American Military Cemetery, Normandy, France (Present Day)
On Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 6, 1944 -- 0630 Hours
At the Farm House
In the Countryside
In A Village
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Comments on Miller (Hanks)
Comments on Snipers & Rifles
Comments on the German Soldiers
Comments on the Bell Tower
Comments on Tanks
General Comments

In the Town
[01:45:30 into the movie]

• At the part when Ryan and Miller had no ammo and the were throwing mortar rounds, Miller had a rack of gernades on his back. J Odendahl
• The most obvious error in the town, to my mind, is in Hank's preparation for the German assault. For some unimaginable reason Hanks positioned the ammo across the street and downstairs far away from either machine gun. He had plenty of time to put that ammo right beside the weapons. Struck me as quite a stupid move. Chick Lewis
• In one scene, an M1 is shown angled up to the right.  It has no front sight.  In another scene, one can distinctly see the rear sight of another M1.  It has no rear sight cover or aperture.  Kind of difficult to aim an M1 in either circumstance.  I know this may be rather picky, but it sure stood out to this old Marine's eyes. Gus Fisher
• I thought the movie was great and accurate enough for a war movie, especially 50+ years after the fact. The mistake that grabbed me was when the wimp writer was on the stairs with the ammo belt there wasn't a body left there after being shot through the wall by the Jewish soldier! Dan Williams
• Two men yell from the top of the tower what they see. One of the things they spot is a German "Panzer" tank. No such tank existed. Panzer meant armor in German, it was not the name of a tank. The closest might have been a Panther, or a Tiger. xavier14
  • [Reply to xavier14:I think he says "Hazard tanks" and Jackson makes a triangle shape with his hands to indicate "Hazard". C O M A
• How come they use sticky bombs to disable the first tiger in the battle for Ramelle, when they have two perfectly good Bazooka's at their disposal (as said in the weapon check scene)? Okay, a Bazooka might not pack the punch to destroy a Tiger, but a round or two in the tracks would surely cripple it so much easier than trying to stick explosives to its wheels. R van Nooij
• In the final battle scene I don't recall any MG-42s being fired. Did they get killed on their stroll down the middle road of an enemy held town? When I was in the infantry, we moved from building to building. The armor didn't roll until we had the flanks covered at least. Of course the movie's battle hardened SS troops must know something I don't. Charles Ellis
• Did anyone notice that the last rounds fired from the .30 in the tower were from a disintegrating link belt? K Shigemitsu
• At the end, the day is saved by "Tankbuster" aircraft. "Tankbuster" aircraft of this period were usually RAF Typhoons or 9AF zens. But, I can forgive the P-51s since they are at least an aircraft of the period. However, the P-51s used are late model P-51Ds but the majority of P-51s at this time (June 1944) were P-51Bs and/or early Ds. I can forgive that too since there probably aren't too many of those around that are still airworthy. But the checkerboard noses of the Mustangs are for the 78th FG in 1945 which is entirely incorrect. (And furthermore the 78 FG were flying Thunderbolts during the D-Day landings). J Strickland
• When the Capt. and his men arrive in the town, which has been defended for days, Miller is given a sitrep, and shown all of the equipment - WHICH IS LYING COVERED IN SOME DUMB ROOM AND NOT EVEN DEPLOYED!!!  Ha ha. Schultz
• In the Remel scene where they're ambushing the Germans, why aren't there guys on the roofs of the buildings? They would have been able to provide cover fire and the only real danger would have been from a tank. They also should have concentrated on the tanks and then the troops because at the end they were being plagued by marauding tanks driving through the streets. Donna Fallon
• I noticed, that in the final battle, when they're waiting for the tanks and infantry to arrive, you can see the tank turret poking out slightly from the edge of the rubble on the left.. and it's like, blatantly staying there for a long time?! As if waiting for a signal from the director to move round, but you can  obviously see it there. Chris Ryan
• When the rangers meet up with the 101st after blowing up the half-track, the 101st soldier tells the Rangers that the half-track belonged to the 2nd SS division. The problem is that The 2nd SS "Das Reich" division wasn't in France at that time. Only on June 23rd did any elements of that division even arrive in France. The first week in July, their tanks arrived. The SS division attacking in the scene could not be 2nd SS Panzer Group, because that group didn't have any Panzers at that time. Bill
• I agree. At Remel the attacking Germans are supposed to be from the 2nd SS Panzer Division. This division was nowhere near that part of the front. Djcentore
• The 101st soldier in the last scene tells the Rangers that they are expecting the 2nd SS division to attack. The Tiger tank has the insignia of the 1st SS division. The problem is that neither division was in the American sectors in France. Bill
• During the battle in Remel, when the first Tiger is knocked out and all the GIs storm it, they toss grenades through the hatch and yet there is no explosion. This is f***ed up because all of them stay on the tank and get blasted apart by the 20mm when instead they should have dove for cover. But then the tank doesn't explode. (I guess someone forgot to pull the pin!!! hahaha) Tom L
• [Reply to Tom L: Tanks don’t blow up simply because you toss some hand grenades inside of them unless the ammo is set off. There would of course be an explosion, shredding the crew to bits. Snafu]
• [Reply to Tom L: In WW2 the Americans didn't really have a tank until late in the war that could rival the German tanks because of their thick armor. So, that would explain why their was no sound when the German tank was assaulted in the town of Remel and nobody was jumping for cover. Blake Broadway]
• Doesn't the commanders hatch lock from the inside of a Tiger Tank? US troops just open it up and throw in grenades! cwlu44
• Why didn't they set up the charges in one of the buildings on the far side to the bridge--way before the battle started. They could have put Ryan and Upham in there with orders to blow it if any Germans threatened to cross. Then both Ryan and the bridge would have been protected. They certainly had more than enough time to do this with all the time they spent lounging around listening to Edith Paif! T. Locker
• Near the end of the film around the ruined city, two Americans take refugee in a building with a staircase from the street leading up to a small room. I can't remember if there was ONE or TWO Americans. One of them hears footsteps on the stairs coming into the room. He calls out to the person but got no answer so he fires a round into the wall. There is some blood then the sound of a body falling. Later, a German enters the room, fights and kills the American. The German then goes down the stairs and SQUEEZES past another American on the way up... where's the dead body??? It's not at the foot of the stairs as far as I can see! Glen D
• During the final scene (Remel village) the AFV that destroys the tower and kills Jackson et al, is a Marder III. With distance it is positioned from the tower (say 250 yards or so) there is no way the gun could elevate to strike the tower where it does. One of the problems with those SP gun platforms was the limited traverse and elevation of the main armament. In fact, within German armored divisions at that time of the war, the Stug II would have been the most common infantry support weapon. Not the Marder. B. Guynan
• [Reply to B Gunyan: Firstly there was no such vehicle as the Stug II... assuming you mean the Stug III, then you are correct about this being the most used vehicle, but this does not stop a small number of Marder III's from serving with various forces. At this stage of the war an entire armored division in the west (21st) fought the British using mostly rebuilt French equipment. Also one of the largest recipients of the Marder III were SS units. Neil Holmes]
• [Reply to B. Guynan: The most "common" infantry support weapon in 1944 was the replacement for the Sturmgeschutz III 42, the Geschutzwagon 38 in SS divisions, the Stug II being obsolete in 1942. And the later Sturmgeschutz III and IV versions, along w/ any Sturmgeschutz II's left (after being rebarreled) having more of a "tank destroyer" role (lessons learned on the East front). Besides, the Marder's were Antitank weapons and the SS Waffen Panzer Divisions were updated in late 43-44 w/ the Jagdpanzer IV or Jagdpanzer IV 70 as their primary Armored Antitank weapons. An "A" formation like the 2 SS would be the first to be updated as were usually all the SS formations w/ new equipment. And also, the 2nd SS "Das Reich" wasn't fully operational in France till the end of July of that year. Buddy R]
• During the fight for the bridge, the two self propelled guns would not have advanced into the town. They would have sat back and blasted every building with American soldiers in it. The movie also makes the German army look ill-trained when, in fact, they were very good soldiers. Leslie T
• When the American gets blown up by his sticky bomb the fuse was still a good ten inches long and blew in about 10 seconds. When Miller tells the next two to light their bombs about three minutes goes by before they actually get to the tank. And the fuses never get smaller! Marksmenmd
• This error is when Tom Hanks really finds Private Ryan in the field. After Ryan shoots the half-track with his bazooka the first time and causes damage to the half-track. You can hear the motor strain under the damage inflicted and it is a powerful weapon. The second shot stops it cold. Next, the crew of the "German AP" (or anti personal half-track) gets spooked and runs out knowing the enemy is close. Never going to happen! The half-track crew has the advantage because of the height and MG-42's mounted to it. Plus some half-tracks had flame-throwers built in. The crew doesn't even fire a shot? They run out of the track and get machine-gunned dead by Toms Hanks? I guess if the half-track did what it was designed to do Ryan, would have been killed and then there's no movie. M. Strazzella

• [Reply to M. Strazzella: There could have been major damage inside, or possibly a fire that they had to escape. S. Blood]
• [Reply to M. Strazzella: If I was in a halftrack that just got hit twice, I sure as hell wouldn't stay in it. Jeremy Waters]
• [Reply to M. Strazzella: It is mechanized infantry doctrine that you "dismount" when attacked. R Anaya]
• [Reply to M. Strazzella: By that time period in the war, a lot of German soldiers did not know what their vehicles were able to withstand due to lack of training and combat experience. The troops might have been safe in the track even as it smoldered but the lack of experience and knowledge proved costly. I've talked to crewmen that served on U.S. Sherman tanks that would fire an incinerary round at Tiger Tanks, setting the outside of the tank on fire. The crew was still safe inside, but due to the lack of knowing what the tank would withstand, the crew would get scared and jump out thinking the tank was going to blow up. So when the crew of the Tiger would jump out, the Sherman would wait with a 30 cal. and a few riflemen. STAHLHELM66]
• During the street battle at the end of the movie, the American soldiers throw AT LEAST 2 grenades into the hatch of the Tiger tank, yet it fails to explode! WHY? With all the ammo and fuel onboard, surely these grenades would have caused the tank to "brew up"! Were they dud grenades or something, we don't even hear them explode! What a load of bollox! A. Hodder
• [Reply to A. Hodder: Just because you throw an explosive near an explosive doesn't mean that they will ignite. In war the oddest most unexplainable things happen. Jeremy Waters]
• This is about the 2x30 cals that they have in the final battle. Before the battle (or after, I can't remember) they say that they have three machine gun nests but clearly they only have enough weapons for two machine gun nests. Brian H.
• At the end of the movie, Captain Miller is firing his pistol at the Tiger tank and then it suddenly explodes followed a second or two by a Mustang flying overhead. As the Mustang did not seem to be equipped with rocket racks, one can only assume that it was dropping a bomb or bombs. In this case, the Mustang would have surely flown past first followed by an explosion later. In the movie, the Tank blows up first followed later by the plane flying over. Not possible! Darren T 
• During the fight in the streets of 'Remel', CAPT. Miller grabs Ryan and pulls him out of the way as a Tiger tank only 10-20 meters away fires the main gun past them and into a building. The shot from the gun was not the hazard, but the incredible muzzle blast from the 88mm would have knocked them down and possibly killed them and anyone next to them. A lot of movies ignore this fact, anyway. Hans Hull
• When the BAR guy takes up a position in front of the Tiger tank and before he moves towards Ryan to pull him out of harms way, for only one frame, you can see a person with a US M-1 pot on his head with a modern day walkie-talkie in between the buildings looking back towards the BAR guy. I assume he is a movie director of some sort. EAE630
• [Reply to EAE630:That's incorrect. It's an actor holding an M1 Carbine. From that distance it looks like a phone. MP40stg44] 
• When the soldiers are under fire on the tank, you see the man getting shot and fall down but there's one who stays up, and I can clearly see that it's a mannequin doll. Kenneth
• Properly executed armor and infantry attacks are pretty hard to stop by unsupported infantry.  Apparently the German armor was shown without infantry support so that the scenes of the Americans attacking the tanks could be played out.  A properly coordinated attack would have kept the armor and infantry together.  The tanks providing firepower to overcome resistance and the infantry protecting the tanks from anti-armor attacks and engaging enemy infantry. Richard T. Ellis
[Reply to Richard T. Ellis: Regarding the comment "German armor shown without infantry support..." In the initial stage of the attack, infantry followed closely behind the lead tank. An American airborne soldier set off an explosive charge that took out many of the German soldiers, and immediately thereafter machine guns manned by Mellish and Henderson and Jackson and Parker (in the tower) took out more of the infantry. So it was a coordinated armor/infantry attack, but most of the infantry was killed immediately. J. McCarney]
• [Reply to J. McCarney: In Mr. McCarney's response to my comment regarding coordination of Infantry and armor, he states exactly the point I was making.  The German Infantry should have been keeping the U.S. troops from getting close enough to deploy anti-personnel or anti-armor charges.  Once the armor lost the supporting Infantry the Infantry-armor team should have been restored before the attack continued.  In the later scenes of this action when additional German Infantry is deployed the restored combat effectiveness nearly overcomes all resistance by the Americans.  The arrival of allied airpower and Infantry introduced an air-ground team that effectively dealt with the German Infantry and armor.  Coordinated air and combined-arms teams (Infantry, Artillery and Armor) was the hallmark of the German Blitzkrieg in the early days of the war.  If the allies had not had air superiority Ryan might not have been saved. Richard T. Ellis]
• As far as I believe the Tigers shouldn't have even got as far as the town before Something from either the USAAF or RAF had got it. The Allies had almost total Air superiority at that time. David Hughes
• The troops are looking at their ammo and come to the conclusion that they do not have much. But Tom Hanks and Matt Damon certainly go through a lot of rounds and never run out! Anonymous
• As Pvt. Ryan and Capt.. Miller talk about life at home before the attack on the bridge takes place, Hanks sits with his hand in his lap. As the camera shifts point of view from Hanks to Damon, Hank's hands switch position from right hand on top to left hand on top. This is especially noticeable because of the number of time the camera focuses on Hank's hands through out the movie. Anonymous
• In the final battle scene at the bridge, when they blow up one of the German tanks. A German soldier falls out of the tank on fire, but when he faces the camera you can see a fire mask that he is wearing. I know that they are necessary for that shot, but they shouldn't get such a close up of the actor's face. Anonymous
• The US bazooka in the final battle is fired without a rocket. About 6 inches of the fins protrude from the back of the bazooka after it is loaded. The long firing wire is taped to one of the fins. This wire is wrapped around one of two contacts near the rear of the bazooka to allow the electrical firing circuit to be completed when the trigger is squeezed. Perhaps these were like the stealth rockets not seen on the P-51 as reported. H G Snyder
• When the soldiers are preparing to defend the bridge, the cowardly interpreter is given a belt of machine gun ammo. It appears as though the primers are missing from all of the bullets, which would make them unusable. When Capt. Miller and another soldier first throw 60mm mortar rounds at the Germans, the nose of the round in front of the CAPT. appears not to have a fuse, which would make it unusable. Anonymous
• [Reply to Anonymous: Upham is not cowardly. Upham, as you recall, was a map and language translator. He had not fired a gun since basic, so he was pretty scared when he was in the real thing. I don't blame him for being scared. Bob H]
• The two guys shooting through the wall run out of ammo because the coward interpreter doesn't get back to them. They call yell about being out of ammo (and you can see it is) and then pull the gun out of the hole. Problem is the gun has a full belt of ammo feeding into it in the shot where they pull it out of the window. Guess the editing guys decided that shot looked better than the one with the gun empty. Anonymous
• At the end of the movie, before the battle at the bridge, the GI said that the Germans have 2 Tigers and one Panther. BIG disappointment, they "only" had two Tiger's. The third tank looked more like a "Wespe" (Wasp) Howitzer. Of course that way it was easier to take the tank out by throwing hand grenades into the open back. ...still wondering how they made those wonderful Tiger's. Anonymous
  • [Reply to Anonymous: They are two Russan T-34's. This type of conversion was first seen in Kelly's Heroes. The Pvt. Ryan converts were improved by adding more road wheels to the track and mech area, but the tracks and the drive wheel are the big giveaways. J. Wilson]