the runway reveals its pilots wearing modern headphones.
  
  
• Anachronisms: While Derringer is reading out the letters from bereaved families that Harriman has thrust at him, we see footage of B17s being attacked. Many of them have the USAAF roundel with bars, but these were not current at the time the film was set. For example, the Memphis Belle had the simpler USAAF roundel, without the bars.
  
  
• Continuity: After the tomato soup can blows up on the pilots, we see a speck of red on the Capitan's face mask on the beige foam insert, later scenes see no speck there.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: As the B-17's begin to taxi along the runway before take off, look at the art on the noses of the airplanes... They have different nose art on either side of each plane (as only 5 were used in filming) to make it seem as if there were many more fortresses. In the air scenes they are shot from both sides to 'increase' the number of planes.
  
  
• Factual errors: "Interphone Discipline" (the communications used between crew-members on each bomber) was not enforced in the movie. Each crew-member had to scan the sky for fighters and report locations to their colleagues. Idle chatter about girls and non-mission items was forbidden for safety reasons. This rule was noted by two actual WWII B-17 crew-members from the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona.
  
  
• Factual errors: On B-17S, rear turret's ammo magazines could not be replenished in mid-flight, it could only be done on the ground working from the outside. So using this as an excuse for getting Luke to the gear gunner position is totally unrealistic.
  
  
• Anachronisms: As the aircraft take off, they fly over farmers' fields which contain 'tram-lines' through the crops, where a motorized tractor has driven. As was shown in a scene shortly before this, farmers at this time used horse-drawn equipment.
  
  
• Factual errors: After the "Belle" reaches 10,000 feet the crew is told to go on oxygen. Shortly thereafter the Pilot announces the temperature to be minus 30 degrees. The Pilot, Co-Pilot, Bombardier, Navigator and Flight Engineer are all wearing flight suits and A-2 jackets, clothing that would be worn on a low level mission. The rest of the crew can be seen wearing their heavy sheep lined flying jackets, pants, boots and electrically heated "Blue Bunny" suit. Those without this gear would have froze to death.
  
  
• Factual errors: The mock up of the tail gunners position is a poor replica. It looks as if the gunner barely has room to turn his head, let alone see anything approaching. In reality the windows in a B-17's tail gunners position are sufficiently large enough to give him an excellent view.
  
  
• Factual errors: Navigator Phil Lowenthal mistakenly calls out that the Belle is at the 'Rally point' on their arrival near the target. In fact it's actually the 'Initial Point.' The 'Rally point' as the name suggests is where the group flies to after the bombs are dropped to reassemble the formation before heading home.
  
  
• Anachronisms: When Phil is plotting the course to the IP on his map at the beginning of the mission, he uses a plastic ruler. However, they only had wooden or metal rulers then.
  
  
• Factual errors: When Danny is talking to the new Radio Operator from Mother and Country, Danny is a seasoned veteran with 3 stripes up and a rocker. This indicates hes a staff sergeant. The newbie has 3 up and 3 down indicating a master sergeant. This is highly unlikely given the newbies age and time in service. It is not likely that he would be outranking a veteran bomber crewman.
  
  
• Anachronisms: Army Insignia displayed on bandstand, flaming sword of liberation in blue shield, did not exist in 1943, the time frame of the Memphis Belle's final mission. Per Headquarters US Army Europe: "The insignia was originally approved for the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces on 13 Dec 44; redesignated for US Forces, European Theater and background color changed from black to blue on 2 Aug 1945; redesignated for European Command on 23 Jun 47; and redesignated US Army Europe on 7 Nov 52."
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): During the scene where Danny pulls out the liquor bottle, and Rascal sneaks up behind him to grab it, for a split-second, you can see Danny grin. Eric Stoltz probably happened to see Sean Astin coming in the reflection on the bottle, and without doubt it looked kind of funny to him.
  
  

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