Could you find any inaccuracies in PLATOON?
I'd be hard pressed to find any inaccuracies.
But for the record, I wasn't there and I doubt most people reading this were. We need a Vietnam Vet to tell us.
As for what I could find, very minor.
Their M16A1s.
1) The barrels show the birdcage flash suppressor. This is not totally accurate. At that time, the M16A1s had the original open, triangular flash suppressors. According to history, the original flash suppressor worked well and had the bonus of being easy to clean. The problem was, hiking through the jungle on patrol, the open flash suppressor had the tendency to snap on vines and other vegetation. The closed birdcage flash suppressor was introduced only very late in the war, almost at the end. Supposedly after the war, the U.S. Army had all its M16A1s refurbished to the new birdcage flash suppressor.
2) Bolt assist on the M16A1s. I need a Vietnam Vet to confirm this. The U.S. Army initially issued large numbers of M16s, which preceded the M16A1. The M16 did not have the bolt assist and had the original open, triangular flash suppressor. The M16A1 entered service in either late 1968 or 1969.
3) The XM770 version of the M16A1 carried by the staff sergeants.
I am sure about this one from the photographic evidence and historical accounts. The carbine versions show a 16-inch barrel. The historical M16 'shorties' had a short, 10.5 inch barrel and a 3.5 inch flash suppressor. This carbine version did not survive the Vietnam War. The 10.5 inch barrel was too short to offer consistent cycling of the bolt carrier. The U.S. Army rediscovered this during tests with the proposed XM4 during the early 1990s. Tests showed the M16 required a minimum of 12-inches barrel length for reliable cycling during shooting and even then, it was still not 100%. The Army felt comfortable with a sure thing 14-inch barrel for the accepted M4 carbine version of the M16A2.
4) The CAPTAIN. The movie portrays the company's captain as an experienced, competent man. The problem is, according to Vietnam War history, he looks far too old. In real history that man would be at least an experienced major and possibly a lieutenant colonel in Vietnam. Promotions were faster during the war because of casualties and the plain fact that men gain experience faster in combat. During the Vietnam War, U.S. Army captains in Vietnam were often 24 1/2 years old. Compare that to the peacetime Army, circa 1990, where just-promoted captains are 26 1/2 years old. Still, it was a minor detail