Remember that all spoilers are unmarked in Headscratchers and Fridge pages.
- Each plane is 2 hours from target at fail safe point. The order for the 23rd airborne to move in and get General Ripper wasn't issued until at least 40 minutes into that 2 hours. Especially considering it wasn't last minute recall. Going by the big board and time shown of Major Kong's plane after the code was issued, it was issued with at least 15 minutes to spare. More if you consider Major Kong went to a target of opportunity and not his primary. In anycase the 23rd airborne was somehow able to receive and relay the order, wake up the units 3 in the morning, get ready, pack in trucks, drive 7 miles into an ambush, then fight their way to the air base command post for Colonel Bat Guano to get Mandrake on the phone in an hour or less. The air field defense force must be the worst and the 23rd airborne must be the most efficient and badass army unit ever.
- Air Police are precisely that: a police force, lightly-equipped. They're very good at what they do but against dedicated infantry they're fighting out of their weight.
- During the skirmish, it also doesn't look like 3 or 4 in the morning either.
- It's 3 am in Washington when the movie starts, but we don't know where the AF base is supposed to be.
- The base is supposed to be in the U.K., which would make it about 7:00 AM. Keep in mind the latitude will affect how light or dark it is outside as well.
- The issue with the base being in the U.K. is that Mandrake has to use American terms when speaking with the operator and definitely isn't placing an overseas call.
- Why is De Sadesky bothering to take a picture of the War Room after the bomb has been dropped?
- The Same reason general Turgidson is talking about a mine shaft gap at around the same time, even though 95% of the human race is going to be dead within a few years. The end is here but nobody has been able to stop their cold war habits for even a moment despite that. No doubt it's part of the satire, along with gleely talking about setting up harems for reproduction.
- This wouldn't be a problem in the 1990s because of Public Key encryption, but only General Ripper and the airplane crew know the three-letter code prefix. How was the prefix transmitted without being intercepted the way the order itself was?
