Hell Is for Heroes is a 1962 World War II film directed by Don Siegel and stars Steve McQueen as Pvt. John Reese, a disillusioned U.S. soldier (Reese a former master sergeant, demoted to private after a court martial) who joins a rifle squad as a replacement. The cast included James Coburn, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker and Bob Newhart in his feature film debut. Hell Is for Heroes was co-written by Robert Pirosh, who served in in World War II as an infantryman with the 320th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division and saw combat in the Alsace-Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns. Following the war, Pirosh would also write the 1949 war film Battleground, for which he received the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay and subsequently created the WWII television series Combat!. The movie was filmed in the summer of 1961 around Redding, California. It was a very hot summer so many of the scenes were filmed at night; for the comfort of the crew and cast. Though a troubled production with a miniscule budget (McQueen allegedly hated working on the movie and butted heads with director Don Siegel repeatedly) the movie has gone on to become something of a cult classic. It is consistently rated among the better World War II movies to come out of Hollywood.
The following weapons were used in the film Hell Is for Heroes:
Pvt. John Reese (Steve McQueen) uses the M3 "Grease Gun" throughout the film. He tapes three of his magazines together "jungle style" for faster reloading. Interestingly, Reese only has M1 Garand ammunition pouches, and not any box magazine pouches, as there was no pouch made for the M3 magazine and M3 magazines did not fit in a Thompson magazine pouch.
Note: As is common in firing blank ammunition, many weapons used in the film experienced malfunctions. The M3 submachine gun Steve McQueen uses in the film appears to have to be cleared constantly of jams by the actor, notably in the final battle.
The M1 Carbine is seen carried by the mortar crews. The M1 carbines are fitted with the anachronistic bayonet lug.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingKorean War Era M1 Carbine, with Birch Stock, Adjustable sight, bayonet lug, and twin magazine pouch - .30 Carbine. Most of the World War II variations of the M1 Carbine were sent back to the Military Arsenals and retrofitted with the Bayonet Lug and adjustable rear sight. This is the version seen after late 1945 and all the way until the 1960s. This version is seen most often in World War II movies, despite being anachronistic for most World War II battlesError creating thumbnail: File missingMortar crew with M1 carbines slung.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe M1 carbines are fitted with the anachronistic bayonet lug.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAnother shot of the M1 carbines carried by the mortar crew.
The Karabiner 98k is used by opposing German forces. After killing a charging German, Reese picks up the dead soldier's Karabiner 98k rifle and disables it by removing the bolt.
The M2 Flamethrower is used by two soldiers in the final assault
M2 FlamethrowerError creating thumbnail: File missingTwo soldiers advance with the M2 Flamethrower. Note the nearest of the two soldiers is climbing with his right hand on the rear trigger. This could easily allow for accidental discharge, while the fuel would not ignite from the back trigger alone it's still bad technique. The farthest soldier is holding the weapon correctly.
