Goofs

The signs seen at the various internment camp sites read "Department of National Defense". In Canada, which uses British spellings, that last word would be spelled "Defence". Also, there was no such thing as a "Department of National Defence" in Canada during World War II.

The opening narration states that "In the year 1497, John Cabot reached the shores of Canada. John Cabot was an Englishman." "John Cabot" was the Anglicized name of an Italian explorer. His birthplace has been speculated as either Genoa or Naples. His name was rendered as either "Giovanni Caboto" in Italian, or "Zuan Chabotto" in Venetian.

The opening narration indicates that "this story" is set in the year 1941. However, the film later shows a false order for the transfer of three German prisoners that's clearly dated "August 14, 1943."

Upon leaving the submarine the men prepare to depart over the ice and snow by checking the compass which neatly settles down pointing E (east) and W (west). Given their proximity to the magnetic North Pole it is unlikely to do anything other than spin around, pointing in various directions. Ref: USS Nautilus (SSN-571) 3Aug58, first submarine to the magnetic North Pole.

As the bomber is taking off, the pilot is shown pushing the steering wheel forward to climb over the mountain ridge.

Near the end the Nazis' plane is shown spiraling over and over in exterior shots, but in shots in the plane's interior it's going straight down, not spinning out of control.

In the close-up shot of the front of the aircraft when Von Keller begins to start the left engine, the propeller rotates clockwise( i.e. the 'trailing edge' of the blades are advancing). The engine is a dummy with the prop is being turned by someone off-camera.

The shadow of the German standing and waving in the entrance to the mine shaft near the end is clearly visible on the scenery behind him.

In the written order for the German prisoners Wagner gives the Mounties, the date given is August, 1943. But the terrain is covered in deep snow and the temperatures are below freezing. Even in northern Canada, such conditions would not prevail in August.

The final exterior shot of the Nazis' plane before it crashes shows it just a few feet from the ground, falling at high speed. But the next shot of Von Keller, cringing in fear in the cockpit, last several seconds -- far too long for the plane to remain in the air, as it would have hit the ground in barely a second from where it was last shown.

The commander at headquarters draws a line across central Saskatchewan as the route the escapees are taking. That area is flat Canadian prairie, but the escapees are shown traversing a very rugged mountain range, suggestive of the Rockies, 1,000 km (600 miles) to the west.

In the opening the narrator states that the film takes place in 1941, but the order for the prisoners Wagner gives the Mounties is dated August 13, 1943.

When Inspector Barnett (Tom Tully) deciphers Corporal Wagner's (Errol Flynn's) "221" code as meaning that Wagner would be heading north-northwest from the map-point, he motions west-northwest on the map, not north-northwest.