Combat! (TV Series) The Wounded Don't Cry (1963) User Reviews

Trust and Dilemma

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 16 July 2017]

Sgt. Saunders and his squad find a German hospital with many wounded soldiers including two SS Nazis. Saunders asks his men to search the place but they neglect and the SS Nazis hide two grenades. German Sergeant Bauer tries to sneak out from the hospital and when he is captured, he tells that he was going to bring plasma from a German truck that was in a convoy bombed by the Allied airplanes. Private Neumann, who speaks German, questions Saunders and he tells that he does not trust Germans. When the SS soldier tries to blow-up a grenade, Neumann fight him and is seriously wounded. Now Saunders needs o team-up with Bauer to save Neumann. But can the enemy be trusted?

"The Wounded Don't Cry" is a dramatic episode of "Combat!" with a story of trust and dilemma. The experienced Saunders knows that the enemy cannot be trusted but he is forced to team-up with one of them to save one of his men. The scene of Sergeant Bauer and Saunders putting the bird back in the nest is touching. The cameo of Leonard Nimoy in the beginning of his career is another plus in the great episode. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Feridos Não Choram" ("Wounded Don't Cry")

Saunders At His Best !

[jmarchese · 10/10 · 14 June 2014]

"The Wounded Don't Cry" is an excellent story provided by screen writer James Landis which on the one hand presents the stark reality of war, and on the other shows most soldiers on both teams are human beings and probably do not want to be there. (I once read a story about a nurse who served in Vietnam. She had to save a Viet Cong soldier from certain death after he had just killed three Americans. As a condition she asked for an interpreter and asked the Viet Cong what he felt about "our Vietnam conflict." Spontaneously the Viet Cong replied, "If I could be protesting in Saigon the way Americans are protesting in Washington DC, I'd be doing it right now.")

Vic Morrow plays an outstanding role as a Sergeant Saunders who on the one hand appears hard hearted but on the other has no choice. Again, it's war. Two SS troops soon justify Saunders approach. There is no room for soft heartedness in war and many times trusting good hearted soldiers wind up dead.

The Americans capture a German battalion aid station and both sides ultimately need plasma which according to the Germans is available in a blown up convoy about 2 kilometers away. Saunders refuses permission to go for the plasma several times and is finally convinced it's the right thing to do. He plays an outstanding role in that he must be 100% focused on what he's doing all of the time. He finally agrees to go with a wounded Sergeant Bauer (excellently played by Karl Boehm) who appears to genuinely be concerned about the wounded troops. Along the way they encounter German SS troops on two occasions. Interaction between Bauer and Saunders is excellent as each is focused on what they are trying to accomplish and each show their human side.

Sergeant Bauer learns about the pure evil of the SS and he and Saunders finally come to an understanding about what is right.

We get two fine performances respectively from Leonard Nimoy and Oscar Beregi Jr. as Private Neumann and Major Schiller, the German doctor.

In looking at the German wounded you real feel for them as you realize they are just ordinary people stuck in a war the same way we are with no way out. And nobody wins in a war.

Moral Dilemma

[jmheath2 · 8/10 · 21 September 2007]

Sarge and company capture a German medical aid station that is full of wounded and low on plasma. Nearest plasma is over 2 km away and German Seargent wants to retrieve. Sarge won't budge and Neumann, played by a young Leonard Nimoy, can't understand why Sarge would let men (even the enemy) die. The SS plays a big part in this episode and act like ruthless uberman somewhat justifying Sarge's precaution. There is much give and take between Sarge and German Seargent Bauer. While watching, you can understand Sarge's apprehension. Karlheinz Bohm, who portrays Bauer,does a good job of keeping up the suspense -will he or will he not betray Sarge's trust. This could have been a A+ episode except I thought the end was too over the top.

Leonard Nimoy is superb in this episode - almost looks like he could have portrayed a character from M*A*S*H.

Spoiler below

If the SS were allowed to kill Bauer in the end, it would have been more realistic than Sarge as a cartoon hero.

Temporary alliance

[nickenchuggets · 8/10 · 12 September 2022]

The average person who doesn't have much interest in the Second World War will probably say there is absolutely no difference between the Wehrmacht (the normal German military during the war), and the SS, Hitler's personal paramilitary force responsible for the Holocaust. This episode of Combat effectively points out the differences between these two organizations, and makes it clear to the viewer that the SS were zealots who were willing to both live and die for Hitler. This episode starts with Saunders and the squad coming across a german field hospital in a village. There are a lot of wounded german soldiers here, mostly from the wehrmacht, but two SS men are laying in stretchers and are secretly hiding grenades in their casts. A german sergeant named Bauer (Karlheinz Bohm) offers to drive to a destroyed convoy nearby so he can get plasma for his men, but Saunders tells him he's managed to stay alive this long because he doesn't trust any germans, and he doesn't want Bauer going somewhere to possibly retrieve weapons. Soon after, the wounded SS attempt to kill Saunders and a GI named Neumann (Leonard Nimoy) using their grenades. Saunders throws the weapon away from him before it can explode, but Neumann is critically injured when he tries to use his body to shield the squad. Saunders now faces a problem because Bauer is still offering to go get plasma to save both Neumann's life and the wounded germans, but Saunders is having even more trust issues after what just happened. He eventually plays nice and tells Bauer he can drive a truck to get the plasma, but he's coming with him, and if he tries anything, he's as good as dead. Saunders and Bauer drive to the wrecked convoy to retrieve the medical supplies, but bad luck gets in the way. Saunders spots an advancing german formation which includes tanks, and says he must relay this information to the squad before more Americans die. Knowing he can't let his enemy do that, Bauer grabs a Luger from a deceased german and aims it at Saunders. Saunders convinces Bauer to let him live so that the germans back at the field hospital won't die, and Bauer drives the truck a little further until both men notice an SS staff car driving towards them. Bauer sacrifices himself for Saunders and tells him to hide, while Bauer tries to explain to the SS why he's in front of a truck in the middle of nowhere. For whatever reason, the SS decide to execute him, but before they have a chance to, Saunders restarts the truck, causes a distraction, and kills the SS with his Thompson. Bauer also joins in with his MP40. After saving Bauer's life, Bauer tries to leave Saunders, but the latter makes it clear he's going back with him. Bauer and Saunders then drive the truck back to the field hospital, and Neumann (and the others) are saved. While I thought this episode was pretty good and shows how sick of war Saunders has become, it does have the problem of not really taking itself that seriously. There's actually too much action in this episode I think (at least for something that's medical-focused) and we even see Bauer killing his own countrymen with no remorse. Not only this, but the plot is thoroughly predictable. I knew that Neumann was going to be saved, and I knew Bauer was going to try and betray Saunders at one point. Still, The Wounded Don't Cry remains a good showcase of how there is no room for feeling pity for your enemies during wartime, at least in most cases.

Sarge Does Not Trust the SS!

[ShelbyTMItchell · 9/10 · 2 April 2013]

Sarge does not trust the SS. As it shows Leonard Nimoy playing a German translator for the King's Company. As they rain on the SS's parade at a nearby camp.

Sure the Sarge can be grouchy and this episode was no exception. As to not get on his bad side. As Nimoy's character becomes nearly fatally injured. While the Kings Company work to help Nimoy fight for his life.

The Sarge is hard nosed as one of the SS soldiers a Sgt like Saunders, says that these dying soldiers both US and SS together need to get plasma. And that Sarge will go along with them. As Saunders warns the SS Sgt if he tries anything, Saunders will kill him.

As Saunders does not know whether the SS Sgt is playing with him or keeps his promise of getting the plasma. The SS Sgt seems like a decent guy caught between playing good or bad. As the two men must share the road in getting the plasma. As a grudging respect between them grows slowly.

Not the best but still a great Combat episode!

Terrific war of wills

[lor_ · 16 July 2023]

Fans will rejoice to see Leonard Nimoy in a positive role, but the real guest star is Karl Boehm, a very talented actor in both romantic roles and unforgettable as the nutcase in Michael Powell's 1959 classic "Peeping Tom".

Script thrusts Vic and Boehm together in a trek to get some plasma for the German field hospital the squad captures. Vic balks at the idea, until sympathetic Leonard Nimoy is critically injured trying to save people when a couple of SS men among the wounded try to blow everyone up.

It's an interesting situation, milked for all it's worth in James Landis' screenplay. (Besides writing for TV, Landis directed a series of independent B pictures with cult actor Arch Hall Jr., including the classic "The Sadist".)

Vic is solid as usual as the thinking man's soldier, looking at situations realistically but skeptically -a perfect vehicle for audience identification. Though ostensible enemies, he and Boehm find their shared humanity under tough circumstances.