History Main / HollywoodMilitaryUniform

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' has Dan riffing on a lame pastiche of Franchise/CaptainAmerica known as "Sergeant Saskatchewan", a Mountie/Soldier/Superhero hybrid of sorts. For whatever reason he wears the ''American'' sergeant rank emblem of three chevrons instead of the Canadian rank emblem of three inverted chevrons with a maple leaf.

* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. During the Season 1 finale, the Northern Water Tribe has a plan to infiltrate and sabotage the Fire Nation fleet blockading their city by using captured enemy uniforms to get aboard, and then assassinating Admiral Zhao. Then Sokka points out that not only is this plan woefully inadequate to stop a whole fleet, but that it's even less likely to succeed because the uniforms the infiltrators have are nearly ''100 years out of date''. [[spoiler:This gets him kicked off the mission, which is just as well, because it predictably fails and gets all the infiltrators captured or killed.]]

** The two officers on the station platform are wearing black SS uniforms, which would have been phased out (especially outside of Germany) by the time the film takes place (fall 1944/spring 1945). In addition, the officers' rank collar tabs are missing rank pips (or they're [=NCOs=] improperly wearing officers' hats with silver cap braids instead of black leather chinstraps), and neither officer is wearing the Sam Browne belt cross-strap or swastika armband. In addition, one of the officers' cap braids is twisted when they enter the locomotive cab, but straight in the scene before.

* In ''Film/DownPeriscope'', US Navy officers go back and forth between wearing dress blues and dress whites throughout the film; in reality, they would either wear one or the other throughout the entire film, or change over once.

* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. During the Season 1 finale, the Northern Water Tribe has a plan to infiltrate and sabotage the Fire Nation fleet blockading their city by using captured enemy uniforms to get aboard, and then assassinating Admiral Zhao. The Sokka points out that not only is this plan woefully inadequate to stop a whole fleet, but that it's even less likely to succeed because the uniforms the infiltrators have are nearly ''100 years out of date''. [[spoiler:This gets him kicked off the mission, which is just as well, because it predictably fails and gets all the infiltrators captured or killed.]]

* In ''Film/DownPeriscope'', US Navy officers go back and forth between wearing dress blues and dress whites throughout the film; in reality, they would either wear one or the other throughout the entire film, or change over one time.

* In ''Film/DownPeriscope'', US Navy officers go back and forth between wearing dress blues and dress whites throughout the film.

* In ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' episode "Shadows", HYDRA leader Reinhardt and his adjutant wear black Allgemeine-SS uniforms, with several blunders for a supposed unit of the SS, similarly to Red Skull's example from the ''Captain America'' movie below. The most glaring errors are missing left shoulderboard on Reinhardt's uniform, right shoulderboard being incorrect (enlisted man instead of a supposed high-ranking officer), and the collar patches being crooked. Additionally, he has both Close Combat Clasp and silver Panzer Badge decorations, a highly unlikely combination.
* In the episode "The Tale of Train Magic" of ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'', this trope occurred as a result of CanadaDoesNotExist; a soldier on a ghost train featured in a story was depicted wearing a uniform that wasn't ''quite'' American- or British-outline.

* ''None'' of the Nazi Germany uniforms worn in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E21PatternsOfForce Patterns of Force]]" have the correct insignia, epaulets, or collar tabs for the ranks or positions they are identified as in dialogue. This is generally [[HandWave handwaved]] by fans saying since it was a replica of the Third Reich set up on an alien world over 300 years after WWII the Federation historian wasn't that fussy with details. It doesn't explain why Kirk and [=McCoy=]'s uniforms had wrist cuffbands identifying them as belonging to Hitler's special bodyguard unit, though.

Sometimes, a uniform is accurate as far as its design goes but is still inaccurate as depicted because it's being worn improperly (such as a character wearing a hat when regulations would require them to be bareheaded, or vice-versa), worn out-of-season (such as a navy officer wearing dress blues in the middle of summer, when dress whites would be worn), or otherwise anachronistic (such as wearing medals or ribbons for a war that hasn't happened yet when the film takes place).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}}'' episode "Professor Nightshade" has a U.S. military officer addressed as "Admiral" is clearly wearing an Army uniform.

* ''Series/JustForLaughsGags'' barely even ''attempts'' to use accurate uniforms whenever they have a prankster dressing as a member of the military, often putting them in an olive drab outfit with a patrol cap when members of the Canadian Armed Forces wear [=CADPAT=] (a digital camouflage print which the US [=MARPAT=] is derived from) and berets (they only wear their round-brimmed tilley caps in the field or on deployment).

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/russian_submarine_wear.png]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/TheHuntForRedOctober Captain Ramius]]? Snazzy. The real Russian navy? Kinda blah.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheHuntForRedOctober https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/russian_submarine_wear.png]]]]

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This trope falls under ArtisticLicenseMilitary. ArtisticLicenseHistory comes into play if a historical work is involved.

Like HollywoodCopUniform, this trope is most common in live-action visual media. This trope is a SubTrope of HollywoodCostuming.

See TanksButNoTanks for situations when military vehicles are incorrectly portrayed for similar reasons.

!!Examples

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

* ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'' The episode "The Reluctant Recruit" has a sergeant in the cartoon constantly trying to stop Woody's escape. While his uniform is mostly correct, his rank chevrons point upside down. They should be pointing upwards.

* In the episode "The Tale Of Train Magic" of ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'', this trope occurred as a result of CanadaDoesNotExist; a soldier on a ghost train featured in a story was depicted wearing a uniform that wasn't ''quite'' American- or British-outline.

* In ''Film/TheBlueMax'' the costume design department perhaps attempted to show off their work - only to fail miserably, dressing ''every'' German pilot into the uniform of the Prussian 1st Uhlan Regiment - which Manfred von Richthofen (a.k.a. The RedBaron) usually wore, but which was certainly not general issue in the Imperial German Army Air Service ([[GratuitousGerman Luftstreitkräfte]]). Also, the German aircraft are depicted sporting the curve-sided cross (''cross pattée'') insignia, which is incorrect for the period post-March 1918, and also using armament without [[BottomlessMagazines any ammo feed]]. Apparently {{Rule of Cool}} [[http://www.jackhunter.com/BlueMaxOTFInfo.htm reigns supreme]].