The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: History vs. Hollywood

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare true story is compared to the Guy Ritchie WW2 movie about Operation Postmaster, a mission carried out by the British Army's No. 62 Commando, also known as the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF). The Small Scale Raiding Force operated as part of Winston Churchill's broader covert division, the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Led by Major Gus March-Phillips, who is portrayed by Henry Cavill in Guy Ritchie's Operation Postmaster movie, the British special ops team attempts to steal three axis-aligned ships from the harbor of Santa Isabel on the island of Fernando Po off of West Africa. Does The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare's real story resemble the version of history in this Operation Postmaster movie?

In this fact-check, we answer numerous questions regarding this Guy Ritchie WW2 movie's historical accuracy. For example, did Anders Lassen (portrayed by Alan Ritchson) use a bow and arrows in combat? Which of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare's characters are based on real people? Was Marjorie Stewart (Eiza González) a part of Operation Postmaster? In the true story, did the mission result in that high of a body count? Finally, the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare's ending is explained, including whether Prime Minister Winston Churchill thanked them by serving them lobster.

[TheGoproGuy]

Yes this movie doesn’t accurately represent history, but then again, who said this was a documentary? This is a film for purely entertainment purposes. And I freakin loved it

[deefective]

After the release of the movie Argo, it was criticized for it's accuracy. Ron Howard said " if you want the facts don't look to Hollywood"

[namelastname]

The film does mention at the end that Gus March-Phillipps most likely inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond.

[gafortheloveofgamenfilm]

Love it, cause Henry gets to play the man who inspired James bond so Henry gets to be the real james bond so cool

[ren]

Just finished watching this movie... and I do have to say I was genuinely entertained...

[MrSEANDEERE]

As a historian, I watched this film not for a leasson but I good time. I saw the trailler and alreadynwas loving the action comedy aspect of it and the WW2 spy theme was the icing on the cake.
I enjoyed it, it was funny had great action scene. A solid movie.

Henry Cavill had me in stiches when he put on the SS uniform. Hell that was hilarious.

[magnopedro]

Interesting fact, I literally realized today that I was able to listen perfectly in English for the first time, thanks man, your content is really good

[CEngelbrecht]

Extra trivia:
Anders Lassen joined the Allied war effort on April 9th, 1940, the day of Nazi Germany's invasion of both his native Denmark and Norway. April 9th is a mythical date in both those countries.
Lassen was KIA exactly five years later in Northern Italy, on April 9th, 1945. Denmark was liberated by British forces on May 5th, less than a month after Lassen's death.

[JohnDerbyshire-nsup]

Mad jack churchill was a British soldier who actually used a longbow in battle and had several confirmed kills with it. He also carried a Scottish claymore sword and bagpipes into battle.

[jonnyh]

Regarding the use of a bow and arrow, I'd recommend reading up on another legendary British soldier - Lieutenant Colonel John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill.

[ewjiml]

I don’t think this movie was going for historical accuracy…..I mean the Nazi commander literally dealing with a black African businessman is kind of absurd….

[AGoodJoe]

Cool video. Hope no one really thought this was gonna be Saving Private Ryan or Dunkirk. Just a super fun Ritchie film and I'm here for it.

[gregralph]

I totally agree. These stories are surely dramatic enough without exaggeration.

[MrEd]

basically. from the start of the movie i kinda knew it was going to be an overexaggeration of Operation Postmaster. but even then. i had a lot of fun with this film. end of the day the movie is entertainment and not a documentary. i think people forget that when they watch movies about events. general audiences dont like Tora Tora Tora or Midway because.... well... its boring. war history nerds do because its pretty close to what happened. and you know what? entertainment is what got me into history and learning about the real stories anyway.

you brought up saving private ryan and the d-day landings. a sequence that can be picked and picked and picked apart for its inaccuracies. but the authenticity and chaos is there. but then you get the whole movie and its ridiculous concept of 1 group of rangers trying to find 1 person. but we need a story instead of "oh its a inspired by a guy named Niland who heard his brothers died then got shipped home when he arrived at Division". so we got a good movie even with its flaws, ridiculous concept, and inaccuracies.

[anniez]

Read the book. Watched this docu-drama for it's entertainment value. Enjoyed the drama.
It is my home when the younger generations see this & other films like it, they will go on to read & learn more about our history.
LEST WE FORGET!

[captain]

I'll vote for this film also. Bottom line...it was a wonderful discovery and 2 hours of fun.

[SciFiGeek]

As a history buff, this movie is the equivalent of watching Speed Racer to learn about nascar.

[munanchoinc]

As far the Bow and Arrow weapon of choice. It's likely inspired by Mad Jack Churchill who was officially the last person in a major war to ever score a kill using a Bow and Arrow

[jdrancho]

Elsa Gonzalez' character being Jewish not German?? WTH? Jewish is not a nationality. She can be German, or French, or Polish, or Russian, or any other nationality and ALSO be Jewish. Jewish is also not a language.

[raulmorales]

Ok friends, history is one thing, a movie is another. If from the beginning they tell us that it is based on a true story, then you don't want the real story, for that you read the books. It is pure entertainment but admit it, well done. Now everyone comes out and criticizes or says that it would have been better to have made the movie sticking to the real history, none of you would have gone to see it, since as "historians" have clarified, there was no such bloodshed, two actions were mixed as if one had been followed by the other (I am referring to the captain's rescue). So, finally, thankful for the historical theme, impressed by what these men were, incredible that they did everything without killing a Nazi, but let me enjoy an entertaining movie.