Historical Inaccuracies in the World War II Movie Fury

Historical wars have inspired an innumerable amount of movies over the past century, and no topic has been used as frequently as World War 2. 

The movie “Fury” arrived on movie screens in 2014 under the guidance of revered director David Ayer, who also wrote the film.

The movie’s premise follows the life of Norman, an inexperienced soldier drafted to serve as a machine-gunner on a tank known as Fury during World War II.

While “Fury” is not based on a specific event during WWII, the film was inspired by the real-life experiences of tank crews during the war.

Pitt’s tank commander character, US Army Staff Sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier, in “Fury” is based on a real-life American tank commander named Staff Sergeant Lafayette G. Pool who was given the wartime nickname of “War Daddy.”

“Fury” showcases intense and gritty battle scenes contributing to the film’s realism. Using practical effects, realistic sound design, and well-choreographed action sequences also helped add to the film’s overall authenticity.

Another way “Fury” built on the realism of WWII was by using a real tank from the war. The Tiger tank used in the battle with Fury is an actual German Tiger tank that fought in WWII. The tank was captured by British forces in North Africa in 1943.

The cast of “Fury” underwent an intense “boot camp” to prepare for those roles as tank crew members in WWII.

Brad Pitt told USA Today that the cast also met with real-life tankers from WWII to learn about what the experience was like for them. The veterans talk about the hardships of war, sharing the brutality of life as a tanker.

Despite the movie being well received when it was first released, it had several inaccuracies that historians and movie buffs quickly called out. 

The first inaccuracy comes a few minutes into the movie, shortly after we’re given a glimpse of “Fury.”

One scene of the movie sees Brad Pitt and Fury leading a three-tank convoy. The Germans soon ambush them, yet only the rear tank is attacked. 

Further inaccuracies from the ambush scene show the three Sherman tanks pushing toward the German Tiger despite having two guns that could destroy the enemy tank from a distance (per The Guardian). 

While “Fury” doesn’t shy away from the horrors of war, tanker vet Bill Betts told The Guardian that the final scene felt like it lacked credibility.

Betts continued: “The Germans seemed to be used as cannon fodder. In reality, they would have been battle-hardened and fanatical troops who would have easily taken out an immobile Sherman tank using Panzerfausts (an anti-tank bazooka).”

The scene received considerable criticism as the American Sherman tank eventually destroyed the German Tiger I.

The German tanks, which roamed across the battlefield at the war’s end, enjoyed a sizable advantage in firepower and armor compared to the Sherman tanks.

“Fury” director acknowledges the error of having the German Tiger tank blast the last Sherman in the column.

Throughout the film, artillery shells, machine guns, and bullet tracers appear much different than they would in real life. While inaccurate, there is a reason behind it.

During the final battle, Gordo, played by Michael Peña, looks through his periscope and calls out, “Panzerfaust, four o’clock!”

Right at the movie’s end, the team inside the Fury tank takes on an entire regiment of SS soldiers.

Despite the cast going to boot camp for the film, the movie lacks any infantry tactics from both sides of the war.

In one of the final battles, a Model 24 “potato masher” is thrown inside the tank. However, the device would have not been a blast effect grenade unlike the ones used from 1942. Plus, the devastation inside the tank would have been much worse.

When Fury finally exhausted its ammo, the American soldier, Brad Pitt, all but accepted defeat. Finally, the Germans decided to throw in two grenades. Yet, they forget to explode until Norman escapes Fury through a door to the underside of the tank.