10 Most Historically Inaccurate War Movies Ever Made

3. The Green Berets (1968)

U 571 Universal
Warner Bros.

America. Land of the free, home of the brave, and winner of all wars. That was, until Vietnam came along…

In the ‘international crusade’ against communism, President Eisenhower in 1955 thought it essential that Communist North Vietnam be dealt with. Here began 20 long years of American humiliation. Year after year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were poured into the country, most of which would suffer at the hands of the super-effective guerrilla tactics of the Vietcong communist fighters.

In 1968, after more than a decade of this, public support for the war began to fade, at which point Hollywood film makers, upon the request of government officials, thought all they needed was a good sexual icon to rally them up. John Wayne to the rescue, veteran actor of cowboy movies, who, although 59 at the time, was cast as the leader of an Elite Special Forces unit in Vietnam. The film was an attempt to make the war in Vietnam look like the ‘Cowboys vs Indians’, we’re-the-good-guys genre everyone was used to. Obviously, it bore no resemblance whatsoever to Vietnamese warfare.

Unsurprisingly, the film didn’t fool anyone. Guess the American public weren’t as stupid as their government had thought…

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Hello there! I am a history student studying at the University of Edinburgh. Originally from Barcelona but have lived in the UK all my life, in London and in Manchester. Aside from history/politics, my passions are film, football and music. Follow me on instagram @adriaarandabalibrea and on twitter @adria_aranda. Hope you enjoy my writing!