Well, yeah - - -
konig - -
Your observations are valid, but . . .
My sweet wife is much amused when I grumble about firearms or police procedural errors on the screen. It is a running joke in our household. I comment; She points to the TV and says, “Tell-ee-vision.” Waves her hand around the living room and pronounces, “REE-AL-I-TEE.”
I recall the
Last Crusade scenes one way, others another. A matter for discussion until I can find a copy and look at it again. No biggy.
It makes no sense in any way. . . . I seriously doubt the twin mounted tail gun unit on that german biblane in "Indiana Jones and the last crusad" was a V-P. . . .
A. According to IMDB, the film is set around 1938.
Okay on the 1938 setting. I figured ’37, but hey - -
Why a VP in the movie? Well, probably because the prop master was looking for a gun emplacement that could easily be mounted without modifications to the airframe. Some collector or gun rental place (Stembridge??) had this little rig (I
still think a V-P) available. It is notably easier to adapt a 9mm SMG for full auto blank fire than most other calibers.
Agree with your premise that the Germans had several standard, full caliber, flex mount machine guns They were/are large and heavy. I dunno if the little plane was actually flown with gun(s) in place for filming the movie, but the little gun used is substantially lighter than a twin mount MG-17, ammo or no. Not to mention the length in proportion to the little biplane used in the movie.
C. It was a movie, I bet the biblane used wasnt even german, . . . .
(Emphasis added.) Right-oh, ol’ chap. I’m not up on my 1930s-era British aircraft, but I’m certain the biplane was a DeHavilland - -- Gypsy Moth, Tiger Moth, one of those. I’ve never read of the Germans using a parasite aircraft being carried aboard any of their Zeppelin airships. The USA had a few, for a while, though.
As to anachronisms in the Indiana Jones movies - - They are replete with ‘em.
Tams mentioned one, the flying wing. The Nazis played with such a design, sure, but there were none operational during the war, much less in 1936 (
Lost Ark.) Same movie - - The Nazis used P38 pistols and MP40 SMGs. (Though I note that in Last Crusade, there was an MP18 in use.
) Indy threatened to blow up the ark with a panzerfaust anti tank rocket. A bit early for those, as well.
I don’t recall any glaring out-of-era examples in
Temple of Doom.
Fun topic, this.
Best,
Johnny