During the rainstorm about 25 minutes into the movie, several soldiers disembark from a plane. The first soldier's clothing is nice and dry before he steps out into the rain but the second two already have wet jackets, suggesting this was not the first take of this scene.
They used a post-WWII Russian (Soviet) army vehicle. A Gaz 69, which was first produced in 1953 and was produced until 1972.
It is mentioned a few times that Admiral Ozawa's fleet was utterly destroyed off the Marianas. This is incorrect. While it is true the Japanese naval air forces were wiped out, the US Navy only sank 3 carriers. The remainder of the IJN fleet remained intact and was quite powerful consisting of more than 10 battleships and other heavy ships. The IJN was not fully destroyed until the US invaded the Philipines in Nov. 1944.
The Type 97 hand grenade had a fuze of 4-5 seconds; it is depicted as being shorter.
All the motor vehicles have the steering wheel on the left. Japanese vehicles, like the British, have the steering wheel on the right, as they keep to the left side of the road.
Correction: From the terrain topography as well as the voice-over, it is apparent that this scene actually takes place in the USA and not in Japan. Therefore, the scene correctly shows Kuribayashi driving a left-hand drive on the right side of the road.
Correction: From the terrain topography as well as the voice-over, it is apparent that this scene actually takes place in the USA and not in Japan. Therefore, the scene correctly shows Kuribayashi driving a left-hand drive on the right side of the road.
Towards the end of the movie when General Kuribayashi is reminiscing about driving, his car is travelling on the right hand side of the road. Japan drive on the left.
Correction: From the terrain topography as well as the voice-over, it is apparent that this scene actually takes place in the USA and not in Japan. Therefore, the scene correctly shows Kuribayashi driving a left-hand drive on the right side of the road.
Correction: From the terrain topography as well as the voice-over, it is apparent that this scene actually takes place in the USA and not in Japan. Therefore, the scene correctly shows Kuribayashi driving a left-hand drive on the right side of the road.
When the soldiers in the cave commit suicide they use what look like type 97 hand fragmentation grenades held close to their chests.
The point of most grenades is to send out numerous fragments as fast-flying projectiles killing those close by (a few yards) or seriously injuring those further away.
However, even though the soldiers are all standing a few feet apart, as each grenade explodes only the person holding it is affected.
The point of most grenades is to send out numerous fragments as fast-flying projectiles killing those close by (a few yards) or seriously injuring those further away.
However, even though the soldiers are all standing a few feet apart, as each grenade explodes only the person holding it is affected.
The artillery shell landing near Saigo when he empties the stinky bucket does not exhibit rifling marks on its driving band. Any shell fired through a rifled barrel would show these, therefore this projectile had never been fired from a gun.
The marine who recovers General Kubaiyashi's Colt 1911 handgun shoves it into his belt with the hammer on full cock over a live round. No marine would ever handle a gun in such an unsafe manner.
The bottle of Johnnie Walker appears to have a screw cap made of aluminum. At that time liquor bottles had a cork stopper.
The world map seen in the Japanese command center on Iwo Jima does not demarcate the then British colony of Newfoundland, including it a part of Canada instead. Newfoundland did not join Canada until 1949.
In the scene where General Kuribayashi recognizes Saigo in the tunnels, his clearly visible tunic collar insignia are that of a Chujo (Lieutenant- General), consisting on two silver five-pointed stars over a yellow strip. Instead Kuribayashy was promoted to full generalship (Japanese rank Taisho) in March 1945 before being sent to Iwo Jima, and he should wear a yellow collar strip with three silver stars.
The Japanese script uses a number of "gairago" (foreign loanwords), which are in current use, but would have been frowned upon by the nationalist government at the time. These include "raifuru" for "rifle" and "jiipu" for "jeep".
In the second-to-last scene, the captured Japanese soldier is taken to the American landing zones, which were exclusively on the east of Iwo Jima, just north of Mt. Suribachi. The soldier, Saigo, then witnesses the sun 'setting' in the east, not the west.