The end credits suggest that the story relates to true events which supposedly happened on "April 27, 1945", but this specific story is fictitious, while the general use of teenage boys as soldiers in the last days of the Third Reich is accurate.
The bridge was called Florian-Geyer-Brücke. It was torn down in 1991 and replaced by a new one in 1995. There are now several plaques as a reminder of this popular movie.
None of the tanks shown in the movie are real. Since the German army still did not have any tanks in 1959, Bernhard Wicki had to have wooden models constructed, they were then placed on top of a truck chassis. The wheels can clearly been seen under the "tank" body.
The film was shot in the small Bavarian city Cham.
A famous Ww2 photo of a shell shocked German soldier is actually fake and comes from a scene this film.