|
Quotations
What
did you just say?
The
Rat Patrol characters at times say the
most peculiar and perplexing things.
What
might be buried within their words and what does it all mean?
[][][][][]
"Spread
a little alarm and despondency."
The
Kingdom Come Raid
|
The
episode mission
briefing
Private
Mark Hitchcock is cut down by a bullet fired by a cowardly compatriot
and left for dead while his attacker escapes capture. The
rest of the Rat Patrol track down the escaping G.I., and come
nightfall they locate the Germans and the truck in which the captured
Hitch is lying unconscious. Troy and Moffitt scan the sleeping
enemy encampment prior to infiltration and Moffitt suggests that
they, "Spread
a little alarm and despondency." |
 |
That
particular expression was apparently just coming into fashion during
the second world war as quoted by Popski (Lt. Col. Vladimir
Peniakoff, D.S.O., M.C.,
commander of a special duties squadron working behind enemy lines in
conjunction with the Long Range Desert Group.) in his book, Private
Army*.
"I
was pressed to return urgently to the theatre of my operations and
to prepare myself to spread 'alarm and despondency' (an expression
that was just coming into fashion) as soon as I would be given the
sign....That night a message came on the wireless for me. It
said: "SPREAD ALARM AND DESPONDENCY."
*Private
Army
by Vladimir Peniakoff , 1950, Jonathan Cape, London. Alden Press [an
excellent read and recommended by Suncompass]
[][][][][]
"Two
years, five months, and eleven days."
The
Fatal Reunion Raid
|
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol arrive in a small town for a midnight mission inside
German territory to collect an escaping French rocket scientist.
Before the mission Moffitt happens across an old flame he knew in
France about the time of Dunkirk. When he meets her again he
says that it has been "Two
years, five months, and eleven days" since
he last saw her just before the French
underground
smuggled him to the coast at Dunkirk. |
 |
What
does this line tell us, if anything? [and
who cares? Well, would you be reading if you weren't a little curious?]
The
Rat Patrol rarely makes direct mention of dates in the episodes so
this in a somewhat unique opportunity to pin down an approximate date
for the fatal reunion.
The
withdrawal at Dunkirk
happened between May 26 and June 5, 1940. Simply adding
two years, five months and eleven days
to that period brings the episode time to somewhere between November
6 and November 16, 1942. This puts the Fatal Reunion just
after the second Battle of Alamein (commenced Oct 23, 1942) and
possibly coincides with the Operation Torch invasion (November 8,
1942) that brought the American army into the North African war.
[][][][][]
"He
was in England when war was declared. The next day he joined
the RAF."
The
Field of Death Raid
|
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol discover, quite by accident and
somewhat ominously,
a photograph of Troy and
his brother David, in the hands of a local Arab. Soon after, they
find that David has
been posted to North Africa with his RAF unit. When asked, Troy says
about his brother, "He was in
England when war was declared. The next day he joined the RAF." |
 |
|
Nick
George as David Troy
(Field
of Death Raid) |
David
Troy, like his brother Sam, is American but he opted to join the
Royal Air Force (RAF) the day after war was declared in England -
September 3, 1939. He wasn't alone. In Canada and
Britain, approximately 15,000 Americans joined the RAF and the Royal
Canadian Air Force (RCAF), where they were assimilated into the
various flying units.
A
year later, the Eagle Squadrons, manned entirely with American
pilots, were formed and flew as units of the RAF. |
[Doubtless
you knew that Nick George was real life brother to Christopher
George who played Sam Troy.]
[][][][][]
"Coptic
- old form."
The
Kill or Be Killed Raid
|
The
episode mission
briefing
Sergeant
Moffitt impersonates a German specialist in ancient languages who
has been ordered
from Germany on a special mission to translate a valuable
parchment. Moffitt, in disguise, enters German HQ to
translate the
parchment purported to pinpoint
the location of a critical water source, the discovery
of which may allow the Germans to drive the Allied forces out of
Africa. He looks at the parchment,
purses his lips and then nods slightly as he says, "Coptic
- old form." |
 |
|
Here
is the ancient parchment. |
But
is it really Coptic?
Perhaps
not. |
This
is what Coptic looks like.
Coptic
is read from left to right. |
[][][][][]
top
"Well,
you had your chance—and
missed it."
The
Kill or Be Killed Raid
The
episode mission
briefing continued
from above...
...
Moffitt, in disguise, completes the translation of the parchment in
private, memorises the vital information, and destroys
the parchment, but before he can escape, his true identity is
discovered. Rather than allow Moffitt to be interrogated into
giving up the location of the water source,Troy has orders to kill
Moffitt. A chance piece of luck allows Moffitt to escape and the
water source is then denied the Germans but saved for Allied
use. At the very end of the episode, Moffitt asks Troy if he'd
really have killed him. When Troy grimly refuses to answer, Moffitt
says with a small smile, "Well,
you had your chance—and missed it."
|
 |
"Well,
you had your chance—and
missed it." |
 |
Gary
Raymond (Sergeant Moffitt) came up with that particular line and at the Long
Range Desert Convention
to which he was an honoured guest, he related the story behind
it. He said the line came from a famous theatrical
anecdote. The story goes...
One
night a Royal Shakespearian company, about to perform a production
of Hamlet, was in turmoil because the lead had called in sick and the
understudy was unavailable. Another member of the company claimed he
knew all the lines and could play the part. He assured the
director he could do the job, so he was given the nod. The
actor did the whole play - a long play with many lines - and when he
came off after the curtain he said to the director, "What did
you think? How did I play 'Hamlet'?" The director replied, "You
had your chance—and missed it."
[][][][][]
"Notice
the surface pattern. It runs against the prevailing Khamseen."
Chase
of Fire (pilot)
|
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol must locate a petrol and ammunitions dump buried in the
desert well behind enemy lines and destroy it before the Germans can
reach it. The difficulty for the Rat Patrol lies in the fact
that the desert changes daily - she "is like a lady. She
puts on a new face every day."
Despite the surficial changes in the landscape, Moffitt locates the
dump location, and as he scatters a handful of sand, he
says, "Notice
the surface pattern. It runs against the prevailing Khamseen."
Khamseen
- Chamsia, Chamsin, Kamseen, Khamsin - what's in a name? The
Khamseen is the Egyptian name for the winds that blow hot and dry
from the deep desert for fifty days in the spring of the year.
For
more about the Khamseen, see the Meteorology page. |
"It
runs against the prevailing Khamseen"
Some
surface patterns evident - ripples |
The
surface pattern Moffitt refers to is no doubt a reference to the
particular rippled pattern evident in the sand overlying the buried
dump. For more about surface patterns and sand conditions see
the Geology/Topography page.
[][][][][]
top
"This
beautiful girl came dancing over the hill doing the...Lindy."
The
Moment of Truce Raid
|
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol are forced into an uneasy truce with the enemy in the
form of Dietrich and a special emissary from the German propaganda
ministry. With a massive horde of Arabs running amok, Allies
and Germans join forces to
defend
themselves against
almost
sure annihilation. While they consider a plan of escape, Tully
enthusiastically wastes ammunition by firing at nothing, and when
Troy glares at him, Tully says
in his defence,
"This
beautiful girl came dancing over the hill doing the...Lindy." |
 |
The
Lindy Hop (also known as the Jitterbug) is a swing/jazz dance that
came out of Harlem in the late 1920s and is most associated with the
Savoy Ballroom. It is said that the name came from Charles
Lindbergh's flight to Paris in 1927. Newspaper headlines of the
day read, "Lindy Hops the Atlantic." It isn't much of
a stretch to the name of the hot dance craze of the time.
Suncompass
must admit to wondering what Tully was doing by shooting at a
dancing girl, but that's just the way Suncompass is.
[][][][][]
"For
Sergeant Moffitt - a Ghibli - made with equal parts of rum, lime juice
—and
whiskey."
From:
The Gun Runner Raid
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol are captured by a traitorous American who is in the
business of selling armaments to the Germans. The gun runner is
tired of the Rat Patrol destroying his merchandise and he takes them
captive, hoping to convince them that they should side with him.
In an attempt to charm the two Allied sergeants Ned offers them
drinks. For Troy, he offers cold beer with just a dash of salt. "For
Sergeant Moffitt - a Ghibli - made with equal parts of rum, lime
juice—and whiskey."
|
Steve
Franken as Ned Cunningham
with
Ghibli in hand |
Although
unable to find any reference in the real world to a drink called a 'Ghibli',
it is doubtful that the namefor the drink was just a random
choice. It is a name that is very well suited to The
Rat Patrol and to this episode in particular.
The
drink may have been named for the Ghibli, the hot fierce
winds that blow ill from the desert and which were blowing about the
outside of the comfortable dwelling as the gun runner offered his
unwilling guests their drinks. Ghibli is the Arabic word
for ‘south' from which direction its seasonal, violent winds blow. |
For
more about the desert winds known as Ghibli and how they
relate to the Khamseen, see the Meterology page.
For
anyone tempted to recreate the Ghibli drink, experimentation has
shown that it is best prepared by shaking the ingredients with lots
of finely crushed ice. The finishing touch of applying sugar to
the glass rim makes for a perfect drink to sip while sitting by the
oasis on a desert-hot day. No drinking Ghiblis and then driving
jeeps though. Cheers!
[][][][][]
"...
in a manuscript discovered by Tischendorf in the monastery at Mount Serbil."
The
Dare Devil Rescue Raid
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol await for the arrival of Moffitt's father, who has
a plan to find
an ancient Roman road across the desert that will help the Allies
move men and gear. While they wait in a remote location for the
senior Moffitt's
plane to arrive,
the four members of the patrol query Moffitt junior about the
origins of his father's plan. Moffitt replies,
"He first found reference to the road in a manuscript discovered
by Tischendorf in the monastery at Mount Serbil." That
explanation is met with considerable amazement and apparent amusement.
|
Tischendorf
was a German scholar who, in 1844, when touring the East looking for
ancient manuscripts, stopped at the monastery of St. Catherine at Mt.
Sinai. There he stumbled across an ancient Greek manuscript now
recognised as being one of the most important manuscripts of the
Bible. It was ultimately given to the Tzar of Russia and then,
in 1933, was sold to the British Museum.
Did
Moffitt's father come across reference to the ancient Roman road in
that manuscript? Who knows, and why did the name Tischendorf
meet with such amazement? |
"Tischendorf
?!"
(from
Dare
Devil Rescue Raid") |
Suncompass
knows where Mt. Sinai is, but not where Mount Serbil (Cerbil?
Cerble?) is, if there is such a place. If anyone knows, Suncompass
would be interested in hearing.
[][][][][]
top
"I
am growing tired of German coffee, which is execrable!"
The
Trial by Fire Raid
|
|
The
episode mission
briefing
The
Rat Patrol, on a mission to blow up a German
ammo dump stored in the wine 'cellar' of an
Arab
vintner, become trapped. The proximity of the explosives makes
it hazardous for anyone to use firearms to scoop
them out, but
Dietrich thinks he has discovered a solution in using
the vintner's
ancient ceremonial weapons (bows and arrows). The vintner is
decidedly sick of the whole war tromping regularly across his home
and remarks that, "I am growing
tired
of German coffee, which
is execrable." |
Perhaps
the coffee he was offered wasn't real coffee at all but ersatz
coffee? Ersatz is a German word meaning substitution or
replacement. In many areas of Europe, including Germany, real
coffee wasn't available during much of the war (it is said, however,
that the British dropped packets of coffee into the Nazi-occupied
countries so the locals would long for the Allies' arrival).
Ersatz
coffee at that time might have been made of ground chicory or
roasted grain (mainly barley), dandelion roots, or acorns depending
on what was available. Suncompass has no idea whether the
German soldiers had plentiful supplies of real coffee or whether they
had to make do with ersatz. Neither does Suncompass know if
there was a general coffee shortage in North Africa during the war,
but it sounds like whatever they were serving the vintner, he didn't
care for it.
The
Arab wine maker might have had good reason to detest that his home
was being battered around like a shuttlecock between two opposing
badminton teams. The number of armies tracking back and forth
through his property might have been many. See location.
[][][][][]
"As
a matter of fact I wrote my doctor's thesis on the ecological
structure of the nomadic tribes."
Chase
of Fire Raid (pilot)
|
The
episode mission briefing
The
Rat Patrol lose one of their group to a German bullet and they are
assigned an Englishman as replacement for a special mission. Troy,
reluctant to take on a man he doesn't know, questions the need for
Moffitt's skills. Moffitt quite bluntly informs Troy that he
has desert and Arab expertise that they will
need.
He says, among
other things,
"As a matter of fact I wrote my doctor's thesis on the
ecological structure of the nomadic tribes."
Troy sidesteps the tricky question of what
the heck Moffitt is talking about and goes to a biting comeback.
"Smashing!" And that marks the end of his immediate objections. |
ecological
structure
(Chase
of Fire Raid) |
Ecological
Structure seems to relate to the fact that different groups
of a species - be that bacteria or people - will, over time, tend to
adapt themselves to fit a particular ecological niche. The
environment acts on the structure of the group, forcing it to evolve
to suit the surroundings, just as the group chooses the environment
that suits its needs.
According
to the url below, there are three basic ecological structure types
in the Middle East - Bedouin (nomadic), rural, and urban (with
transition ecological structures between each). The general
trend is usually from Bedouin to urban, although the reverse can happen.
Evidently
Moffitt studied the nomads and analysed the tribal structural
elements that arose due to their interaction with the desert environment.
Search
the page for 'ecological structure'
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~andyf/hist_arab.html
Suncompass
is wading way out of her depth here and that should be kept in
mind. (corrections and clarifications are welcome from those
who have knowledge on this subject)
[][][][][]
"Hitch,
what blood type are you?" asked Troy.
B-Negative
Raid
The
episode mission briefing
The
Rat Patrol head out to do what they do most days - destroy a German
convoy. But this time it's different. Moffitt takes a
bullet, is seriously wounded and losing
blood. Troy, anxious to find a compatible blood donor for
Moffitt, questions his men.
"Hitch, what blood type are you?"
"O.
O-positive," replied Hitch.
"Same,"
said Tully. "O-positive."
Japanese
researchers believe that one can analyze personality and likely
occupation by blood type.
|
blood
type O-positive
 |
Personality
of Blood Type O person*
You
want to be a leader, and when you see something you want, you keep
striving until you achieve your goal. You are a trendsetter, loyal,
passionate and self-confident. Your weaknesses include vanity,
jealousy and a tendency to be too competitive. |
Occupations
most likely for the type O blood**
|
accountant
politician
baseball
player
minister
gambler |
therapist
salesperson
caterer
romance
writer |
|
Could
Tully and Hitch really have the same blood type? Suncompass
thinks their personalities are distinctly different. But Suncompass can
envision Hitch as a baseball player or a politician, and maybe Tully
as a gambler or a romance writer (?). :-)
"I'm
A-positive," said Troy.
|
 blood
type A-positive |
Personality
of Blood Type A person*
You
like harmony, peace and organization. You work well with others and
are sensitive, patient and affectionate. Among your weaknesses are
stubbornness and an inability to relax.
|
Occupations
most likely for the type A blood**
|
librarian
police
officer
gardener
farmer
lawyer
bus
driver |
economist
writer
programmer
secretary
translator
gossip
columnist |
|
Boy
does this sound like Troy to Suncompass. (errr...perhaps not entirely)
Can't
you see Troy as a police officer? But a gossip columnist?
He
looked at Moffitt's dog tags. "Moffitt's B-negative."
|
 blood
type B-negative |
Personality
of Blood Type B person*
You're
a rugged individualist who's straightforward and likes to do things
your own way. Creative and flexible, you adapt easily to any
situation. However, your insistence on being independent can
sometimes go too far and become a weakness. |
Occupations
most likely for the type B blood**
|
cook
barber/hairdresser
talk
show host
detectives
military
leaders
photographers |
painters
craftspeople
psychiatrists
designers
journalists
golfers |
|
Suncompass
could imagine Moffitt as a photographer or maybe a psychiatrist or detective.
Does
the personality type fit Moffitt or does it sound more like Troy?
Suncompass
wonders what Dietrich's blood type might be.
*
The blood type personalities have been quoted from:
http://cicbb.justbusiness.net/WhatsNew/April-2002/Personality.html
**
The occupations for each blood type are quoted from: www.bloodservices.ca
[At
that site go to 'classroom' and then on the right side, click on
'What's your type?' for the occupations information.]
Oops,
there's a flaw in the B-negative Raid related to the blood
transfusion need. Did you spot it? See more about that bloody
bomb here.
[][][][][]
"Type
B-negative," said Troy.
"That's
rather uncommon, sergeant," said Dietrich.
B-Negative
Raid
|
The
episode mission briefing continued from above
...Troy's
men don't have the B-negative blood type that Moffitt desperately
needs. Troy is forced to enter a nearby German camp and demand
help. He explains Moffitt's
blood type
to Dietrich,
who replies,"That's rather
uncommon, sergeant." |
 |
How
uncommon is Moffitt's B-negative blood really?
Statistics
for the blood types:
|
Blood
type O-positive
(Hitch
and Tully) |
38%
of the population has this blood type with the Rh-positive factor* |
|
Blood
type A-positive (Troy) |
34%
of the population has this blood type with the Rh-positive factor |
|
Blood
type B-negative (Moffitt) |
2%
of the population has this blood type with the Rh-negative
factor. If Moffitt had been Rh-positive, he'd have had a better
chance of finding a match because 9% of the population is B-positive. |
Lots
of interesting blood information plus the statistics given above are from:
http://www.craigmedical.com/blood_typing_facts.htm
[about half way down the page]
*What
is this positive negative Rh factor thingie in blood?
The
Rh (from Rhesus) factor is a component (antigen) present on the red
blood cells of those people with Rh-positive blood. The Rh
factor in blood was identified in 1939-40. Like other
characteristics, the Rh factor one has is inherited from the parents,
and most of the world (about 85%) has the Rh factor on their blood so
most people are said to be Rh-positive (just like Troy, Hitch and
Tully). Those who do not have those antigens on their blood cells are
said to have Rh-negative blood (like Moffitt). The lack of this
factor does not incapacitate those without it so don't worry if you
have Rh-negative blood (unless you are Moffitt and need a blood
transfusion. . . or should you be as worried as everyone in the
B-Negative Raid was? See here
to find out.).
[][][][][]
"State
your case, Captain. And in English if you please."
Not
surprisingly, with a German Captain as one of the stars of the
Rat Patrol there
was bound to be some dialogue that was not in English. With the
help of a friend, and a kindly interpreter, the German dialogue in
some Rat Patrol episodes was deciphered and shared with
Suncompass. To read what Hauptmann Dietrich and some others
said in German, take up your field glasses and take a peek here.
[][][][][]
|