The Never Say Die Raid

"The Never Say Die Raid" is the twenty-fifth episode of the second season of The Rat Patrol. It originally aired on 11 March 1968.

Synopsis
The Germans capture Sergeant Troy and Private Hitchcock, and take them to see Colonel von Bracht (Frank Marth), who offers them hot tea and discloses that the Germans are planning a major offensive. The colonel wants either man to make a call saying they found nothing in their reconnaissance.

Lt. Cristalde (Fabrizio Mioni) from an Italian regiment surrenders to Sergeant Moffitt and insists on being treated as a prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention. But of course Moffitt is more concerned with rescuing Troy and Hitchcock from the Germans.

Meanwhile a Nazi tortures Troy and Hitchcock with a flame. Hitchcock agrees to make the call. He's provided a phone, sets the frequency, calls "Apple Red to Blue" and says he's ready to give his report on sectors G through R. But instead of saying he found nothing, Hitchcock gives away the German position and says "there's an attack at night from the north!" But Colonel von Bracht had unplugged the microphone, right after Hitchcock made contact.

Moffitt shows up dressed up as an Italian officer, with an actual Italian dressed up as his prisoner. Von Bracht says he's never seen an Italian with a prisoner before. Moffitt says an Allied brigade is on the way. The colonel orders Moffitt to put his prisoner with the other prisoners, which includes Troy and Hitchcock. Moffitt tells Troy that Pettigrew's preparing a diversion.

After getting off the phone to inquire about the incoming Allied brigade, which intelligence knows nothing about, von Bracht figures out something's up. Pettigrew surreptitiously places a lit fuse on a German truck. Soon there's an explosion, giving Troy and Moffitt the diversion they need.

Back at von Bracht's tent, Troy sets the frequency on the radio and calls "Blue" to say that "the big Kraut offensive is set for tonight." Once "Blue" has confirmed receiving the report, the Rat Patrol make their escape, taking von Bracht and Cristalde with them. Hitchcock is miraculously able to shoot down all the Germans who shoot at the escaping vehicle.

Soon they're far away from the German camp. But Troy thinks there are some German soldiers lurking in the bushes. Cristalde knows better: they're his Italian compatriots, he goes to call out of them and they come out of hiding. They're all very happy to see each other, laughing and shouting, as von Bracht says he'll never understand Italians.

Main cast

 * Christopher George as Sergeant Sam Troy
 * Gary Raymond as Sergeant Jack Moffitt
 * Hans Gudegast as Hauptmann Hans Dietrich (credit only)
 * Lawrence Casey as Private Mark T. Hitchcock
 * Justin Tarr as Private Tully Pettigrew

Supporting cast

 * Tommy Cook as "Cefalu"
 * Kurt Landen as a guard
 * Frank Marth as Colonel von Bracht
 * Fabrizio Mioni as Lt. Cristalde