TV series Combat

[RodneyO]

Aloha All,
Just picked up three dvd sets of “COMBAT” the tv series. How realistic are the uniforms and field gear Sgt. Saunder’s and his squad use in the show? Looks like they might have been using some real WW2 stuffs. I think the time frame for the series was 1944 onward, so should they have been wearing the m43 jacket instead of the m41? The German stuffs was great seeing as a kid but seeing it now it’s funny how you can pick out all the wrong things on the uniforms and helmet. Both the Germans and Americans never ran out of bullets or change their ammo clips. Out of the three war tv series I can remember, Combat, Rat Patrol and Baa Baa Black Sheep, “Combat” rates number “1”!!!! Does anyone else have good “small kid time” memories of these tv series? Were there any other WW2 tv series that I missed growing up?
Mahalo,
Rodney

[Douglas Jr.]

Hi Rodney,

In fact I watched "Combat!" and "Rat Patrol" as reprises during the late 70´s or early 80´s but even then they were very fun. But watch them now would be a disapointment . For instance, if I remember correctly, Sgt. Saunders had a typical Pacific camo cover on his helmet...

But I think that all those old TV series were great influences for those who collect militaria now.

Douglas.

[Joe]

I know alot of things are'nt right in the series. But it's still Great ! I watched that series as a kid in the 60's. The local TV never showed the reruns here. So I'm seeing the shows for the 1st time sense I was a kid. I've bought every season released . There's been 4 season released. The 5th & final season will be released soon. Joe

[Peter_Suciu]

For instance, if I remember correctly, Sgt. Saunders had a typical Pacific camo cover on his helmet...

I've talked to a number of collectors about that cover. My feeling is that Saunders has the cover so Vic Morrow could stand out in each scene, and likewise I've long wondered if Vic said no to wearing a steel shell and the cover was put on to make it look like he's wearing a helmet when in fact he only has the liner on his head.

[3cavman]

Kids War shows

I remember watching Combat with my Uncles all WW2 vets and they use to laugh at combat, how the nobody ran out of ammo and the German were always stupid. My uncle always said why are they wearing tanker jackets when the are infantry? No I am a Combat Veteran myself and I watch combat with nefews and I see how hooky they really are.

[RodneyO]

Aloha All,
Looking back at Sgt. Saunder’s camo helmet, I thought his was the coolest helmet of the bunch. As a kid, none of the details matter but after watching the show we would all go outside and played Combat! or with those small plastic Marx army playsets.........do you still have them or wish you kept them?
Mahalo and great memories!
Rodney

[50_CAL]

Combat by far the greatest. that Kirby...Little John...Kage....they're all great! watching them when i was little thinking "i'll bet sarge has at least three medal of honors"

remember the episode when sarge single handidly took on a Tiger II (might be a tiger II... i don't remember) and saved the corpral who got stuck under the truck?

one of my favorite episodes.

what's your favorite episode(s)?

and rodney how much did the set cost?

[Waffen-Mike]

Combat by far the greatest. that Kirby...Little John...Kage....they're all great! watching them when i was little thinking "i'll bet sarge has at least three medal of honors"

remember the episode when sarge single handidly took on a Tiger II (might be a tiger II... i don't remember) and saved the corpral who got stuck under the truck?

one of my favorite episodes.

what's your favorite episode(s)?

and rodney how much did the set cost?

I loved Combat! as well, and still do As for that episode where the sarge takes on a German tank (I think it was an American M60 actually), the episode was called "The Duel". My two favorite episodes are "ALL THAT JAZZ" (action packed) and "WHAT ARE THE BUGLES BLOWIN' FOR?" (we actually fight the Germans along with the Brits in this one - very cool!). Four out of the five seasons have been released on DVD and run about $30 per set (one season incorporates 2 DVD sets). Well worth the money!

Best Regards
Mike

[Mike Coleman]

Great series

That series hit about the time of the American Civil War Centennial. As a kid I tried to collect Civil War items but it was far too expensive and Combat got me interested in WW II. It was a lot cheaper to get some WW II items for my lawn mowing money at the antique shows in Cincinnati than Civil War items and I have been collecting since. There was another show that came out the same season as Combat called The Gallant Men. Combat was set in France with D-Day being the first episode while The Gallant Men I believe was set in Italy. It didn't last long - too much of Captain Benedict hitting on the Italian babes and not enough shooting. Not the sort of thing to attract pre-adolescent males which was probably the majority of the audience. Anyway, we all got together and watched the show during the week and on the weekends played army rain or shine. We all had our parents head to the surplus store for painted helmet liners and cartridge belts, canteens and what have you. A few kids had some German stuff in the attics so there was a smattering of stahlhelms out there too. Everyone just about had a Mattel Thompson SMG that fired caps and the ones that didn't we made M-1's for by drawing from the photos of guns for sale through the mail order on the back pages of gun mags ($30 for a K-98 $65 for a G-43) and then cutting them out of wood that we "borrowed" from the closet shelves of local homes being built. Great times and great fun. I wish my kids could have lived through it with me. At the end of the day we were dirty, tired and felt great having just destroyed a couple battalions of Germans without the use of a video monitor. Wonderful memories.
Mike Coleman

[Bill Grist]

Combat

My brother and I never missed it...It was great, for us kids growing up in the south..Combat along with many vets, was a central part, that started me collecting at a young age...BILL

[Bill Grist]

MIKe

That series hit about the time of the American Civil War Centennial. As a kid I tried to collect Civil War items but it was far too expensive and Combat got me interested in WW II. It was a lot cheaper to get some WW II items for my lawn mowing money at the antique shows in Cincinnati than Civil War items and I have been collecting since. There was another show that came out the same season as Combat called The Gallant Men. Combat was set in France with D-Day being the first episode while The Gallant Men I believe was set in Italy. It didn't last long - too much of Captain Benedict hitting on the Italian babes and not enough shooting. Not the sort of thing to attract pre-adolescent males which was probably the majority of the audience. Anyway, we all got together and watched the show during the week and on the weekends played army rain or shine. We all had our parents head to the surplus store for painted helmet liners and cartridge belts, canteens and what have you. A few kids had some German stuff in the attics so there was a smattering of stahlhelms out there too. Everyone just about had a Mattel Thompson SMG that fired caps and the ones that didn't we made M-1's for by drawing from the photos of guns for sale through the mail order on the back pages of gun mags ($30 for a K-98 $65 for a G-43) and then cutting them out of wood that we "borrowed" from the closet shelves of local homes being built. Great times and great fun. I wish my kids could have lived through it with me. At the end of the day we were dirty, tired and felt great having just destroyed a couple battalions of Germans without the use of a video monitor. Wonderful memories.
Mike Coleman

MIKE, You got it right 100%..Great memories...BILL

[Chet Sowersby]

Mike,
Sounds as if we are clones. The kid next door had two german lids. We took turns being the bad guys. I can remember to this day putting that single decal whatever on a post and throwing rocks at it trying to hit the decal yelling "take that you dirty kraut!" Oh, my heart aches everytime I think of it... Reguardless, a good time was had by all. The thing that stays with me is how many times the 'ole sarge could take out a sniper in a bell tower with his Thompson firing from the hipp!

Chet

[Para82nd]

im not that old, hehe. But i do have memories! One day, me and a freind after watching some old war movie, pork chop hill or something whnt outside in my backyard, i had my daddys ol' folding shovel from his service, and just started digging, soon we had 2 opposeing foxholes and we threw dirt clods at eachother the rest of the day, wearing ol' M1 helmest too! the good times, except when my mom found our "fortifications"

[Michael Page]

The actor Rick Jason committed suicide a couple years ago (he played the LT).

He was a gun enthusiast and he kept his carbine (a real one) after the series ended, but for some reason the barrel was filled with led. Years later he gave it to a well-known comedian (I think Charlie Callas) who has since died. No one knows the whereabouts of the carbine.

[Frentebro]

Doug, there was some use of US Splotch camo in Europe but most was withdrawn early due to confusion with SS Dot camo that resulted in "friendly fire" incidents.

I met Vic Morrow when he came to the opening of a new shopping mall in Sacramento in 1963 (i was 13). He looked a bit hung over.

I asked him what was in his first aid pouch (he had his web belt on, & his COMBAT uniform). He didn't know so he opened it, to discover a block of wood! Yes, it was a fun show for a young boy. I watched it religiously.