Movies play a big role in the perception of historical events. In the video, YouTuber OTD Military History compares how the movie Fury showed combat versus how it was covered in the historical footage from WWII.
Unsurprisingly, the movie and historical footage share many similarities – but some have critical differences.
Advance over open ground
Infantries are usually spread out to limit casualties that could occur from enemy fire. The same thing can be said about the tanks, which are also spread out to minimize losses. Caution is used during the advance, and the area over which the events will take place is carefully studied.
What Fury did wrong:
Unlike real battles, the troops in Fury stayed in tight groups close to the tanks – a surefire way to get everyone taken out at once. Some were even too close that they could have been run over by their own tank!
Fighting in urban areas
As always, the troops and tanks are expected to spread out even in urban areas. The latter uses the roads, while the former can be seen hugging the buildings. When turning corners, tanks are expected to make a stop in order to check for any enemy positions on the other side. Urban areas can become strong chokepoints, with plenty of covers for the enemy to spring out of.
What Fury did wrong:
Troop movements in Fury are more frantic and rushed compared to historical footage. They’re bunched up behind the tanks and did a poor job checking the buildings for any enemies. In one scene, a tank even wandered into an open square without scouting ahead. As a result, the tank was taken down by German firepower.
Conclusion
The point that OTD Military History made can be summed up with this: Movies aren’t the best way to build your historical knowledge.
Movies will always lean on more action, so it’s understandable that there were “mistakes” in history-related films.