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The Rat Patrol
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The Rat Patrol was an American TV program that aired on ABC during the 1966-1968 seasons. The show followed the exploits of four (three American and one British) Allied soldiers who were part of a long range desert patrol group in the North African campaign during World War II. Their mission: "to attack, harass and wreak havoc on Field Marshal Rommel's vaunted Afrika Korps".
Background
The show was inspired by and loosely modelled on the New Zealand/British/Rhodesian Long Range Desert Group, which used modified trucks armed with machine guns as their transport through the treacherous desert terrain.
Discussion
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Encyclopedia
The Rat Patrol was an American TV program that aired on ABC during the 1966-1968 seasons. The show followed the exploits of four (three American and one British) Allied soldiers who were part of a long range desert patrol group in the North African campaign during World War II. Their mission: "to attack, harass and wreak havoc on Field Marshal Rommel's vaunted Afrika Korps".
Background
The show was inspired by and loosely modelled on the New Zealand/British/Rhodesian Long Range Desert Group, which used modified trucks armed with machine guns as their transport through the treacherous desert terrain. The title of the program refers to the nicknames given to some of the British Commonwealth forces in the North African campaign (Rats of Tobruk or Desert Rats). Consequently, at the time of original telecast many English viewers took offense at the dominance of American characters on the program, the result being that the show was pulled from British television.
Cast
The four members of the allied patrol were:
| Sgt. Sam Troy | (Christopher George) | The unit's leader. | | Sgt. Jack Moffit | (Gary Raymond) | The British member of the Patrol. An expert on the desert and on the local Arab tribes which inhabit it, Moffit speaks fluent German and Arabic, as well as being able to read several ancient, dead languages. Prior to the war, he accompanied his father (a noted archaeologist) on multiple trips to the Sahara. | | | Pvt. Mark T. Hitchcock | (Lawrence Casey) | Known as "Hitch". Ivy League college man turned soldier. Often chews bubblegum. | | | Pvt. Tully Pettigrew | (Justin Tarr) | Called one of the army's best wheelmen by Troy, Tully grew up in Kentucky and apparently gained his considerable driving skill by running moonshine. | |
Notable enemies included:
| Hauptmann (Captain) Hans Dietrich | Eric Braeden (then known by his birthname, Hans Gudegast) | A dedicated, but honorable German officer and the Patrol's main opponent. | |
For a few episodes during the second season, the storyline required the temporary absence of Tully. Three different characters took turns rounding out the Patrol until Tully returned.
These characters were:
A soldier named Cotter is shown being hit by enemy fire and slumping over his machine gun during the opening action sequence of the pilot episode, "The Chase of Fire Raid". This allowed Moffit to be added to the team.
Production
A total of fifty-eight 30-minute episodes were produced.
Part of the show's first season was filmed in Almeria, Spain, with the rest in the United States.
The three-part story arc, "The Last Harbor Raid" was released theatrically in some venues under the title, "Massacre Harbor".
As a leverage tool against the actors asking for raises, each major cast member was, after the first season, shown a separate prospective script in which he was killed in action.
Christopher George suffered a heart contusion when a jeep overturned on him during filming in January 1967. The injury contributed to his death in 1983.
As was usual for low-cost productions, other equipment were substituted for original ones. The German vehicles were actually American Patton tanks, M7 Priest self-propelled guns, M3 Half-track and M35 2-1/2 ton cargo trucks painted in desert sand colors.
The submachine guns used by the squad were unusual: props meant to look like either assault rifles or very poor renditions of Thompson submachine guns. The props appeared to be Spanish Star Z-45 submachine guns with added wooden stock. This was changed in later episodes when Thompsons apparently were made available.
During the series, Sgt. Troy wore an Australian slouch hat. When the show aired in Australia, veterans of both World Wars there were critical of an American actor wearing such an important symbol of Australian courage and sacrifice. It was seen to cheapen and sensationalize the memory and spirit of those ANZACs who died fighting Fascism. George, a U.S. Marine Korean War veteran, and of Greek extraction, said he insisted his character wear the slouch hat to honor the Australians who fought in Greece.
Episode guide
Season 1
| Title | Summary |
|---|
| The Chase Of Fire Raid |
Pilot Episode. The Rat Patrol reluctantly gains a new member in British sergeant Jack Moffit and races to find and destroy a buried fuel supply before their nemesis, Hauptmann Hans Dietrich, can claim it for Germany.
(Airdate: 9-12-1966) | | The Life Against Death Raid |
Hitchcock is seriously wounded during an otherwise routine raid on a German convoy. Stuck more than 100 miles behind enemy lines and with Hitch fading fast, Troy has no choice but to risk sneaking him into a nearby German field hospital for the necessary life-saving treatment. Ed Asner guest stars. (Airdate: 9-19-1966) | | The Wildest Raid Of All |
Troy and Hitchcock allow themselves to be captured by Dietrich in order to kidnap his superior, a highly-decorated Nazi general. The plan: use him as a bargaining chip to gain access to a German ammunition depot and destroy supplies slated for use in a massive Wehrmacht offensive set for the following day. (Airdate: 9-26-1966) | | Kill Or Be Killed Raid |
Posing as a German archaeologist, Moffit infiltrates enemy headquarters to translate and destroy an ancient Coptic scroll which details the location of a coveted source of water deep in the desert. But when his cover is blown and he is captured with little chance of rescue, Troy is faced with carrying out a difficult order to kill him before he falls into the brutal hands of the Gestapo. (Airdate: 10-03-1966) | | The Chain Of Death Raid |
The aftermath of a raid on a German column headed for a vital oasis results in both Troy and Dietrichs' capture by Arab slave-traders. Joined at the wrist by a length of heavy chain, they soon escape, only to find themselves lost in the desert and miles from help. Without food, water or shelter, the two bitter enemies have no choice but to rely on each other or face certain death under a blazing sun. (Airdate: 10-10-1966) | | The Do Or Die Raid |
A covert operation to plant false intelligence data in enemy headquarters is severely jeopardized when the special operative the Rat Patrol is escorting has a heart attack at a critical stage in the mission. With time running out and failure not an option, Troy must somehow ensure the success of the mission and still manage to get away before the Germans even know they were there, lest the deception be discovered. (Airdate: 10-17-1966) | | The Blind Man's Bluff Raid |
A surprise ambush near a minefield separates Troy from the rest of his unit. After passing-out in the desert, he awakens to find himself in an Allied field hospital, stricken with sun blindness. But things are not as they seem. Unbeknownst to Troy, he has been captured by the Germans and the field hospital, as well as his blindness, are an elaborate scheme by Dietrich to trick him into revealing where the rest of the Rat Patrol are hiding. (Airdate: 10-24-1966) | | The Fatal Chase Raid |
After freeing two truckloads of P.O.W.'s from a German convoy, the Rat Patrol is forced to transport the obnoxious, self-serving Sgt. Archie Gribbs (Gavin MacLeod) back to headquarters. He claims to have information vital to Allied forces, but only seems interested in saving his own neck. With Gribbs' selfish attitude already grating on everyone's nerves, the situation is made worse by the loss of one of their jeeps and the presence of two bitter GI's who blame Gribbs for their capture. (Airdate: 10-31-1966) | | The Blow Sky High Raid |
The Rat Patrol transports an extremely volatile new explosive on a mission to destroy a vital German radar installation. At stake is an approaching flight of Allied bombers set to destroy Rommel's newest armoured division. With the lieutenant (Hamilton Camp) trained in the explosive's use killed, the enemy alerted to their presence, and time running out, the Patrol is forced to take a secret route through the mountains along the course of an ancient riverbed. Unfortunately for Troy, Dietrich has also learned of this secret route and lies in wait for them at their destination. (Airdate: 11-07-1966) | | The Moment Of Truce Raid |
The Rat Patrol, along with Dietrich and two of his men, become trapped in some desert ruins, held at bay by a sizable band of fanatical Arabs who are hell-bent on wiping them out as "infidels". Greatly outnumbered and with limited supplies of ammunition, the enemies find themselves forced into an uneasy truce for survival. (Airdate: 11-14-1966) | | The Deadly Double Raid |
Moffit and Pettigrew allow themselves to be captured in order to rescue an Allied spy with vital information about a surprise German offensive from a P.O.W. camp. Upon learning that the operative has died, all seems lost, when both the camp doctor and an American sergeant suddenly claim to have been passed the information. The problem is, one of them is really a Gestapo agent and the Rat Patrol must discover which one is telling the truth before it is too late. (Airdate: 11-21-1966) | | The Gun Runner Raid |
The Rat Patrol is captured by Arab mercenaries disguised as an American convoy. Their employer, a decorated US flyer turned arms dealer and traitor, has a grudge against them; apparently the Patrol destroyed several of his shipments, thinking they were German. Rather than kill them, he makes Troy and Moffit an offer they can't refuse: join him in his less-than-honorable racket or he turns them over to his biggest client, Hauptmann Dietrich. (Airdate: 11-28-1966) | | The Lighthouse Raid |
Tully and Moffitt transport a liberated French underground general to a rendezvous in a deserted lighthouse. Hitchcock stands lookout, disguised as a German guard. Troy, though, is held captive inside the lighthouse -- betrayed by Mathias. Moffitt tries to reach him but ends up unconscious. In the ensuing fight, Mathias is killed and Troy manages to signal the trawler into the area to take the general to safety. (Airdate: 12-5-1966) | | The Dare-Devil Rescue Raid |
German artillery traps 2000 Allied soldiers and their only chance of rescue is an Allied armored attack. The necessary equipment, though, can only reach them in time via an ancient road which is now hidden by sand, a road only Moffitt's father can find. On the way to the landing site, Moffitt's father's plane crashes. Moffitt wants to go find him but Troy insists their first priority is to find the road themselves. Moffitt breaks away and goes to find his father but finds only the burned-out plane. Troy thinks the elder Moffitt must be dead. Moffitt says he was captured. Again Moffitt escapes the team and goes after his father -- finally rescuing him. (Airdate: 12-12-1966) | | The Last Harbor Raid - Episode 1 |
After each Allied bombing of their harbor, the Germans use Allied POWs to rebuild it. HQ sends the Rat Patrol to liberate the POWs and halt the harbor's usefulness. Troy must coordinate his plans with Major Indrus, an American who is inside the camp. They use an explosive-laden boat to get into the harbor but the Germans stop it halfway in. The captain doesn't allow the Germans to board his boat. Troy and his men are able to fight off the boarding party and escape into town. they are followed by El Gamil, an Arab merchant, who provides a car and uniforms for Moffitt and Hitchcock to go to the German Officer's club in search of Bertaine's daughter. The daughter (Claudine Longet) is regarded as a traitor by locals because she performs at the club. But Troy has no choice but to seek out her help. The episode ends with Moffit and Hitchcock entering the club. Airdate: 12-19-1966) | | The Last Harbor Raid - Episode 2 |
Bertaine -- the captain of the boat -- has been shot. Moffitt and Hitch (dressed as Germans) go to find his daughter (Marianne). They tell her of her father's death and then take her home - after they tell her who they really are. They also tell her that they need to use the fishing fleet. Meanwhile, Troy secretly meets with American POW liaison officer. Troy then meets with Moffitt at the house of El Gamil, a sympathetic black marketeer. Informed of the plan, El Gamil dispatches his men to the various harbor areas to alert the fishermen. Troy sets the action to begin at dawn. (Airdate: 12-26-1966) | | The Last Harbor Raid - Episode 3 |
The plan is for the fishing fleet to bring out the prisoners, Dunkirk-fashion. However, a Nazi patrol boat has intercepted the boats. The fishermen believe that Marinanne is a collaborator. Sgt. Troy, though, disagrees. He's right. Marianne talks the fishermen into cooperating, and the prisoners make good their escape. (Airdate: 1-2-1967) | | The One That Got Away Raid |
Gustav Luden (Jack Colvin), a radio operator, wants to defect, so he sends secret information to the Americans on a frequency that the Rat Patrol listens to. The Patrol goes in after him. They get inside the German base and, once there, find that Luden is being questioned by the Gestapo. (Airdate: 1-9-1967) | | Two For One Raid |
Valuable German ammo has been dropped by parachute to an Arab farmhouse, and the Rat Patrol is sent to destroy it. On destroying the building, Troy discovers that there is no ammo -- but there is a confused teenage boy. The boy proves out to be the son of a German commander. Troy is going to kill the commander, but when the boy pleads with him not to, Troy remembers what it felt like to lose his own father, who died when Troy was this boy's age. Troy arranges to capture the German instead of killing him. (Airdate: 1-16-1967) | | The Last Chance Raid |
The Patrol's radio is wrecked and Troy is unable to warn HQ of a large Nazi anti-tank outfit waiting in ambush. Troy knows that El Jebel has a huge radio broadcast unit and heads there. Troy, Moffit and the others make their way into the radio room and prepare to broadcast their warning to the British. However, Captain Deitrich walks in on them and takes them prisoner. Troy and Moffit manage to escape. They free Hitch and Pettigrew and get their message back to London. This prevents the Allies from losing a lot of tanks. (Airdate: 1-23-1967) | | The B Negative Raid |
Moffitt is seriously wounded in a raid on a German convoy. The Patrol is far from help and so Troy decides to obtain blood from a nearby German field camp. Dietrich is in charge of the base; Troy encounters him and orders him to help him find a donor. Dietrich sends for Corporal Pennell, a captured Yank deserter. Pennell refuses to cooperate but Troy takes him at gunpoint. On the way back to Moffitt, Dietrich catchs up to them and it is up to Pennell to do the "impossible" to prevent them from all being recaptured. He rises to the occasion and they make it back to Moffitt and Tully in time to save Moffitt's life. (Airdate: 1-30-1967) | | The Exhibit A Raid |
Troy and Hitchcock capture Col Beckmann, an infamous Nazi POW camp commander. Beckmann denies that he is the man. In a fight Troy is knocked out and Hitch is wounded. Using Troy's gun, Beckmann kills the other German taken at the same time he was and then he exchanges dog tags with him -- the places the gun in Troy's hand. Troy is thus accused of the murder. Moffitt and Tully do not arrive until after the deed is done. To prove to a court-martial board that Beckmann is Beckmann, the other Patrolers must break into a German HQ -- at considerable risk to their own lives. (Airdate: 2-6-1967) | | The Holy War Raid |
Using a fake (German) Rat Patrol, Dietrich abducts an Arab holy man that he will then "rescue" so that the Arabs will give their help to the Germans. The real Patrol is captured by the Arabs, though, and when they convince the Arab leader -- who is a friend of Moffitt's -- that they aren't guilty, Troy and Moffitt go to find the holy man. To do so means a horse trip across the desert. (Airdate: 2-13-1967) | | The Two Against Time Raid |
Using a telephoto lens, Moffitt and Troy photograph a map inside Captain Dietrich's office from the roof of the adjoining Nazi HQ. It shows the location of a top secret German ammo dump. The Patrol must reach the site, enter it and destroy it before half of the German army arrives. The Patrol arrive to find the storage area -- an old mine -- surprisingly deserted. They go about planting the explosives but just before they blow it, Dietrich (who has laid this all out as a trap) turns up. Shots are exchanged and Dietrich and Troy are trapped inside. Meantime, outside the mine, assuming that in the cave-in Troy was killed, Moffitt and the Patrol prepare to finish blowing it up. Working together, Troy and Dietrich escape through a back entrance moments before the dump is blown up. (Airdate: 2-20-1967) | | The Wild Goose Raid |
The Brits and the Americans are planning a high-level meeting in a desert town. On the day prior to the event, the Patrol sights a German motorcyclist and chases him -- but he gets away. Assuming that the Nazis must now know of the conference, Troy tries to talk the commanders out of the meeting. But, instead, they assign him to be in charge of the security. Troy gets jumped, while in town, by a knife-wielding Arab. Sgt Roberts, one of the other "security" men, rescues Troy. Unknown to them, though, Roberts is a double agent and is planning to blow up the meeting -- a fact that Troy learns. (Airdate: 2-27-1967) | | Bring 'Em Back Alive Raid |
Troy raids German HQ and kidnaps Dr. Schneidermann. At the same time Moffitt, Tully and Hitch are captured by Captain Dietrich. Dietrich reveals that Troy is carrying a vial of deadly radium. He urges Moffit to divulge Troy's destination, bargaining the Patrols' unconditional freedom for the return of Schneidermann. Moffitt, disbelieving the radium story, keeps quiet. However Troy is carrying the fatal vessel. The three Patrollers escape and trail Troy back to the rendezvous, with Dietrich trailing them. (Airdate: 3-13-1967) | | Take Me To Your Leader Raid |
The Patrol stumbles on a German staff car but before they can attack it, the driver and a guard are killed by a third man -- who is apparently an American major. The major orders the Patrol to take him to where a high-level meeting is being held in secret. They do so, unaware that he is a German officer and that Dietrich is trailing them. However on the way they stumble on a unit of Italians who were badly injured and their officer -- returning with the Patrol to get his men help -- recognizes that the Major must be a German. Whereupon the German attempts to kill the Italian -- arousing Troy's suspicion. (Airdate: 3-20-1967) | | The Double Or Nothing Raid |
Moffit is about to be executed for "espionage against the Third Reich" when suddenly the Patrol comes to his rescue. A commandeered German truck unsuccessfully attempts to scoop up Moffitt, but manages to take a Nazi captain in his place -- for exchange. Negotiations for a prisoner exchange are fruitful, but Troy doubts that the Germans will obey their own rules. Indeed, the Nazi's Colonel Voss wants to see the Patrol wiped out and uses the exchange as a trap. The captured captain tries to escape the Patrol and gets himself killed. Now Troy has no one to exchange for a seriously wounded Moffitt and must attempt to pass himself off as a German. (Airdate: 3-27-1967) | | The Hour Glass Raid |
After capturing Dr. Anderson, a skilled Allied physician, Dietrich ends up turning over his staff car in a ravine (during a blinding sand storm). Troy wants to attempt to rescue the doctor but can't because of the storm. He hears Dietrich's distress call but suspects it is a trick. In the end they do make the attempt as they hear that the Germans are going to do the same. They get Dr. Anderson -- who is fine -- but Dietrich is trapped under the car and badly injured. The doctor tells them that Dietrich is dead but the German groans just before the Patrol leaves. When Troy ends up saving Dietrich's life, the doctor was about to kill him with a murderous dose of morphine, Dietrich tells Troy that Anderson is a double agent. Anderson ends up getting killed just as the Germans arrive to help their captain. (Airdate: 4-3-1967) | | Mask-A-Raid |
Lieut. Klinger, a wounded Luftwaffe ace, is the only German who can ID the location of the Allied troops standing ready to invade Sicily. The Rat Patrol captures him and then Moffitt takes his place so that he can convince the Germans to watch in the wrong place for the upcoming attack. Troy, meanwhile, infiltrates the military hospital. Gestapo Major Bruder however suspects Moffitt and exposes him, but by the time he does, Moffitt manages to get Bruder killed in his place and escape. (Airdate: 4-10-1967) | | The Fire And Brimstone Raid |
Troy and his men plant explosives in a German ammo depot and while trying for a hasty getaway run into Dietrich, who orders them to surrender. Knowing they are safe surrounded by explosives, Troy and Moffitt defuse the charges and wait for nightfall to escape. Not wanting to blow the depot sky high, Dietrich's men use bows and arrows and end up shooting Hitch in the shoulder. The two are quickly taken care of by Troy. Moffitt tries to make it to a truck using smoke grenades, but is captured by Dietrich. With the help of the Arab winery owner, the Rat Patrol finally dash to safety. When the American grenade fails to blow up the ammo depot, the winery owner does it for them. (Airdate: 4-26-1967) | | The Delilah Raid |
Season Finale: A young French Resistance fighter -- Michele -- survives the Patrol's quick assault on a small German convoy. She explains that she was captured during her groups' attempt to stop the convoy which carries radar equipment. However Michele is a double agent and is going to deliver the Patrol to her lover -- a German officer. She talks the Patrol into going to the radar base (supposedly to destroy it). She turns them over to him and, in the end, when the Patrol manages to escape -- and blow up the radar base -- he is killed. (Airdate: 5-1-1967) | |
Season 2
| Title | Summary |
|---|
| The Truce At Aburah Raid |
Original Air Date: 11 September 1967
Captain Dietrich monitors a broadcast sent to the Patrol from HQ and then intercepts them on their way to meet and escort a supply convoy. With the odds decidedly against the Rats, Troy takes refuge in an oasis. A child, playing near by, runs away terrified of the noise and falls down an old well. The Allies and the Nazis agree to put the war on hold and work together to get the child (who is still alive) out. A second German unit appears and shoots Tully. In the end, they are able to rescue child and, in the confusion, the Patrol escapes. | | The David and Goliath Raid |
Original Air Date: 18 September 1967
The Patrol ambushes a German courier and finds that his papers contain
charts showing desert waterholes and some oases which are unknown
to the Allies or the Germans. Suddenly a German patrol attacks,
wounding Tully and destroying the Patrols jeeps, water and weapons.
Troy and crew strike out for a waterhole mentioned on the chart.
Hours later, near their end, Troy and his men stagger toward an inviting
waterhole to find it has been poisoned. On a distant dune they see
Dietrich. Tully is near the end, because of his wound. It is up to
Troy to negotiate with Dietrich. | | The Trial By Fire Raid |
Original Air Date: 25 September 1967
The Patrol attempts to destroy a small village that currently has a train in it that the Germans are loading with ammunition. But there is a small group of Arabs (including women and children) being used to load the ammunition. One of the women stumbles upon Troy and offers to help by warning her people. But as Troy attempts to plant the explosives, Dietrich catches on to the plan and gives alarm. Troy ends up shot and captured. It is now up to the rest of the Patrol to cause enough diversion to get him free. The woman continues to plead with Dietrich to give Troy medical attention. As Dietrich is questioning Troy, though, Troy breaks free, shoots the German and is able -- with the Arab woman's father's help -- to get the explosives planted. The train goes up, the man is killed. | | The Darers Go First Raid |
Original Air Date: 2 October 1967 | | The Love Thine Enemy Raid |
Original Air Date: 9 October 1967 | | The Darkest Raid |
Original Air Date: 16 October 1967 | | The Death Do Us Part Raid |
Original Air Date: 30 October 1967 | | The Do-Re-Mi Raid |
Original Air Date: 6 November 1967 | | The Kingdom Come Raid |
Original Air Date: 13 November 1967 | | The Hide and Go Seek Raid |
Original Air Date: 20 November 1967 | | The Violent Truce Raid |
Original Air Date: 27 November 1967 | | The Life for a Life Raid |
Original Air Date: 4 December 1967 | | The Fifth Wheel Raid |
Original Air Date: 11 December 1967 | The Two If by Sea Raid>|
Original Air Date: 18 December 1967 | | The Street Urchin Raid |
Original Air Date: 25 December 1967 | | The Pipeline to Disaster Raid |
Original Air Date: 1 January 1968 | | The Boomerang Raid |
Original Air Date: 8 January 1968 | | The Fatal Reunion Raid |
Original Air Date: 15 January 1968 | | The Decoy Raid |
Original Air Date: 22 January 1968 | | The Touch-and-Go Raid |
Original Air Date: 5 February 1968 | | The Field of Death Raid |
Original Air Date: 12 February 1968 | | The Double Jeopardy Raid |
Original Air Date: 19 February 1968 | | Hickory Dickory Dock Raid |
Original Air Date: 26 February 1968
From the DVD: On the Eve of a dangerous mission, Moffitt receives word that his younger brother has been killed by a German bomb in London. | | The Tug of War Raid |
Original Air Date: 4 March 1968 | | The Never-Say-Die Raid |
Original Air Date: 11 March 1968 | | The Kill at Koorlea Raid |
Original Air Date: 18 March 1968 | |
DVD releases
MGM Home Entertainment has released both seasons of The Rat Patrol on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. The First Season is also available on Region 2 DVD. On May 13, 2008, MGM released a 7-disc boxset of the complete series.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|
| The Complete First Season | 32 | January 31 2006 | | The Complete Second Season | 26 | June 12 2007 | | The Rat Patrol: The Complete Series | 58 | May 13 2008 |
External links
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