History AnachronismStew / RaidersOfTheLostArk

* The fuel truck that starts leaking at the airfield is a 1938 Morris Commercial CD Zwicky Flight Refueler, which entered service with the RAF in 1937. The troop transport that Marion shoots up is a 1937 Morris Commerical CV.

* Marion's white, stiletto-like high heels weren't popular until the 1950s, with open-toed "peeps" becoming widely popular only in the late 1970s and early 1980s (when ''Raiders'' was made). High heels fell out of favor during [[TheGreatDepression The Great Depression]] and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII World War 2]] (1930s-1940s), due to their representation of excess and wastefulness in [[TheRoaringTwenties the 1920s]].[[http://history-of-heels.weebly.com/the-20th-century.html]]

* In 1936, Egypt was not under British rule [[note]] it had been a British protectorate but was declared to be an independent kingdom in 1922, although Britain still maintained considerable influence[[/note]] but there was a considerable British military presence, primarily to guard the Suez Canal. It would've been impossible for German troops to operate there without the express permission of the Egyptian government, which would not have been given. It's possible that the soldiers could have snuck in after the Nazis -- or rather, Belloq acting as the Nazis' front-man -- had been given permission to conduct an archaeological dig, but given the number of soldiers and the amount of military hardware they have with them, it's a big stretch.

* The car Marcus drives to Indy's house is a 1937 Lasalle (Cadillac's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Companion_Make_Program Companion]]), although the model year for a brand new car starts halfway through the previous year (i.e. 2014 starts June-2013)).

* Marian Ravenwood's white, stiletto-like high heels weren't popular until the 1950s, with open-toed "peeps" becoming widely popular only in the late 1970s and early 1980s (when "Raiders" was made). High heels fell out of favor during [[TheGreatDepression The Great Depression]] and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII World War 2]] (1930s-1940s), due to their representation of excess and wastefulness in [[TheRoaringTwenties the 1920s]].[[http://history-of-heels.weebly.com/the-20th-century.html]]

* German troops are clearly the Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK), which was not formed until 1941, as they use its symbol (a swastika on the trunk of a palm tree) and wear tropical uniforms intended for DAK use and introduced in 1940. In 1936, they would have worn either the standard wool uniforms or, given the hot weather, model 33 cotton work uniforms.
* Captain Katanga's hat bears the insignia of the Yugoslav People's Navy, which was formed in 1945.

* The Golden Gate Bridge appears when Indy departs from San Francisco. Said bridge was not completed until 1937; that said, it was ''nearing completion'' in 1936 (construction having begun in 1933), so it's feasible that it could look as though it's more or less finished from a distance.

* The maps showing Indy's plane trips have a couple errors (for the [[JustPlaneWrong planes themselves]], see above).

** The one showing his and Marion's journey from Nepal to Egypt shows Jordan, which was called Transjordan until 1949.

* In 1936, Egypt was not under British rule but there was a British military presence, primarily to guard the Suez Canal. It would've been impossible for German troops to operate there without the express permission of the Egyptian government or indeed the British government, which would not have been given. It's possible that the soldiers could have snuck in (bringing a considerable amount of military hardware with them) after the Nazis -- or rather, Belloq acting as the Nazis' front-man -- had been given permission to conduct an archaeological dig, but it's a big stretch.
* The Golden Gate Bridge appears when Indy departs from San Francisco. The Bridge was not completed until 1937; that said, it was ''nearing completion'' in 1936 (construction having begun in 1933), so it's feasible that it could look as though it's almost completed from a distance.

* The conning tower of the U-boat that intercepts the ship carrying the Ark reads "26". The U-26 was a Type IA U-boat commissioned in 1936. The hull is incorrect for that type and that sub; it is actually the full size shell of the Type VIIC U-96 used in ''Film/DasBoot''. The Type VIIC went into service in 1940.
** Neither the Type IA nor the VIIC had hatches large enough to allow the crate carrying the Ark. The captain also clearly orders the sub to dive ("''Tauchen''"), however a lack of constant air supply, limited battery capacity and reduced speed meant U-boats only dove for defence, attack or heavy weather. The only way a U-boat could travel below the surface was with the ''Schnorkel'', which was invented during the war.

* Near the end, Indy threatens to destroy the Ark with a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon. According to the film's armourer, it is a Type 56, a Chinese copy of the RPG-2, made to look like a WWII German anti-tank rocket launcher, but with a shoulder grip like an M9 Bazooka. Germany did not have an anti-tank rocket launcher in 1936, nor were they even developing such weapons at that time -- such weapons like the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck came much later during the war, to replace the anti-tank rifles everybody used before then.

* The maps showing Indy's plane trips have a couple errors (for the [[JustPlanWrong planes themselves]], see above).

* The Nazi Flying Wing aircraft didn't actually exist and is presumably there for RuleOfCool. It's based on a combination of two prototypes, one German and the other American -- the Horten [=Ho229=] (a jet-powered fighter-bomber developed for the Luftwaffe in the later stages of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, although they only got round to flying a glider prototype) and the propeller-driven Northrop YB-35 (which first flew in 1946). There ''[[AccidentallyCorrectWriting was]]'' a different Nazi flying wing design almost identical to the one in the movie, the [[http://www.luft46.com/lippisch/lip04106.html Lippisch Li P.04-106]], but it's highly unlikely the filmmakers knew about it.

* The Nazi Flying Wing aircraft didn't actually exist and is presumably there for RuleOfCool. It's based on a combination of two prototypes, one German and the other American -- the Horten [=Ho229=] (a jet-powered fighter-bomber developed for the Luftwaffe in the later stages of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, although they only got round to flying a glider prototype) and the propeller-driven Northrop YB-35 (which first flew in 1946). There ''[[Accidentally Correct Writing was]]'' a different Nazi flying wing design almost identical to the one in the movie, the [[http://www.luft46.com/lippisch/lip04106.html Lippisch Li P.04-106]], but it's highly unlikely the filmmakers knew about it.

* The Nazi Flying Wing aircraft didn't actually exist and is presumably there for RuleOfCool. It's based on a combination of two prototypes, one German and the other American -- the Horten [=Ho229=] (a jet-powered fighter-bomber developed for the Luftwaffe in the later stages of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, although they only got round to flying a glider prototype) and the propeller-driven Northrop YB-35 (which first flew in 1946).

* The map showing Indy's plane's trip to Nepal has Thailand written on it. Thailand was called Siam until 1939. The map to Egypt has Jordan, which was called Transjordan until 1949.

* In 1936, Egypt was not under British rule but there was a British military presence, primarily to guard the Suez Canal. It would've been impossible for German troops to operate there without the express permission of the Egyptian government or indeed the British government, e. g. to force Egyptians to work on the excavation site. For the same reason, there was no need for the US government to send Indy to stop the Nazis' search for the Ark.
* The Golden Gate Bridge appears when Indy departs from San Francisco. The Bridge was not completed until 1937; although construction began in 1933 and was not open to traffic until 1937, it was nearing completion, so it's feasible it could appear almost completed from a distance in 1936.

* The Nazi Flying Wing aircraft didn't actually exist and is presumably there for RuleOfCool. It's based on a combination of two prototypes, one German and the other American -- the Horten [=Ho229=] (a jet-powered fighter-bomber developed for the Luftwaffe in the later stages of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII) and the propeller-driven Northrop YB-35 (which first flew in 1946).

* Indiana flies out of San Francisco to Asia is a Short Solent 3, which first flew in 1946. The exact one used was an ex-BOAC owned by Howard Hughes. It is meant to stand in for the Martin M-130 ''China Clipper'', which started service in 1934 and crashed in 1945. It also makes stopovers at Honolulu (Hawaii), Wake Island, Manila (Philippines) and finally arriving at Nepal (possibly Kathmandu). All of these non-stop flight stretches (which range from 2300-3000 miles) are way too long for the Short Solent's maximum range of approximately 1800 miles (the M-130's range was 3200 miles, for reference).
* When Indy and Marion travel from Nepal to Egypt, the map of their route is superimposed over a Douglas DC-3. The DC-3 first flew on December 17, 1935, and the first ones were delivered in 1936. Most of the 300-400 DC-3s in service were flying for American, Eastern, United, and TWA airlines in 1936, and it would have been highly unlikely to find one flying between Nepal to Egypt then. It also makes stopovers at Karachi (Pakistan - part of India in 1936), Baghdad (Iraq) and finally arriving in Cairo. With the exception of the Baghdad-Cairo stretch (about 800 miles), all of these flight stretches (which range from 1200-1500 miles) are way too long for the DC-3's maximum range of approximately 1000 miles.
* The Nazi Flying Wing aircraft didn't actually exist and is presumably there for RuleOfCool. It's based on a combination of two prototypes, one German and the other American -- the Horten Ho229 (a jet-powered fighter-bomber developed for the Luftwaffe in the later stages of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII) and the propeller-driven Northrop YB-35 (which first flew in 1946).

* The conning tower of the U-boat that intercepts the ship carrying the Ark reads "26". The U-26 was a Type IA U-boat commissioned in 1936. The hull is incorrect for that type and that sub; it is actually the full size shell of the Type VIIC U-96 used in ''Film/DasBoot''. The Type VIIC went into service in 1940.\\
\\
Neither the Type IA nor VIIC had hatches large enough to allow the crate carrying the Ark through. The captain also clearly orders the sub to dive ("Tauchen"), however a lack of constant air supply, limited battery capacity and reduced speed meant U-boats only dove for defense, attack or heavy weather. The only way a U-boat could travel below the surface is with the Schnorkel, which was invented during the war.

* The globe in Indy's classroom has African countries that did not exist in 1936.

* Captain Kananga's hat bears the insignia of the Yugoslav People's Navy, which was formed in 1945.

* The car Marcus drives to Iny's house is a 1937 Lasalle (Cadillac's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Companion_Make_Program Companion]]), although the model year for a brand new car starts halfway through the previous year (i.e. 2014 starts June-2013)).

* Soldiers who don't carry the MP 40 carry Mauser Kar 98s, which started manufacture in 1935 and is conceivable it would be out of the country as early as 1936, but they would more than likely actually use Mauser Gewehr 98s.

* Near the end, Indy threatens to destroy the Ark with a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon. [[WordOfGod According to the film's armourer]], it is a Type 56, a Chinese copy of the RPG-2, made to look like a WWII German anti-tank rocket launcher, but with a shoulder grip like an M9 Bazooka. Germany did not have an anti-tank rocket launcher in 1936, nor were they even developing such weapons at that time -- such weapons like the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck came much later during the war, to replace the anti-tank rifles everybody used before then.

* Indy has a Browning Hi-Power as his backup pistol. John Browning was designing it when he died in 1925, and FN started manufacturing it in 1935, so it is not impossible he might have one that early, though unlikely. After he loses it in the fire in Marion's bar, he has a different one, made by John Inglis Co. of Canada, which has a distinctive rear sight "hump". Inglis started manufacturing the Hi-Power in 1944. Interestingly, Indy was envisioned carrying a 1911, but because 9mm blanks were the most reliable, he uses a 9mm Hi-Power.
* Near the end, Indy threatens to destroy the Ark with a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon. [[WordOfGod According to the film's armourer]], it is a Type 56, a Chinese copy of the RPG-2, made to look like a WWII German anti-tank rocket launcher, but with a shoulder grip like an M9 Bazooka. Germany did not have an anti-tank rocket launcher in 1936, nor were they even developing such weapons at that time -- the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck came much later during the war.