What kind of tanks were used in the movie battle of the bulge

Eisenhower and others veterans and critics both criticized virtually everything about the film, from its setting to its equipment to its time-line. Even taking into account the film making style of the time, the dialogue is stilted, the battle scenes are contrived and very obviously choreographed there are so many men getting hit by bullets or shrapnel, stopping in their tracks with their hands to their chests or stomachs,without blood, and slowly falling to the ground.

If I had a dollar for each one, I would be rich. The main technical adviser was an ex-Wehrmacht colonel, Meinrad von Lauchert, and perhaps the film reflects that, spending as much or more time on the Germans than on the Americans.

That scene lasts about five minutes — the film is minutes long. First, the tanks. The battle involved thousands of tanks and armored vehicles on both sides. There was not even an attempt to use wood to alter their shape.

A German insignia was simply slapped on American tanks. The majority of these carbines are of the anachronistic Korean War era. A Sturmgewehr 44 is seen in the hands of Lt. Kiley Henry Fonda and Col. Pritchard Dana Andrews. German infantry and also some U.

Dan Kiley Henry Fonda. What appear to be MAT submachine guns are carried by US troops guarding artillery at the rail yard. These particular SMG's weren't introduced until after the war. The MP40 is used by German forces as well as by Lt.

Weaver James MacArthur. At the time, it was noted by many movie critics and this glaring inaccuracy infuriated many veterans of the battle. Then there is the weather in the movie. This was very important in the battle and it directly impacted on its outcome.

The initial success of the German advance is shown in the motion picture to be a result of their daring use of tanks. In fact, it was due to the weather. Snowstorms kept the American P and other planes grounded and this allowed the German Panzers to advance rapidly. When the weather changed the American air force attacked the German Panther and Tiger tanks and ravaged them.

There is snow shown but the actual battlefields of the Ardennes were covered deep in snow. Because the movie was shot in Spain, with its Mediterranean climate the wintry battlefields of the Ardennes offensive is not captured. The movie does accurately show the importance of German covert operations in the opening stages of the battle.

The German planners knew that speed was of the essence and that they needed to act quickly. They had to seize certain key bridges over the Meuse to allow the heavy Tiger Tanks to advance. This operation was codenamed Operation Greif.

This is shown very well in one scene in the motion picture when German troops disguised as MPs led by an SS lieutenant, played by Ty Hardin, are shown as taking over a key bridge over the River Meuse, the only one that could allow the Tiger tanks to cross the river. The same disguised German soldiers are later shown as changing road signs to confuse the G. Is and disrupting key supply lines.

The German covert operation was as successful as shown and played an important part in the early success of the German offensive. They needed the oil to enable the Tiger and Panther tanks to advance, as their own reserves of oil were depleted. The movie also accurately captured one of the best-known war-crimes committed by Germans against American prisoners. The Malmedy massacre as it became known occurred in the early stages of the battle.

SS troops killed approximately 90 American prisoners. This was accurate and after the war, several of the German involved faced war crime charges. Another thing that the movie got right was that the inexperienced American troops had been largely caught by surprise and that, at least initially, they were in some disarray.

The movie focuses on Colonel Hessler, commander of the SS Panzer brigade that is in the forefront of the German offensive. The character Hessler was played by the British actor Robert Shaw, who dyed his black hair blond for the role. In reality, there was no Colonel Hessler, but the character is based on Joachim Peiper one of the most important SS commanders in the Ardennes.

However, Peiper was still alive in and he did not want his role in the battle to be shown. He even threatened the movie makers with a libel suit. The producers then decided to change the name from Peiper to Hessler, but the character is fairly obviously meant to be representative of Pieper. The name change saved the producers from a libel case and unnecessary legal fees. What is perhaps inexplicable is the fact that the German commander's real role in the Malmedy massacre is not shown.