Wardaddy’s veteran tankers wear the Combat Winter Uniform Jacket, aka “The Tanker Jacket”, as part of their uniform. This would have been the original-issue uniform that tankers at the time would have been provided with. Norman wears the newer M1943 Field Jacket, distinguishable for its many large pockets and greener color. The choice of uniform would have reflected on the status of the men, with veterans wearing the older-issue uniforms while replacements would have the newer issue.
Shia LaBeouf reportedly pulled out his own tooth and did not shower during filming.
The cast underwent a rigorous month-long course of boot camp, in which the final test was manning a real tank during a combat exercise. Despite being considerably older than his cast mates, Brad Pitt made sure that he participated in all of the physical training alongside the other actors.
At 50, Brad Pitt is considerably older than the average WWII NCO (non-commissioned officer), who likely would have been in his early to mid 20s. Considering his age, choice of sidearm, and long service record mentioned in the film, it’s entirely possible that his character is also a WWI veteran. It might also explain why his character knew German before the war started, as Gordo mentions in the beginning.
During filming, Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf almost got in a real fight with Scott Eastwood while the cameras were rolling. Eastwood, riding on the back, kept spitting tobacco juice on the tank. Pitt and LaBeouf felt this was disrespectful to their “home”, and exchanged words with Eastwood. Things grew pretty heated until Pitt and LaBeouf found out the script actually called for Eastwood’s character to spit his tobacco juice on the tank.
The cut Shia LaBeouf has on his face is real. He inflicted it himself each time it was necessary, to add another layer of realism to his performance.
Many of the outfits in the film were based on real exhibits acquired from museums around the world.
The main Shermans used in Fury were : ‘Fury’, an M4A3E8 (76)W HVSS Sherman tank from the Bovington Tank Museum, formerly ‘Ron/Harry’, ‘Lucy Sue’, an M4A2 Sherman from Tay Restorations, ‘Matador’ an M4E8 (76)W HVSS Sherman from Jeep Sud Est, ‘Murder, Inc.’ an M4A4 Sherman from Adrian Barrell, and ‘Old Phyllis’, an M4A1 (76)W Sherman.
Writer / director David Ayer had the actors fight each other on set before shooting scenes to tighten their bond.
Brad Pitt said about the rigors of shooting in Oxfordshire, England: “No rations, no showers and we were sleeping in the rain. It was miserable, but we loved it”.
The song the SS troops are singing while they march to attack the crossroads is an actual SS march song entitled “SS Marschiert in Feindesland”.
The weapon carried by Brad Pitt, which he uses to shoot several German soldiers, is a German-made Sturmgewehr 44, also known as a StG 44, the world’s first “Assault Rifle”.
Michael Peña did his own stunt driving for the tank.
This marks the first time a genuine Tiger I tank has been used in the production of a WW II film. It features “Tiger 131” from the UK’s Bovington Tank Museum, the only fully functioning Tiger tank in the world.
At some points in the film, you can see that the grips of Wardaddy’s revolver have a picture of a woman’s face visible on them. These reflect a known phenomenon during WWII known as “sweetheart” grips. These were created by removing the government-issue grips on pistols and replacing them with custom-made ones made from scrounged Plexiglas. A picture of a wife or lover would then be placed under the new grips.
Fury” is additionally easily distinguished from other tanks by its having two machine guns fitted to the top of the turret. This was actually a not-uncommon practice of tankers, because if they wanted to use the top .50-cal. machine gun they would have to get out and stand on the engine deck, exposing themselves, so they would mount another gun in front of the commander’s hatch to let the commander use it without exposing himself. One tank that is known to have the extra .30-cal. gun is Col. Creighton Williams Abrams “Thunderbolt VIII”.
Two brands of cigarettes are used: Lucky Strike and Camel. If someone was required to be seen smoking during a scene, they could either choose an herbal version or a real cigarette with the filter removed. The herbal cigarettes burnt away after approximately one minute. The cigar being smoked by the infantry battalion doctor during surgery is a genuine Cuban, as were all other cigars.
Wardaddy’s pistol is a Smith & Wesson M1917, issued primarily in WW I to supplement the standard-issue Colt M1911, which was in short supply. They were also issued on a limited basis to second-line and non-deployed troops during WW II.
Some of the weapons used on Fury were also used on Saving Private Ryan (1998), Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010).
This movie had a 62 day shoot.
The musical piece played by Norman on the piano and sung by Emma is called “The Virgin’s Slumber Song.” It was composed by Max Reger. The German title (as sung in the movie) is “Mariä Wiegenlied” (“Maria sitzt am Rosenhag”).
The film had 350 extras during one scene.
In a pivotal scene a character recites 1 John 2:16 to Shia LaBeouf’s character, Boyd Swan: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world”. This same passage was used in a previous film starring LaBeouf, Lawless (2012), also in a poignant scene.The unit the tank crew belongs to is the US Army’s 2nd Armored Division, also known as “Hell on Wheels”. This unit was deactivated in 1995.
The unit the tank crew belongs to is the US Army’s 2nd Armored Division, also known as “Hell on Wheels”. This unit was deactivated in 1995.
At the end of WW II Adolf Hitler created a new type of army containing civilian boys down to the age of 12. Through heavy propaganda but not much training these young boys were sent to the front lines as a last attempt to defeat the enemy.
The Sherman tanks seen in this movie were considered the weakest of tanks at that time period. However, the L55 M1A2 76mm gun mounted on Fury was capable of penetrating the front armor of the Tiger tank at ranges up to 700 meters, more if HVAP ammo was used.
In late 2014, Sony Pictures was the victim of a major hack of their computer systems in which confidential corporate information and several unreleased complete movies were posted for public consumption. Among reams of other information, DVD-quality download of this movie appeared online; only two months after its cinematic release.
Director David Ayer apologized after filming took place on Remembrance Sunday despite film-makers being asked to suspend filming.There’s a scene where Michael Peña’s character is shown wearing a top hat. This is a clear homage to another fictitious tank driver character, Cpl. Joseph Porta, who was known for wearing a yellow one, in the famous Sven Hassel novels, which were about the German army’s (fictitious) 27th Panzer Battalion, a heavy-duty armored regiment that was a “penal battalion”–made up of misfit German soldiers who were taken from various military prisons and jails and sent to the Russian front.
There’s a scene where Michael Peña’s character is shown wearing a top hat. This is a clear homage to another fictitious tank driver character, Cpl. Joseph Porta, who was known for wearing a yellow one, in the famous Sven Hassel novels, which were about the German army’s (fictitious) 27th Panzer Battalion, a heavy-duty armored regiment that was a “penal battalion”–made up of misfit German soldiers who were taken from various military prisons and jails and sent to the Russian front.
The weapon Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) refers to as a “grease gun” in the final battle scene was an M3 submachine gun.
The main reason they shot near London was the assets were there (tanks, equipment, props) and the tax breaks, weather, and they needed to go somewhere that wasn’t really cold.
This is not the first time Jon Bernthal has played a character in a WW II setting. He played US Marine Sgt. Manny Rodriguez in the award-winning HBO miniseries The Pacific (2010).
The producers used security men with Rottweiler dogs to “dissuade” members of the public from taking photographs of filming from (perfectly legal) public footpaths.
In one scene you can clearly see Shia LaBeouf smoking an American Spirit cigarette, due to its distinct logo printed on the paper.
Michael Peña’s character’s nickname is “Gordo”, which means “fat” in Spanish.
Capt. Waggoner (Jason Isaacs) is seen wearing a parka. This is actually a grey German hooded parka issued to Waffen SS with the green camo sleeve rank of Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant).
This is Logan Lerman and Jason Isaacs’ second war movie together, the first being _The Patriot (2000), about the American Revolutionary War.
In the German house scene where Brad Pitt first sits, the picture is exactly where the “cigarette burn” in Fight Club (1999) is.
Brad Pitt’s and Jon Bernthal’s haircuts weren’t exactly “regulation” haircuts for WW II-era soldiers. However, many troops who spent a lot of time in combat or on the front lines often went weeks without shaving or getting their hair cut, and the army didn’t get too particular about it.