Portrayal of history Fury (2014 film)

the schachtellaufwerk wheel arrangement on tiger i, identical tiger 131 used movie.

fury fictional film tank crew during final days of war in europe. ayer influenced service of veterans in family , reading books such belton y. cooper s death traps american armored warfare in world war ii. ayer went considerable lengths seek authentic uniforms , weapons appropriate period of final months of war in europe.

the film shot in england in large part due availability of working world war ii-era tanks. film featured tiger 131, last surviving operational tiger i. tank belongs tank museum @ bovington, england. first time since 1950 film not divided real tiger tank, not prop version, has been used on film set. tiger 131 model tiger tank; externally has significant differences later tiger models, noticeably outermost row of road wheels (of trio per axle, used in schachtellaufwerk overlapping , interleaved arrangement characteristic of tiger i) rimmed in rubber, dustbin shaped cupola. in last weeks of war number of these model tigers used in last ditch defense efforts; 1 of germany s last tigers lost @ brandenburg gate in berlin of similar vintage.

ten working m4 sherman tanks used. sherman tank fury played m4a2 sherman tank named ron/harry (t224875), lent tank museum. ayer s attention detail extended maps used in film. 1943 wartime map of hannover, germany, held in mcmaster university’s lloyd reeds map collection used demonstrate types of resources relied on allied forces.

map of hannover, germany used in film.

while plot of film fictional, depiction of tank fury , commander wardaddy parallels experience of several real allied tankers, such american tank commander staff sergeant lafayette g. war daddy pool landed after d-day , destroyed 258 enemy vehicles before tank knocked out in germany in late 1944, , small number of sherman tanks survive landing @ d-day end of war, such bomb, sherman tank landed @ d-day , survived bitter fighting in germany @ war s end, canadian sherman tank survive fighting d-day ve day. plot has similarities battle of crailsheim, fought in germany in 1945. last stand of crew of disabled fury appears based on anecdote death traps, lone tanker in tank on road junction when german infantry unit approached, apparently not spotting tank in darkness. unnamed tanker described have ricocheted shells enemy forces, fired of machine gun ammunition, , thrown grenades kill german soldiers climbing onto tank. cooper concluded: when our infantry arrived next day, found brave young tanker still alive in tank. entire surrounding area littered german dead , wounded. battle bears resemblance of medal of honor recipient audie murphy aboard burning m10 tank destroyer outside holtzwihr in alsace-lorraine on january 26, 1945. fighting in film bears similarity 1943 film sahara starring humphrey bogart in crew of m3 lee named lulu belle , contingent of stranded british soldiers, defend remote in libya against larger german force of afrika korps, demise of of allies.