How accurate was the portrayal at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan?

Question

When did clear plastic come in, for instance?. I thought it was the 1950's.

Answer 1

The soldiers were too old. The average captain was between 24 and 27 years old. Tom Hanks was in his forties. Vets complain there is way too much cussing.
Sand bags are easily knocked over by rifle shots that looked like they were hit by 20-mm rounds.

The Germans look ridiculous with the skin head haircuts. Not in style in the forties except if you went through delousing.

The 2nd SS did not arrive in Normandy until June 13. One week after SPR was to have taken place.
having said all that the film is better than most war movies. At least they made a big effort to make it look like World War 2.
Compare it to something like "Patton" and the "Battle of the Bulge." Any resemblance to World War 2 in either film is purely coincidental.
many GI vets say "Battleground" with Van Johnson gets high marks for accuracy.

Answer 2

Plastics did exist in ww2 but were almost strictly for military applications as were a lot of inventions we now consider modern conveniences like computers and 4 wheel drive. the green gas mask bags had a plastic liner. the plastic bags used to protect the rifles were probably originally used for something else, like covering parts and the solders jury rigged them to act as water resistant pouches.

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/d-day-message/images/landing-in-france.gif - if you look at the end of the landing bay where the ramp begins, there appears to be one of these jury rigged bags laying on the deck.

other wise vets say the beginning is quite accurate.

ADD ON: if you look very closely at the soldier above the "Bag" (the one who is partially cut off by the side of the boat), you will notice his rifle appears to have a "Halo" that is blocking out part of the soldier in front of him, but light is passing around the gun. A good sign there is some kind of covering on the rifle its self.

Answer 3

On Omaha coastline the casualties have been horrendous. the real scenes of the conflict have been maximum in all risk worse. the actual casualties of Omaha coastline human beings drowning interior the water shot to products on the coastline, killed earlier they might get out of the touchdown crafts are all traditionally superb suited. the thought that they might definitely make it up the cliffs on the coastline and at last force the Germans returned is the place fact will become stranger then fiction. The Bangalore torpedo or land torpedo became used interior the actual conflict and did help them take the cliffs. The group of a military destroyer observing the conflict took a raffle beaching their craft to help the adult adult males on the coastline firing on the bunkers on ideal of the cliffs at Omaha coastline.