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| THE RAT PATROL followed the adventures of an elite team of commandos of 111th Armor Recon, attached to the Long Range Desert Group, as they wreaked havoc with Rommel's Afrika Korps during WW II. Led by the charismatic Sergeant Sam Troy, our heroes often found themselves pitted against their German nemesis DAK Hauptmann Dietrich. |
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The Rat Patrol-ran for two seasons, a total of 56 color episodes, on ABC from September 12, 1966 to September 16, 1968. The show starred Christopher George as Troy, and Eric Braden as Dietrich; writers included Larry Cohen and Lorenzo Semple Jr. An immeasurable benefit to the series was its being filmed on location in the deserts of Spain. The production was even able to utilize vehicles and props left over from big-budget WW II spectacles previously shot in Spain, such as Battle of the Bulge and The Great Escape. Such visual realism offset the storylines' frequent improbabilities. This show was one entry in a spate of war programs broadcast in the late '60s. Others included Combat!, Garrison's Gorillas, Hogan's Heroes, 12 O'clock High, and Jericho. The popularity of such fare seems incongruous with the fact that the Vietnam conflict was at its height and was rapidly losing public support.  The show enjoyed a fair amount of merchandising. Pictured at left is an action figure and vehicle set produced by Marx Toys.
More North Africa action wih my tribute to the war classic SAHARA.  |
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