The Rat Patrol 

The World War II North African missions of an Allied commando patrol squad of the Long Range Desert Group.

Creator:

Tom Gries

Stars:

Christopher George, Gary Raymond, Eric Braeden

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Christopher George	...	Sgt. Sam Troy 58 episodes, 1966-1968
Gary Raymond	...	Sgt. Jack Moffitt 58 episodes, 1966-1968
Eric Braeden	...	Capt. Hans Dietrich 58 episodes, 1966-1968
Lawrence P. Casey	...	Pvt. Mark Hitchcock 58 episodes, 1966-1968
Justin Tarr	...	Pvt. Tully Pettigrew 54 episodes, 1966-1968

Storyline

A 4-man team of commandos within the Long Range Desert Group fight the Nazis in North Africa. Armed with jeeps equipped with .50-caliber machine guns--and endless chutzpah--they wage a highly irregular war against Rommel's Afrika Korps. Their most common nemesis is Hauptmann Dietrich, though Dietrich and the Rats join forces from time to time against a common enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

20th century | military | soldier | world war two soldier | commando | 

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Taglines:

Four commandos tackle Rommel's Afrika Korps (season 1)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Sgt. Moffitt's goggles are U.S. M-1944 Polaroid goggles, usually issued to and worn by U.S. armored crewmen.

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Goofs

While the machine guns mounted in the rear of the jeeps for the opening sequence do appear to be M2 Browning .50 Cal machine guns, the ones used during the show appear to be cosmetically modified M1919 Browning .30 Cal machine guns in that the barrel is shorter and the muzzle appears to be .30 cal, but the pistol grip was removed and the double hand grip of the M2 style was added.

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Quotes

Pvt. Mark Hitchcock: Who was there, Sarge? You or me?

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Stranded in Space (1991)

User Reviews

The Rat Patrol Rules!

If you're like me and really enjoy watching rugged, masculine, man-to-man combat that features plenty of high-powered explosions, rapid gunfire showdowns, and "in-your-face" confrontations, then, believe me, The Rat Patrol is definitely your #1 ticket to some truly awesome TV entertainment.

Set in the vast North African desert, during WW2, The Rat Patrol is an elite Allied commando team of experts whose mission is to attack, harass, and wreak havoc on Field Marshal Rommel's vaunted Afrika Korps.

Join this fearless, four-man army of rough'n'tough dudes, headed by Sgt. Sam Troy (played by Christopher George), as they fearlessly wage war against Nazis, traitors, and wild-eyed fanatics.

Filmed in living color, The Rat Patrol, from 1966, is a fast-paced, action-packed collection of 32 explosive episodes that are pure dynamite from start to finish. This was no low-budget production here!

With its episodes all being only 30 minutes in length, The Rat Patrol's no-nonsense, clearly-defined stories were always direct and to the point.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Rat Patrol

Filming Locations:

Mojave Desert, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirisch-Rich Productions, Tom Gries Productions, United Artists Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (58 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3