|
Location
Where
the Rat Patrol was supposed to be.
While
one can't be sure exactly where Colonel Quint's map from Chase of
Fire Raid (above left) shows, he has the right idea. As is
evident from the map on the right, the front did indeed sweep back
and forth many times across portions of northeast Libya during the
war. It wasn't until the battle of El Alamein that the final
Allied push forced the Axis all the way west to the northern tip of Tunisia.
No
wonder the local vintner in the Fire
and Brimstone Raid was sick of the war
that kept tracking across his home. Depending on where his winery was
located, he might have had as many as five 'visits' from the various
fighting factions as they alternately surged forward and fell back.
|
Troy's
map in The B Negative Raid |
|
Northeastern
Libya
(Egypt
is the brown coloured area to the east) |
Troy's
map from the B Negative Raid (above left) shows the Rat
Patrol in an area of Libya known as Cyrenaica. His map is right
on target because the war was very active in that area of North
Africa (his left thumb is just 'off shore' from Ajdabiya).
[][][][][]
Where
the fictional Rat Patrol was - in the beginning.
The
first 17 episodes of The
Rat Patrol were filmed in the environs
of Almeria, Spain*.
The
filming for the rest of the first season and the entire second
season was moved to the United States.
Some
features visible in those early episodes are identifiable as being
from the Almeria area.
[][][][][]
German
Officers' Club
The
Last Harbor Raid
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol are sent into a German held town on the Mediterranean
coast where a large number of Allied POWs are being held. The
prisoners are being used as labourers to keep the valuable port city
open for the Germans. The mission for
the Rat Patrol
is to convince the local fishermen help
ferry the prisoners out of danger as soon as the Rat Patrol break
them out of enemy hands.
To
achieve this end,
Moffitt and Hitch must enter the formidable and dangerous German
Officers' Club to find
a key
contact (and subsequent love interest for Hitch) to convince
the fishermen to help them in their mission.
|
German
Officers' Club
(in
Last Harbor Raid) |
The
German officers' club of this episode is Alcazaba, an ancient
Moorish fortress.
Dating
from AD 995, the immense structure directly overlooks the port at
Almeria so was a convenient location for the filming of the Last
Harbor Raid (later made into The Rat Patrol movie, Massacre
Harbor.) |
Moorish
Fortress at Almeria
-
Alcazaba |
[][][][][]
Lighthouse
The
Lighthouse Raid
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol is
assigned the task of ferrying an escaping and ailing French
resistance leader from German territory to a waiting Allied
ship. After they spring him from the hands of the Gestapo, they
transport him to a convenient lighthouse,
supposedly a safe place overseen by a Frenchman friendly to the
Allies. Naturally, this turns out not to be the case.
|
Lighthouse
in The Lighthouse Raid |
The
lighthouse from this episode is clearly the lighthouse at Cabo de
Gata in Spain.
A
peek at the map above shows that the Cabo de Gata lighthouse
is conveniently located, just partway around the bay from Almeria.
|
Lighthouse
at Cabo de Gata in Spain. |
Here
is one website where you can learn a little more about Almeria http://www.spanish-living.com/files/Andalucia/Almeria.html
[][][][][]
A
German Desert Resort
|
The
Kill
at Koorlea Raid
The
episode mission briefing
The
Rat Patrol is ordered
to assassinate
a notoriously nasty German officer while he is
on leave. With
a sniper in their company, they find the officer enjoying himself at
a German desert resort, but he is surrounded by his wife and children.
Their presence makes
for a dangerous complication in the
Rat Patrol's mission. |
|
Recently
Suncompass received a 'mysterious' email from a California journalist
- an email that related an oft-told local rumour involving The Rat Patrol.
Suncompass perked up her ears. How intriguing! The journalist asked
if Suncompass, being a pseudo-authority
on Rat
Patrol
trivia, could confirm (or dash) that particular Rat
Patrol
rumour. Wow! You bet! (Suncompass is nothing if not enthusiastic).
The
rumour claimed
that a certain castle (Furst Castle,Shadow Hills CA) had been the
filming location for a Rat Patrol episode. But the
journalist could
find no one who could
confirm that for her. |
|
"Tell
me more," said Suncompass, and soon learned that said castle looked
rather Moroccan, stood atop a hill,
had
a couple of lion statues crouching by the entrance, and a very large
circular pool set about by palms. "Aha!" said
Suncompass with sudden inspiration, and jumped in with both feet
(into researching, not the pool).
A
great aerial shot
of Furst Castle discovered
on the internet confirmed it all for Suncompass. See for yourself below. |
|
Furst
Castle from the air
(photo
taken within the last few years)
image
copyright Wild Bill Mogensen |
|
German
Resort in 'The Kill at Koorlea Raid' |
|
As
Troy dispatches the guard we see a hairpin turn behind him and a
mossy wall to the right that match the castle approach road (see
tight corner in left side of the top image) |
The
dome on the roof and entrance structure are unmistakable. The lion
statues are clearer in the episode. You must imagine the pool
pictured in the top image is full of water. |
At
about the 8 o'clock position on the pool in the top picture, a small
rectangular 'cabana' is visible. That was the Butcher's breakfast
'nook' in this image from the episode. |
|
Many
thanks to Cathy C. for bringing 'The
Rat Patrol at Furst Castle' rumour to
Suncompass, and thanks to Wild Bill for sharing his castle photo that
confirms the rumour. |
[][][][][]
* Episodes
filmed in Spain: Chase of Fire Raid, The Life Against Death Raid,
The Wildest Raid of All, Kill or Be Killed Raid, The Chain of Death
Raid, The Do or Die Raid, The Blind Man's Bluff Raid, The Fatal Chase
Raid, The Blow Sky High Raid, The Moment of Truce Raid, The Deadly
Double Raid, The Gun Runner Raid, The Lighthouse Raid, The Dare-Devil
Rescue Raid, The Last Harbor Raid parts I, II, and III. |
