Continuity mistake: When the American torpedo bomber attacks the first carrier, it gets shot up and flies past the carrier, crashing into the sea, at which point it becomes a single seat fighter.
Continuity mistake: During the scene when Torpedo Eight squadron is slaughtered during its attack on Nagumo's carriers, Ensign George Gay's aircraft changes appearance several times. This is due to the different snippets of wartime footage being cobbled together. When the squadron commences its attack, his plane is a Vindicator. When his plane is the last one left, it has changed into an SBD Dauntless. When Gay's plane has been hit and is diving towards the sea, it has become an Avenger. Finally, when his aircraft hits the water, it has become a Hellcat.
Continuity mistake: The same Forrestal-class carrier (60's vintage with slanted decks and full radar suites) is used as the "Hiryu" and "Soryu"...one of which is simply the same film turned left-to-right, including the backwards hull number painted on the flight deck.
Continuity mistake: In the scene in Ed Nelson's office when Charlton Heston is asking him to investigate his son's would-be fiance's family, a report suddenly appears in Nelson's hands as the men are arguing face to face.
Continuity mistake: During the Japanese bombing of Midway, you can clearly see, briefly, battleship masts in the background. Recycled footage from TORA, TORA, TORA.
Continuity mistake: When Eddie Arnold's plane crashes (using stock footage) the aviator in the cockpit is wearing no headgear. When he is being pulled from the plane, he is wearing headgear. (01:52:13)
Answer: This is from Wikipedia: "Later studies by Japanese and American military historians call into question key scenes, like the dive-bombing attack that crippled the first Japanese carrier, the Akagi. In the movie, American pilots report, "They've got bombs all over their flight deck! We caught 'em flat-footed! No fighters and a deck full of bombs!" As Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully write in "Shattered Sword" (2005), aerial photography from the battle showed nearly empty decks. In addition, Japanese carriers loaded armament onto planes below the flight deck, unlike American carriers (as depicted earlier in the film). The fact that a closed hangar full of armaments was hit by bombs made damage to Akagi more devastating than if planes, torpedoes and bombs were on an open deck."
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