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"Looks like
we've got the wrong kind of company coming."
- Hitch |
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The scene opens with Hitch, using Troy's field
glasses, doing watch duty. He sees something!
[SC: It's a good thing he
has those binoculars so he can spot those German vehicles approaching
in time for the others to bolt their lunches. Doesn't
Hitch get lunch?
What are they eating anyway? Moffitt sips water, unless that's
gin in his
canteen. It looks like Troy has a cookie (hardtack?).]
Hitch calls to Troy to come see what he's spotted.
Troy dumps his cookie onto the jeep hood and races up to Hitch.
Sure enough, Hitch is right. There's something there all right.
Good Hitch. The Jerries are coming right at them. "Mount
up!" because Jerries are on their way.
[SC:
Nice that they gave Troy a new line to say. We now know action
is about to happen even though it won't be on horseback.]
Hitch grabs Troy's leftover cookie from the jeep hood
before he slides under the wheel. He tosses it loose into the
back of the jeep.
[SC Can you imagine that anyone
plans to eat it later after it has been rolling about in whatever is
rattling about in there and stepped on by Troy for a while? Hitch
could have left the cookie on the hood if that was all he was going
to do with it. The desert creatures would have enjoyed nibbling
on it.]
They are off on the attack! The jeeps do the
usual - zooming in and out around the two enemy vehicles, dodging
bullets and throwing grenades and shooting wildly. But this time the
Germans seem to be unusually difficult to quell for some reason.
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[SC: Way more than difficult
than usual. Usually they jump out in to the open in clumps all
ready to be mowed down by the Rat Patrol. Maybe Dietrich, who doesn't
appear in this episode, has taken over the training course on how not
to get shot by the Rat Patrol. He usually didn't get shot by
them even though his men drop like flies to their bullets all the
time. Hmm...maybe Dietrich was
NOT in charge of that course this
time.]
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"They're
kids. Nothing but kids."
- Troy |
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To make matters worse, suddenly something happens to
Hitch's jeep and it stops dead. Troy and Hitch leap to the
ground to fire at the enemy and the viewers might be forgiven for
worrying that this might be their last stand. But just then
over the hill the cavalry arrives!!....no...not the cavalry...the
partisans... on foot. They fire their weapons with admirable
accuracy and quickly dispatch all but one of the Germans. They
just wound him.
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"Bir Akromba
will not be an SS base camp for very much longer, Sergeant."
-Jean-Claude |
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Moffitt and Andy (no Tully in this episode) pull up
beside Hitch and Troy as the partisans approach in triumph. It
dawns on the Rats that the partisans are on the young side.
This causes some furrowed brows. Should HQ let kids - just kids
(said with a sigh) - in on top security plans about the ‘big
offensive'? Gnashing of teeth.
[SC: Don't shatter a molar, lads!]
The senior rats' worry about the youthfulness of the
partisans is tempered as soon as they hear that the kids are quite
prepared to kill the one wounded German prisoner they've captured in
the skirmish. But the kids don't, deciding instead that they can dig
(literally) information from him about the nearby German SS camp.
The partisans key players are introduced. One, a
young man, Jean Claude, and the other a young woman, Monique.
She is a tough as nails liberated (to a point) woman.
Opinionated and outspoken too. It is announced that the
‘children' plan to demolish the nearby SS camp soon. Moffitt
muses about how impossible that would be without heavy weapons and a
trained combat unit. Troy agrees, but what can they do?
Raiding a heavily fortified fort is not in his mission description
for the day.
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Hitch has evidently repaired whatever was wrong with
their jeep and they all pile into the jeeps and the partisan's
vehicle. Monique rides with Moffitt and Andy, while Jean Claude rides
with Troy. Naturally Moffitt hands Monique into the passenger
seat, but Jean Claude gets to stand in the back of the other jeep
while lucky Troy gets the passenger seat.
[SC: As Troy might
say...and later does, "Rank has its privileges."
Which doesn't explain why Moffitt let Monique have the nice seat in
his jeep. Monique isn't quite so liberated all of a sudden. But
if she is unhappy about being given the nice passenger seat, she
evidently doesn't say so. Did anyone mention she's prickly?]
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They all drive to the partisan headquarters (located
in a few handy caves). Troy, despite his misgivings, follows
orders. He tells Jean-Claude all about the ‘big offensive'.
[SC: I wonder what the ‘big
offensive' is all about, but sadly we do not find out. We just
know that it will happen on the 21st, which isn't too helpful.]
Meanwhile, in another cave, Moffitt is literally
digging about in the German prisoner's shoulder sans anaesthetic
(ouch!) trying to save him from blood poisoning. Noble Moffitt.
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"Speak,
murderer! Speak!"
-Monique
"What is the
matter with you?! If you behave like this you are no better
than the SS yourselves!"
-Moffitt |
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We very quickly discern that Troy is luckier than
Moffitt (rank has its privileges?) because he gets to deal with Jean-Claude.
Moffitt gets to deal with Monique (that will teach him to be
gentlemanly and give her the nice jeep seat) and she's not being in
the least ladylike in her attacks on the wounded prisoner.
Could be she's pms or having a bad day but in any case, she isn't
exhibiting even an ounce of sympathy for the wounded man.
[SC: Did anyone mention that
she's prickly?][Ed:
As a matter of fact, yes!.]
Moffitt finally gets prickly too and loses his temper
and grabs her arms, snapping that the partisans are no better than
the SS themselves.
[SC: Monique would probably make
even Tully ‘lose it'. Maybe that's why he opted out of this
particular mission.]
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Troy, no doubt hearing the raised voices from the
other cave, hurries in, complete with hat in hand. He snaps at
Moffitt as if he's barking at a bad dog. Moffitt hardly cowers though
and asks for anaesthetic for the prisoner. |
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Jean-Claude reluctantly orders it supplied even though
he is undermining his own authority. He doesn't help his own
case by declaring that he has decided not to make the raid on the SS
camp. He's beginning to sound like Troy's lap dog. At
least in Monique's eyes he is, and she wants Jean-Claude to be HER
lap dog again. She's peeved, to say the least, and it's her job
to be contrary to anyone and everyone so she's running true to
form. She says some rather nasty things about Jean-Claude
because he does not have her blood lust.
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"It is time
we no longer fight a private war."
-Jean-Claude |
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Moffitt fixes up the wounded prisoner and then joins
the others in the dining room. They look to be chowing down on
wine and rolls and soup (or maybe headgear that is strewn across the
table). Too bad Moffitt decides to make a few observations about
Monique and Jean-Claude because that delay means he doesn't get to
eat anything. It seems that Monique challenging Jean Claude's
authority in front of the others wasn't good for the boy's ego.
[SC: Now, that's a surprise!][Ed:
Sarcasm does not become you SC.]
As a result, Moffitt reports, Jean-Claude gathered his
shredded dignity about him and announced that the raid on the SS camp
was back on. Troy's appetite wanes abruptly with that
information and he slams a hand on the table in his irritation.
(don't spill the wine, Troy) Why the mega angst? Because Jean-Claude
knows all the big offensive secrets and might get caught by the SS
and spill it all to them. Aha. But Troy has a plan to stop that
danger and he orders his men to "slop it up!"
[SC: ‘Slop it up'?
Boy that sure makes me want to go and find some grub. So
appetizing sounding. Anyone got any slop?]
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"And what if
he's captured? He knows everything there is to know about this
whole operation."
- Troy |
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Moffitt hasn't had a chance to slop anything - not
food, drink or hat - and with stomach rumbling, he puts the
cork back into the wine bottle. Too bad that one of the
partisan girls, hovering nearby, understands English and hears all.
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Troy tries to talk Monique and Jean-Claude out of
their crazy plan to attack the SS camp but it is to no avail. They
are as tough as Monique's nails. The partisans have anticipated
Troy's plan to stop them and have taken steps. The Raid is
on. The Rats are not.
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The four members of the Rat Patrol are being held
prisoner in the hospital cave with the wounded German who is doing
much much better now that Moffitt has taken out the bullet. But
not so well that he's going to tell them about the special top secret
defences all around the SS fort.
At long last the partisans are back from their raid to
the SS camp but there isn't a happy face in the rather small
bunch. Jean-Claude and most of the others were captured - not
dead, but alive. Troy's worst nightmare. There is only
one thing to do. The Rat Patrol to the rescue.
[SC: Troy should have known that
even though it wasn't in his job description for this mission, that
they'd end up raiding the dang SS camp. If it was there, the rats
would inevitably attack
it.]
But how to get into the SS fort? It's got
magical defences. The wounded prisoner won't tell them a thing
and quotes the Geneva convention at them until Troy threatens to
leave him to the tender mercies of the partisans. This threat
blanches the prisoner and he immediately begins to talk.
[SC: The thought
of being locked
up with Monique was enough to break a
battle-hardened soldier. She is scarey.]
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"When the SS
finishes with him, he'll talk...unless we can do something"
- Troy
"They are not
human, these wretched children."
- Lt. Hoffman
"They're what
you made them, Lieutenant."
- Troy |
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Meanwhile, Jean-Claude is inside the SS fort denying
that he has any contact with the Allied forces about anything of any
significance. Something about his answers smells like a rat and the
SS doc prepares what looks to be a frightfully dull syringe with a
special drug - no doubt the oft-employed TV ‘truth serum'.
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With a machine that will record all onto a record
(long playing vinyl format) the SS officer begins to interrogate his
prisoner. And the prisoner, pumped full of drug, and with a
microphone handy, is soon talking.
The Rat Patrol sneak inside the defence perimeter (we
aren't shown how they find and destroy the defensive wiring though)
while Jean-Claude gives away secrets.
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Great actions scenes of shooting and falling from
great heights happens as the patrol breaks into the fort to free the
prisoners and find Jean-Claude, still drugged and groggy. Troy
makes a magnificent job of smashing up the long playing vinyl format
record while Hitch helps a wobbly Jean-Claude out to the jeep.
Much damage is done to the German equipment by the
partisans before they rush away triumphant (taking a Kubelwagen that
looks just like Dietrich's). More Germans hurry out into the
open in clumps to be mowed down.
[SC: Whoever it is in charge of
their defensive training is not doing a good job.]
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Of course the partisans and patrol all make it safely
back to the partisans' camp where Jean-Claude makes a noble offer to
resign his position as head partisan because he made a mistake.
But Troy says that he shouldn't resign. A good leader admits his
mistakes, says Troy.
[SC: There are times when Troy
should curb his instinct to make magnificent statements.]
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"A good
leader admits his mistakes."
- Troy
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But Jean-Claude then pointedly asks Troy if it was not
militarily dangerous for Troy to risk capture by going on a mission
into the SS camp too? There's a twinkle in Jean-Claude's eye,
and definitely in Hitch's and Moffitt's too as they prod an
uncomfortable Troy to answer the man's question.
[SC: Interesting that they now
refer to Jean-Claude as a man. No longer a ‘kid'.]
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"Answer the
man, Sarge."
- Hitch
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Troy's answer to the man? "Rank has its privileges."
[SC: Didn't I tell you he was
going to say that?]
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"Well,
uh...rank has its privileges."
-Troy |
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The patrol pile into their one jeep and, without
a look back, ride off into the dusty desert.
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