Trivia

As a U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, "Gene" Hambleton commanded the 57first Missile Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, from 1965 to 1971. He is better known as by his tactical radio call-sign, "Bat 21", he used in Vietnam when he was shot down in 1972, while jamming enemy radar, and parachuted behind enemy lines. When on the ground, Colonel Hambleton found himself in the midst of an invasion force of over thirty thousand North Vietnamese troops. While evading capture for eleven days, he used his survival radio to call in air strikes against the invasion force. Rescue crews gave him coded instructions for where to go to be rescued, based on golf courses, on which he had played, at different Air Force bases. Hambleton's harrowing ordeal was recounted in the book Bat 21 (1980), which was made into this movie. He died from cancer on September 19, 2004 at age 85.

The true story's ending was quite different. Navy S.E.A.L. Lieutenant Tom Norris, and Vietnamese S.E.A.L. Petty Officer Nguyen Van Kiet took a sampan in to pick up Colonel Hambleton, after repeated attempts failed, with major losses of helicopters and men. Lieutenant Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

The true events surrounding this story were still classified at the time of production. Lieutenant Colonel Hambleton was rescued by Navy S.E.A.L. Lieutenant Tom Norris and Vietnamese S.E.A.L. Petty Officer Nguyen Van Kiet using a canoe to infiltrate to Hambleton's position and rescue him. Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor for the rescue of Hambleton, First lieutenant Mark Clark, call sign NAIL 38 BRAVO And the failed rescue of First Lieutenant Bruce Walker aka.COVEY 282.

The transceiver used by Vietnamese operator to listen American traffic is a Hungarian version of originally Soviet R-108D VHF radio. The warning is clearly readable: "Vigyázz! Az ellenség lehallgat" (The enemy is listening.) Uti figura docet.

In 1980, it was announced that John Sturges would direct Bat-21 with Dean Martin and Ben Vereen starring.