My father was 14 when he joined up for WWII. He made it all the way through basic. The week before being shipped off to europe, his dad, my grandfather contacted the base and told the army that my pop was only 14. The army kept him back and within a few weeks, he was given a general discharge. Many of the guys that he trained with did not make it home. My dad went on to later serve in Korea. He passed away at the age of 83 with a full military funeral. I miss him dearly but watching Combat brings back great memories of sitting at his feet week after week to catch another episode. Thanks Sarge, Kirby, Cage, Little John, Doc and Billy
I like combat even after all these years. My Father was fifteen when he went into the Army . My grandma lied for him. No one questioned him because he was 6'4 . My dad served through WWII, Korea and Nam. I was so very proud of him. I was called to duty in a different way and became a Police Officer for 34 years. I have my fathers flag after he passed away. I show it with pride in my home.
@@TheFishdoctor1952 Hopefully , The Republicans gain control of the government and bring law and order back to our country . I started when the SLA were committing all their crimes.
I was 10-12 years old when Combat was first aired. Some 55+ years later, I'm watching the entire series again. While watching some of the episodes, I get an "a-Ha" moment when I recall tidbits of the episode from my memory. I had one of the "a-Ha" moments when Putnam pointed out the snipers in the trees. I didn't remember anything else about this episode except for that.
Probably my most remembered episode. My best friend as a kid had eyes like Putnam. He could see a cicada on a tree branch several houses away. Chuck Yeager said that his superior eyesight is what made him such a great fighter pilot. He could see German planes long before his squadron mates and they would climb on top of the Germans and dive down on them before they had time to properly react.
It's probably worth noting that Putnam's advantage here isn't superior eyesight but the ability to Discriminate what he's seeing; as he puts it, he's recognizing types of foliage where it ought not to be, and didn't his newspaper clipping also make note of his skills? But yes, Yeager is probably a close comparison point nonetheless, and his eyesight was tested and shown to be much better than average. With that being said, his other advantage was experience as well as success (also some notable failures, but he survived) and that must have given him much in terms of the ability to discriminate those distant targets, what their intentions would probably be, and how to best maneuver around them to bounce 'em but good. #DukkaDukka
Had no idea that was Beau Bridges, well at that time in 64 was watching "Sea Hunt"with Lloyd Bridges....Combat was and still is a top 10 tv show in my book!!!!!!
botanists rule..!! what a splendid story line demonstrating that everyone has a skill that contributes to success when you play as a team... you can tell saunders was very impressed after getting 6 snipers in 10 minutes..
Not plausible that that many snipers could hit so little. Seems to be a regular feature in this series. like walking into a German machine gun trap and living to tell about it. Posibly they were line soldiers stuck in trees to cover a retreat.
Yeah I counted 6 snipers also. I was amazed by how terrible they were. Maybe 30 rounds fired and only shot Harvey ? If there were more American soldiers like Kirby we’d still be fighting the Germans 😅 hahahaha. Just mirthing …
I remember watching this series with my brothers and my Dad, because back then Dad was in charge of the TV. I really enjoyed it then and now it's like all of the episodes are brand new to me because as a '60 something' I don't remember them anyway.
I didn't have my dad around but my uncle definitely was in charge of the television when he came home from work every day at 6. He would demand his dinner and his Lazy Boy chair with the remote by his side every day! He was a hell of a man
Wanda Franklin I am 63 and watched the entire series a year ago. Now I'm now re-watching them and they still look brand new. Age does have its advantages!
Loved watching this series at 8 yr old. I don't remember them all but hell, I played many of them in COD and BF3. Makes me want to go back and play some of these games.
This episode really brings out just how much the Army brings men of all different backgrounds together. Guys who wouldn't last a minute in each other's neighborhoods or environments. The Army has always been a great equalizer for guys looking to find their way. When so many are Drafted you get ALL types. America is a divergent place...
A part of the Navy I loved, I never really had a chance to travel the country. Yet met guys from all over. I wonder why it seems we're devided as a country today?
@@BikingVikingHH It always was every race for itself. That is why shows of this era only had a certain group of people in them who were about themselves too.
I watched this episode when it first aired. Probably one of the better ones IMO. Combat! was a good series for people to make sense of the cataclysmic events of WW2, excellent writing and acting. "The Gallant Men" and "Twelve O'clock High" were also good.
I have many favorite episodes but this isn't one which I'd be putting on the list, certainly not in a top ten. There are also some which make me cringe; this one gets close with Beau Bridges in the first couple of acts. After the Sarge goes out to rescue him, it's a much better episode.
Saunders gets stuck with another emotionally stunted replacement. Geeze. Poor Saunders. Putnam's defensiveness is a dead give-away for hidden problems.
"What's he doing way over there,giving them target practice"? I lol!....And then the sarge says"What do you think you were gonna do scare the enemy off by making faces at them"? That was just too funny!
I think Beau Bridges was also in a 12 O'Clock High episode where he was an underaged waist gunner on a B-17. In both episodes he shows that sometimes even a boy can do a man's job when needed. This may also be true today in these trying times of Aug 2021 and beyond. Strength of Spirit, stamina and courage will often win the day.
I remember this episode well. I was very young but I do remember the bit Put explaining to Saunders how snipers stand out. Gosh. And I have had a fascination with snipers ever since.
Tom Lowell: "I had no idea that would be my last episode. At the time we were still in negotiations for the contract. And Gene Levitt just wouldn't budge. I felt badly about it, but at the time my outside career was doing real well."
I heard Gene hated Vic because Vic spoke up!!! Guess Gene's ego couldn't take it!!! Too bad someone else didn't take over!!! It should have had one last season to see how it ends. TRAGIC!!!
Beau Bridges was actually about the same age as Tom Lowell (Billy Nelson) when this was made (23) but looked younger. Conlan Carter (Doc) was 30. All of the others were in the 35-40 age range, much older than the average age of WW 2 GIs (26). Not sure if there were stats kept on GIs who were underage. My impression was that the Thompson was a short range weapon. Pretty amazing shooting by Saunders to get 6 sharpshooters at that range.
Une épisode magnifique. Has it not yet been mentioned how well Sgt. Saunders (as portrayed by Vic Morrow) reads his men (and people in general)? Sgt. Saunders picks up on the slightest tell tale sign that something is amiss as in the opening scene where Harvey (Robert Simpson) teases Put, this babe in arms. The squad already knows how to behave with newcomers and act accordingly from earlier lessons given by Sgt. Saunders. He knows this boy is not telling the truth and reprimands for not being truthful. Put (Beau Bridges) is in the squad and must carry his weight like any other soldier in Sgt. Saunders' squad. We are very fortunate also for a stellar performance by Lilyan Chauvin (playing "Fauvette" probably just a nickname here as "fauvette" is a variety of bird -here a "warbler") Her interaction with both Put and Lt. Hanley are mémorable and so are theirs with she. Things run afoul once the squad enters the forested area on their mission. This is just a 15 year old boy with no experience with weapons. I am sure that many of you out there know/have known someone who enlisted into wars before the regulatory age. Both of my grandfathers enlisted into the Canadian army in WWI but one of them was also only 15. He joined in 1914 (born 1899-died 1987) but some of these youngsters in arms make very good soldiers. He became a sniper with the Queens Own Rifles and was shot in the leg and laid on the field (after a fellow soldier fell on him trying to save him staunching the bleeding) and was about to be thrown into a mass grave until someone noticed he was still twitching. So much for child soldiers. They were legion in many wars. This was a very different war from WWII. I remember him telling me the German Jewish soldiers across in the opposite trench calling out to him and the other Yiddish speaking soldiers in the Canadian trench warning them of a bombardment the next morning and coincidently, a cantor was found in both trenches (this was Belgium) where they would both lead in singing various psalms(in Hebrew) on both sides at different lulls in the fighting. This was a different war. Beau Bridges (named after the character played by Leslie Howard in Gone with the Wind by father Lloyd and mother Dorothy Bridges) puts in a fine performance and continues still. The Fabulous Baker Boys, Max Payne,the Descendants not to mention a huge number of TV séries. We must not overlook Lilyan Chauvin (1925-2008) born in Paris, France. Lilyan had a very illustrious career:North to Alaska, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Predator 2, Catch Me if you Can as well as a myriad of appearances in many TV séries and other films; Lilyan was active until the year before she left us. Un très grand merci pour le téléchargement!
love this episode so much! harvey ..as combination squad weisenheimer/ buddy to be relied upon! and any episode w/ sarge preaching to troops is killer!
Beau Bridges was born in 1941 so he'd have been 23 when this aired in 1964. The fact that he was calling other privates "Sir" would have been a clue that he hadn't served in another unit.
+J Anthony Not a good thing in the Army I can still remember it very clearly "Don't call me SIR maggot, I work for a living!! (Staff Sergeant Masterson's quote)
at 20 my dad was fighting Rommel in the sand pit,half way around the world,then Europe,italy,tunisa scilily,po valley,i'll never be the man dad was,these men were different
@@strattuner unfortunately even though he dodged the kamikazes, he couldn't Dodge the bullets from a certain woman's ex-husband so he passed away at the age of 41. 😒🙏😒
I love Sgt. Saunders at 7:52. When I was just in the Army, and I called our Sargent "Sir" - he went ballistic! "DON'T CALL ME SIR! From now on - I am your Mother! I am your Father! I am your DELIVERANCE! *I AM YOUR SARGENT!!!!* GOT IT!?" I got it. Later I learned that the Sargent is the most feared man in the Army. That's why he is Sargent!
There were a couple guys that got in underage, a black child joined the Marines and made it to Nam won some Medals saving life’s but wasn’t alive to receive them , God bless that boy that became a man in Nam , at his young age he laid his life down for others , God bless him ! 🙏🏻🇺🇸
I had a good friend and co-worker in the late 1980's who was a retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant. He had served in WW2 and Korea and had his 20 years in, 1963. He enlisted in the USMC in 1942 and gave a local "wino" $5 to go with him to the Marine Recruiter posing as his 'father' when he was just shy of his 16th birthday. He was wounded landing on Guam by a Japanese Machine Gun. On the hospital ship a Navy Doc looked at his teeth and said he wasn't older than 16 or 17, but since WW2 was raging and he already had a Purple Heart the Doc let it slide. He was critically wounded on Okinawa and got his 2nd Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. By then he WAS of legal age so the whole matter was buried in paper by the USMC. "Gunny Gold" was also wounded at the Frozen Chosin in Korea where he got his 3rd Purple Heart and a Silver Star. He led a small group of Marines through Chinese Lines and back to American held territory in late 1951. He retired from the Marine Corps and came over with us at the Department of Defense. The reason I know all of this story is true is because I helped him get his Paperwork in Order for his T/S Clearance with the DoD. All his "Paperwork" was off by two years and he retired at "age 65" with full benefits from the Military, DoD and Social security when he was actually 62. I saw his medals, his DD214 and a yellowed Western Union Telegram that his parents received when he was "Missing in Action, presumed Dead" at the Chosin Reservoir in late 1950. He passed away in 2004 but I was proud to know a REAL WAR HERO. Gunny Gold did what most guys in Hollywood wouldn't even believe. RIP; Gunnery Sergeant Gold, USMC. This whole story is the absolute Truth.
Ten more years of WWII, thanks to Kirby!! How about Saunders' face when he took a drink of that lemonade! I remember seein this episode as a kid- of course the next day all of us recreated this action in our backyards & cleared the whole neighborhood of snipers!!
I did grow up in those times. We played a lot outdoors and made up our own games, but instead of a Tommy gun, I had a Barbie. We watched Combat as a whole family, brother, parents and I. Try doing that today when everybody has their own 'room.'
Youngsters grow up more slowly in the USA. Under war conditions they grow up fast. Youngsters fought with the Maqui in France, with the Partisans in Yugoslavia (as it was then), with the fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto In Poland, and with the Hagannah in Israel as well as with other underground groups.
We had a place like that down the street from our kaserne in Neckarsulm, Germany. I used to go there when I got hungry at night and get a couple of schnitzel sandwiches on good whole-grain bread from a neighboring bakery.
The grandfather of a kid I coached in little league was 15 when he went to Vietnam. He got in trouble with the law and forged his mother's signature to enlist. His squad got shot up and within 8 months he was a sargeant and squad leader. He was badly wounded and sent to a hospital in Okinawa where they discovered how old he really was and he was dishonorably discharged for lying despite having a bronze star and a purple heart. He lost all medical benefits and his mother had to get their congresswoman involved to get his benefits back. When he healed up, he went back to high school and soon discovered he had zero in common with his classmates after killing people for months and getting badly wounded. He got into more trouble and started doing drugs. Finally, he got help through the VA and got his life back on track. I just can't imagine being that age in Vietnam.
I watched this episode back in the 1960s and still remember it. Well, some of it. I was looking for it in the lists of Combat on the net. Could not find it from their descriptions. Then something said in my ear "this is the one." I kid you not! And so I watched it and there he was. The young guy who could pick out snipers in the trees where no one else could. This series was one of my favourites. I'm a Canadian and when we neighbourhood kids would play "war" we always divided into the Germans and the Americans--never the Canadians, though we were in the war too! Ha, ha! Talk about cultural domination through television, eh? By the way, Pierre Jalbert who plays Cage was a Canadian from Quebec. He and Sgt. Saunders were always my favourites.
Beau Bridges as a WANT TO BE SOLDIER in COMBAT ! to a GENERAL in STARGATE :::) Strangliy that in the STARGATE trivia no one ever had that brought up. Also interesting the Speaking name of the compassionate bartender La Fauvette ( The Favorite/Best Choice ) so the term came and comes up a lot in French advertisements
There is a group called underage veterans of ww2. Formed by guys like Put. Also a book was written with their stories. They ranged in age from 14 to 16 years. If not mistaken a 15 year old was killed on Iwo Jima. It is a rare book but wonderful reading. One of those vets who worked on it gave me a copy at the VA in Pensacola Florida.
The one life that U.S. Marine Dan Bullock had to give for his country lasted just 15 years, five months and 17 days. The North Carolina/Brooklyn teen, after using a doctored birth certificate to enlist, he was shot down on June 7, 1969. Dan became the youngest U.S. casualty of the Vietnam War. "He's the most patriotic young man. He took his secret to the grave to fight for an ideology, when you had grown men fleeing to Canada," said his friend McArthur.
A friend of mine who passed about ten years ago was underage. He was a ham radio operator who joined the Merchant Marines as a radio operator at 15 or 16. During WWII, the Merchant Marines were part of our military.
Saunders sez "cover me"...it's about to get festive. Saunders/Putnam: first full-auto, point-shooting, no optics sniper/spotter team. I like the way they make you hate Red Shirt Harvey so you're happy when he gets waxed. Bierkeller set looks just like the one in "Inglourious Basterds". But then, every Gaststatte I've ever been in looked just alike, so...
I recall watching this episode 51 years ago with my father (who was a WWII medic). I was thinking he was going to be able to see the snipers because of color blindness (shades of grey). (But perhaps that's the plot in another show.) Moving may way through episodes toward with James Whitmore as the cut-throat Nazi masquerading as a priest, an episode I recall very distinctly.
I'm color blind and my father (mhrip) said I would have been a huge asset in WW2. His unit the 38th engineers probably served in more countries than any other unit in Europe and Africa.
Beau Bridges enlisted in the Coast Guard and was assigned to a Coast Guard Cutter which I was also assigned but a few years later. His brother Jeff also enlisted in the Coast Guard
I used to love this show when I was a kid; now when I watch it, it is the most unrealistic WW2. show ever. patrols out in the open (in california hills); every other bullet makes the ricochet sound, everyone jumps out in the open when under fire, the whole squad is bunched up most the time, most the actors are too old to be WW2 troops, the woods is full of snipers, unsupported by their infrantry and yet snipers are too valuable to let that happen; and then the Saunders is picking them off with a .45 tommy gun (a short range weapon),. aand of course why would the tree's be loaded with snipers, out in a wooded field, when the chances of enemy going thru your little woods is about zero.
This is one of the weirdest episodes in terms of my own tastes and preferences. In short, I find it hard to suspend disbelief for Beau Bridges until the last act is underway; after he and the Sarge start wasting snipers, well, suddenly I get an "It's Fine" all-clear signal. #WTF
This pissed me off, he not the only underage soldier. There were many and my own father one-- only 16. Thankfully he survived but the world was a hard place
I have searched almost all episodes just to watch this again...I've seen it before and I like the story and I want to watch again but can't remember the title..now I know
As a child6-7 years old is when I first remembered watching Combat with dad, and it must of been sometime after this episode. As a Kid I did not know of Private Billy Nelson, as this was his last episode. Also explains why I did not know the first doc, or Braddock
I remember watching this episode with my dad on Tuesday 7 p.m. on ABC this segment really tripped me out with Beau Bridges pretending to be a veteran when actually he's a 15 yr old kid called Putt. Saunders as usual difusses the situation and all is well with the rest of the squad. Putt makes up for his lying and tell Saunders that the leaves on the tree don't look right and you know what happens then. I guess the Krauts thought they were one with the tree. Surprise.
This Television series is THE finest drama to date, since both this show and "THE GALLANT MEN" were the first two series depicting our fighting men in World War II. in "COMBAT!", the viewer senses and feels that realism and comradery as "Lt Gil Hanley" and "Sgt. Chip Saunders" and their men engage the Germans each week, in that deadly game of war and survival, as viewers felt that bond with these soldiers and what they had to do! you don't see anything like this on TV anymore, and the role models on Primetime are all dysfunctional, liberal, and just damned stupid! the fighting men of World War II engaged in an armed conflict, that nobody today could even compare, and while "COMBAT!" may not have addressed some of the critical issues involved, the ABC series still stayed focused and committed to telling its story of these brave fighters. Robert Pirosh, the director of MGM's "GO FOR BROKE" movie in the 40s was the creator of this series, and clearly, Pirosh knew his business, as does Jo Davidsmeyer, who was the author of a book about the making of this TV series, when the DVDs from Image Entertainment were released nearly a decade ago. as to the TV rights, I'm certain that it's now the property of CBS TV Distribution, which owns the Spelling/Worldvision Enterprises library, formerly known as ABC Films. this is likely one of the best-made TV shows in history, which ended its ABC-TV run 50 years ago in 1967, to be replaced by "GARRISON'S GUERILLAS", that Selmur Prods. also made, and ABC's "THE RAT PATROL" (1966-68) which was also a great series, but "COMBAT!" was actually way better!
I have an old Canadian buddy he lied at 14 and joined the Merchant Marines. He said he was in constant terror the first two voyages across the Atlantic, they it got better. He was just scared then on. He is still a fearless man.
Well, this should be titled, "Saving Private Putnam." And yes, this war did last 2 more years, in answer to Kirby's question. And still no closer to Paris.
Considering that Normandy was June 1944 and the World War II European theater ended May 1945 and the Pacific theater ended Aug 1945, I suspect your math skills need a little polishing.
This episode, like many others, tackles the "inner" enemy of the soldier - ego; but don't forget envy, greed, sloth, lust, and of course pride which has caused many a soldier to underestimate his enemy.
two genius actors,someone should have told rick how astounding his performance in the series was,when his name slipped to second place after the late great VIC MORROW,he couldn't take it,maybe more who knows,both gone this series shows the genius they both had,rip men of combat
Way WAY too much shooting from the hip in this show. I gag when I see Saunders hip-fire his magic Thompson that never needs reloading, but Lt. Hanley hip-firing an M-1 Carbine just ruins the rest of my day. Too much Hollywood. That said, Combat! is the backbone of the Golden Age of Television.
Even if Putnam never got to put on a uniform again and fight in a war (Korea?) he could be very proud of wha he was able to do in the short day of WW2 combat he had. He saved the lives of most of his squad, except for Harvey or course, and spotted snipers in the trees that the experienced soldiers couldn't see.
When I was going through basic down at Lackland AFB we had a kid who basically spoke no English. He was from some remote village in mexico that spoke a dialect of Spanish the brass were lucky to find someone as interpreter. He was kicked out on the charge of Fraudulent Enlistment. We never found out if he was underage.
My father was 14 when he joined up for WWII. He made it all the way through basic. The week before being shipped off to europe, his dad, my grandfather contacted the base and told the army that my pop was only 14. The army kept him back and within a few weeks, he was given a general discharge. Many of the guys that he trained with did not make it home. My dad went on to later serve in Korea. He passed away at the age of 83 with a full military funeral. I miss him dearly but watching Combat brings back great memories of sitting at his feet week after week to catch another episode. Thanks Sarge, Kirby, Cage, Little John, Doc and Billy
I like combat even after all these years. My Father was fifteen when he went into the Army . My grandma lied for him. No one questioned him because he was 6'4 . My dad served through WWII, Korea and Nam. I was so very proud of him. I was called to duty in a different way and became a Police Officer for 34 years. I have my fathers flag after he passed away. I show it with pride in my home.
You have to be glad as all hell you are no longer on duty. Not enough money in the world to be a policeman today.
@@TheFishdoctor1952 Hopefully , The Republicans gain control of the government and bring law and order back to our country . I started when the SLA were committing all their crimes.
@@waynevance4468 Agree 100%. I just kind of doubt that may happen with the fraud in mail in ballots, etc.
Whatever
@@John-qb8vd Go smoke your weed freak.
The Lord be with you,
Another great episode with the theme that God pulls good out of any situation even when we initially choose wrongly.
Peace,
Love the look on Saunders face at the end when he took that sip of lemonade, priceless.
"He doesn't need money, he has a rich personality," Saunders to Putnam about Harvey.
Cognac is better than blended scotch. Single malt Irish or tequila reposado for me as long as it ain’t Cuervo …
I was 10-12 years old when Combat was first aired. Some 55+ years later, I'm watching the entire series again. While watching some of the episodes, I get an "a-Ha" moment when I recall tidbits of the episode from my memory. I had one of the "a-Ha" moments when Putnam pointed out the snipers in the trees. I didn't remember anything else about this episode except for that.
3cmñr j5150
Probably my most remembered episode. My best friend as a kid had eyes like Putnam. He could see a cicada on a tree branch several houses away. Chuck Yeager said that his superior eyesight is what made him such a great fighter pilot. He could see German planes long before his squadron mates and they would climb on top of the Germans and dive down on them before they had time to properly react.
It's probably worth noting that Putnam's advantage here isn't superior eyesight but the ability to Discriminate what he's seeing; as he puts it, he's recognizing types of foliage where it ought not to be, and didn't his newspaper clipping also make note of his skills?
But yes, Yeager is probably a close comparison point nonetheless, and his eyesight was tested and shown to be much better than average. With that being said, his other advantage was experience as well as success (also some notable failures, but he survived) and that must have given him much in terms of the ability to discriminate those distant targets, what their intentions would probably be, and how to best maneuver around them to bounce 'em but good. #DukkaDukka
Had no idea that was Beau Bridges, well at that time in 64 was watching "Sea Hunt"with Lloyd Bridges....Combat was and still is a top 10 tv show in my book!!!!!!
Yep Sea Hunt was another one of my favorite's
botanists rule..!! what a splendid story line demonstrating that everyone has a skill that contributes to success when you play as a team... you can tell saunders was very impressed after getting 6 snipers in 10 minutes..
Not plausible that that many snipers could hit so little. Seems to be a regular feature in this series. like walking into a German machine gun trap and living to tell about it. Posibly they were line soldiers stuck in trees to cover a retreat.
Muh Muh Muh Monsterkill!
Yeah I counted 6 snipers also. I was amazed by how terrible they were. Maybe 30 rounds fired and only shot Harvey ? If there were more American soldiers like Kirby we’d still be fighting the Germans 😅 hahahaha. Just mirthing …
Love it since I was 7 great writer 👍🏼 now I’m over 50
Reminds of of joining at 16, in bootcamp 2 months before being 17. How time flys. A Vietnam era vet.
They took you at 16?
Thanks for serving your country man.
I remember watching this series with my brothers and my Dad, because back then Dad was in charge of the TV. I really enjoyed it then and now it's like all of the episodes are brand new to me because as a '60 something' I don't remember them anyway.
I didn't have my dad around but my uncle definitely was in charge of the television when he came home from work every day at 6. He would demand his dinner and his Lazy Boy chair with the remote by his side every day! He was a hell of a man
Wanda Franklin I am 63 and watched the entire series a year ago. Now I'm now re-watching them and they still look brand new. Age does have its advantages!
@@jeremybear573 sounds like it!!
I remember watching this episode when it first aired some 56 years ago. It’s amazing how things stick with you.
I remember it too. I watched them all but for some reason this one stands out for me.
I remember this episode too. Wish I could be back in front of that TV.
@@jamescherney5874
You can see them on TruTV or WeTV.
Loved watching this series at 8 yr old. I don't remember them all but hell, I played many of them in COD and BF3. Makes me want to go back and play some of these games.
Stellar Episode, in a Series of Stellar Episodes. Just fantastic. Great Show. Really Good Shooow
I love it when they are all together, its like a reunion :)
This episode really brings out just how much the Army brings men of all different backgrounds together. Guys who wouldn't last a minute in each other's neighborhoods or environments. The Army has always been a great equalizer for guys looking to find their way. When so many are Drafted you get ALL types. America is a divergent place...
randy95023 was. Now it’s every race for itself. But that always happens. The white American man was deceived.
@@BikingVikingHH
Yeah I feel so bad for the privileged white people 😆
A part of the Navy I loved, I never really had a chance to travel the country. Yet met guys from all over. I wonder why it seems we're devided as a country today?
@@BikingVikingHH It always was every race for itself. That is why shows of this era only had a certain group of people in them who were about themselves too.
I watched this episode when it first aired. Probably one of the better ones IMO. Combat! was a good series for people to make sense of the cataclysmic events of WW2, excellent writing and acting. "The Gallant Men" and "Twelve O'clock High" were also good.
Combate vic morrick
I have many favorite episodes but this isn't one which I'd be putting on the list, certainly not in a top ten. There are also some which make me cringe; this one gets close with Beau Bridges in the first couple of acts. After the Sarge goes out to rescue him, it's a much better episode.
Liked this episode a lot! Lots of good interaction between the squad - the mad at the kid, waitress teasing.... Good story - on my favorite list.
Saunders gets stuck with another emotionally stunted replacement. Geeze. Poor Saunders. Putnam's defensiveness is a dead give-away for hidden problems.
"What's he doing way over there,giving them target practice"? I lol!....And then the sarge says"What do you think you were gonna do scare the enemy off by making faces at them"? That was just too funny!
My old time favorite, now i can see it here in you tube,
I think Beau Bridges was also in a 12 O'Clock High episode where he was an underaged waist gunner on a B-17. In both episodes he shows that sometimes even a boy can do a man's job when needed. This may also be true today in these trying times of Aug 2021 and beyond. Strength of Spirit, stamina and courage will often win the day.
OPs point, boy--mans job, is correct. Ask any Viet Nam veteran of the 10yr old VC soldiers. Ditto, it seems, in the Middle East Wars
Good episode . The kid saves the day. Beau Bridges
I remember this episode well. I was very young but I do remember the bit Put explaining to Saunders how snipers stand out. Gosh. And I have had a fascination with snipers ever since.
I bet you saw " enemy at the gates"
Exelente películas pero pongan las programación en español
Combat, ripcord, rat patrol and several others I enjoyed as a kid still do
Same her yeah I forgot about Rat Patrol. How about 12 o'clock High too.
Tom Lowell: "I had no idea that would be my last episode. At the time we were still in negotiations for the contract. And Gene Levitt just wouldn't budge. I felt badly about it, but at the time my outside career was doing real well."
I heard Gene hated Vic because Vic spoke up!!! Guess Gene's ego couldn't take it!!! Too bad someone else didn't take over!!! It should have had one last season to see how it ends. TRAGIC!!!
Beau Bridges was actually about the same age as Tom Lowell (Billy Nelson) when this was made (23) but looked younger. Conlan Carter (Doc) was 30. All of the others were in the 35-40 age range, much older than the average age of WW 2 GIs (26). Not sure if there were stats kept on GIs who were underage.
My impression was that the Thompson was a short range weapon. Pretty amazing shooting by Saunders to get 6 sharpshooters at that range.
I can truthful say that I can only remember a few episodes from way back in the day and this is one of them :)
Me too. He had a special gift picking the snipers out in the trees.
Une épisode magnifique. Has it not yet been mentioned how well Sgt. Saunders (as portrayed by Vic Morrow) reads his men (and people in general)? Sgt. Saunders picks up on the slightest tell tale sign that something is amiss as in the opening scene where Harvey (Robert Simpson) teases Put, this babe in arms. The squad already knows how to behave with newcomers and act accordingly from earlier lessons given by Sgt. Saunders. He knows this boy is not telling the truth and reprimands for not being truthful. Put (Beau Bridges) is in the squad and must carry his weight like any other soldier in Sgt. Saunders' squad. We are very fortunate also for a stellar performance by Lilyan Chauvin (playing "Fauvette" probably just a nickname here as "fauvette" is a variety of bird -here a "warbler") Her interaction with both Put and Lt. Hanley are mémorable and so are theirs with she. Things run afoul once the squad enters the forested area on their mission. This is just a 15 year old boy with no experience with weapons. I am sure that many of you out there know/have known someone who enlisted into wars before the regulatory age. Both of my grandfathers enlisted into the Canadian army in WWI but one of them was also only 15. He joined in 1914 (born 1899-died 1987) but some of these youngsters in arms make very good soldiers. He became a sniper with the Queens Own Rifles and was shot in the leg and laid on the field (after a fellow soldier fell on him trying to save him staunching the bleeding) and was about to be thrown into a mass grave until someone noticed he was still twitching. So much for child soldiers. They were legion in many wars. This was a very different war from WWII. I remember him telling me the German Jewish soldiers across in the opposite trench calling out to him and the other Yiddish speaking soldiers in the Canadian trench warning them of a bombardment the next morning and coincidently, a cantor was found in both trenches (this was Belgium) where they would both lead in singing various psalms(in Hebrew) on both sides at different lulls in the fighting. This was a different war.
Beau Bridges (named after the character played by Leslie Howard in Gone with the Wind by father Lloyd and mother Dorothy Bridges) puts in a fine performance and continues still. The Fabulous Baker Boys, Max Payne,the Descendants not to mention a huge number of TV séries. We must not overlook Lilyan Chauvin (1925-2008) born in Paris, France. Lilyan had a very illustrious career:North to Alaska, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Predator 2, Catch Me if you Can as well as a myriad of appearances in many TV séries and other films; Lilyan was active until the year before she left us. Un très grand merci pour le téléchargement!
Iain Schofield
Thoughtful post!
Thank You for posting all of them...Home enjoying everyone of them..!!!
A good episode . That French Bar Maid was beautiful .
brian wills
love this episode so much! harvey ..as combination squad weisenheimer/ buddy to be relied upon! and any episode w/ sarge preaching to troops is killer!
コンバットは、素晴らしい、戦争テレビドラマだと、思います。私は68歳で、今まで生きてきた人生で、どれほど、勉強に、なったことか、少尉の立場、軍曹の立場、一兵士の、立場、それぞれの立場に、なれば、本当に考えさせられる、ドラマだと、思います。ドイツ軍だけ、悪ものにした、ドラマだと、いう、人もいようが、日本の、鬼平犯科帳も、悪が、いるから、成り立つドラマだ。映画、ドラマは、批判するものではなく、楽しみ、学ぶ、映像である。コンバットよ、ありがとう。
One minute Putt is a tree lover collecting specimens and the next he's bayoneting them😂 Vic is the definition of cool
I must have been about 14 years old when this came out, but I remembered this episode more clearly than any other.
Beau Bridges was born in 1941 so he'd have been 23 when this aired in 1964. The fact that he was calling other privates "Sir" would have been a clue that he hadn't served in another unit.
+J Anthony Not a good thing in the Army I can still remember it very clearly "Don't call me SIR maggot, I work for a living!! (Staff Sergeant Masterson's quote)
You must be from the south where that is SOP lol REALLY, it is.
Snag30M1 g
Absolutely. The gig was up after the "sir".
enjoy all these episodes. whoever is making these available. i just want to say thanks.
at 20 my dad was fighting Rommel in the sand pit,half way around the world,then Europe,italy,tunisa scilily,po valley,i'll never be the man dad was,these men were different
Tunisia is in N. Africa.
My dad was dodging kamikazes on the USS Saratoga when he was 20.
@@nonamegame9857 YOUR OLD MAN WAS LIKE MINE,DURABLE and had stainless steel balls,we were the lucky ones,just to know them,god bless DOUG
@@strattuner unfortunately even though he dodged the kamikazes, he couldn't Dodge the bullets from a certain woman's ex-husband so he passed away at the age of 41. 😒🙏😒
@@nonamegame9857 that is absolutely a shame a man with a past like that dies in such a manner,my lord what a waste,my condolences rip warrior
I love Sgt. Saunders at 7:52. When I was just in the Army, and I called our Sargent "Sir" - he went ballistic! "DON'T CALL ME SIR! From now on - I am your Mother! I am your Father! I am your DELIVERANCE! *I AM YOUR SARGENT!!!!* GOT IT!?" I got it. Later I learned that the Sargent is the most feared man in the Army. That's why he is Sargent!
If someone called my platoon sergeant in Marine OCS "sir", he would scream back "Don't call me sir. I'm not an officer. I work for a living".
There were a couple guys that got in underage, a black child joined the Marines and made it to Nam won some Medals saving life’s but wasn’t alive to receive them , God bless that boy that became a man in Nam , at his young age he laid his life down for others , God bless him ! 🙏🏻🇺🇸
There are utube video about him and shows where he is buried in n carolina. Plan to visit it when covid is over What a brave man he was.
@@johnblood3731 that's so nice of you!🙂💯
@@asagoodfriend respect. Can not imagine what this young man went through.
I had a good friend and co-worker in the late 1980's who was a retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant. He had served in WW2 and Korea and had his 20 years in, 1963. He enlisted in the USMC in 1942 and gave a local "wino" $5 to go with him to the Marine Recruiter posing as his 'father' when he was just shy of his 16th birthday. He was wounded landing on Guam by a Japanese Machine Gun. On the hospital ship a Navy Doc looked at his teeth and said he wasn't older than 16 or 17, but since WW2 was raging and he already had a Purple Heart the Doc let it slide. He was critically wounded on Okinawa and got his 2nd Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. By then he WAS of legal age so the whole matter was buried in paper by the USMC. "Gunny Gold" was also wounded at the Frozen Chosin in Korea where he got his 3rd Purple Heart and a Silver Star. He led a small group of Marines through Chinese Lines and back to American held territory in late 1951. He retired from the Marine Corps and came over with us at the Department of Defense. The reason I know all of this story is true is because I helped him get his Paperwork in Order for his T/S Clearance with the DoD. All his "Paperwork" was off by two years and he retired at "age 65" with full benefits from the Military, DoD and Social security when he was actually 62. I saw his medals, his DD214 and a yellowed Western Union Telegram that his parents received when he was "Missing in Action, presumed Dead" at the Chosin Reservoir in late 1950. He passed away in 2004 but I was proud to know a REAL WAR HERO. Gunny Gold did what most guys in Hollywood wouldn't even believe. RIP; Gunnery Sergeant Gold, USMC. This whole story is the absolute Truth.
Thanks for sharing, so many untold heros. Goes to prove that age sometimes has little with being a man. I salute Sgt. Gold.
Hey Randy What is his Full Name And Outfits, he was in ? Where did you guys work, what city ?
Thank you. Another gem in the Combat! commentary
Guess he finally learned to duck?
randy109 yu
I just took a quite look at your channel .. what a treasure trove of goodies..it'll keep me busy for awhile..thanks for all those great uploads...
Ten more years of WWII, thanks to Kirby!! How about Saunders' face when he took a drink of that lemonade! I remember seein this episode as a kid- of course the next day all of us recreated this action in our backyards & cleared the whole neighborhood of snipers!!
@phillip krikorian Yeah I'm jealous, I think I would've enjoyed growing up in those times more perhaps.
I did grow up in those times. We played a lot outdoors and made up our own games, but instead of a Tommy gun, I had a Barbie. We watched Combat as a whole family, brother, parents and I. Try doing that today when everybody has their own 'room.'
LOL!!!! I did the exact same thing!
Of course. With someone like Kirby who could die and come back to life in one episode, thidb war has got to last forever
@@denisehorner8448
And their own TV in their own room 😂
Youngsters grow up more slowly in the USA. Under war conditions they grow up fast. Youngsters fought with the Maqui in France, with the Partisans in Yugoslavia (as it was then), with the fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto In Poland, and with the Hagannah in Israel as well as with other underground groups.
In the DVD collection, this is Season 2, Mission 2, Episode 29. Overall, it's the 61st episode of the collection!!!
Beau enlisted underage in Combat AND Twelve O'clock High....lol
Thanks so much for these classic uploads.
I liked this episode, I remember seeing it when I was a kid. An interesting story. . .And WOW . . . ITS BEAU BRIDGES!
We had a place like that down the street from our kaserne in Neckarsulm, Germany. I used to go there when I got hungry at night and get a couple of schnitzel sandwiches on good whole-grain bread from a neighboring bakery.
Gotta love that Kraut Bread-Sausage and Strudel!
The grandfather of a kid I coached in little league was 15 when he went to Vietnam. He got in trouble with the law and forged his mother's signature to enlist. His squad got shot up and within 8 months he was a sargeant and squad leader. He was badly wounded and sent to a hospital in Okinawa where they discovered how old he really was and he was dishonorably discharged for lying despite having a bronze star and a purple heart. He lost all medical benefits and his mother had to get their congresswoman involved to get his benefits back. When he healed up, he went back to high school and soon discovered he had zero in common with his classmates after killing people for months and getting badly wounded. He got into more trouble and started doing drugs. Finally, he got help through the VA and got his life back on track. I just can't imagine being that age in Vietnam.
I watched this episode back in the 1960s and still remember it. Well, some of it. I was looking for it in the lists of Combat on the net. Could not find it from their descriptions. Then something said in my ear "this is the one." I kid you not!
And so I watched it and there he was. The young guy who could pick out snipers in the trees where no one else could. This series was one of my favourites. I'm a Canadian and when we neighbourhood kids would play "war" we always divided into the Germans and the Americans--never the Canadians, though we were in the war too! Ha, ha! Talk about cultural domination through television, eh?
By the way, Pierre Jalbert who plays Cage was a Canadian from Quebec. He and Sgt. Saunders were always my favourites.
Beau Bridges as a WANT TO BE SOLDIER in COMBAT ! to a GENERAL in STARGATE :::) Strangliy that in the STARGATE trivia no one ever had that brought up.
Also interesting the Speaking name of the compassionate bartender La Fauvette ( The Favorite/Best Choice ) so the term came and comes up a lot in French advertisements
been serchin' this episode wanting to view it again alas after four decade, i really do appreciate tnx for u'r masterpiece.
Sgt Saunders, "Cover me." He is leaping into the breach.
There is a group called underage veterans of ww2. Formed by guys like Put. Also a book was written with their stories. They ranged in age from 14 to 16 years. If not mistaken a 15 year old was killed on Iwo Jima. It is a rare book but wonderful reading. One of those vets who worked on it gave me a copy at the VA in Pensacola Florida.
+OldWOlfhound1/27th
There were men of age that were so distraught when deemed 4-F that they committed suicide rather than sit out the War .
The one life that U.S. Marine Dan Bullock had to give for his country lasted just 15 years, five months and 17 days. The North Carolina/Brooklyn teen, after using a doctored birth certificate to enlist, he was shot down on June 7, 1969. Dan became the youngest U.S. casualty of the Vietnam War.
"He's the most patriotic young man. He took his secret to the grave to fight for an ideology, when you had grown men fleeing to Canada," said his friend McArthur.
A friend of mine who passed about ten years ago was underage. He was a ham radio operator who joined the Merchant Marines as a radio operator at 15 or 16. During WWII, the Merchant Marines were part of our military.
Saya suka dengan lakonan vic morrow. Seperti askar betul
Great series, bad it was canceled!😎😪❤🇺🇲
Recently came across this series! Awesome! Viv morrow is excellent! Did some research, did not he lost his head!!!!! How sad!
He’s was killed filming the movie, “Twilight Zone.”
@@donaldocchi7422 murdered
@@kathymcmahon6582 yeah, I know.
@@kathymcmahon6582 Murdered. How so?
Saunders sez "cover me"...it's about to get festive.
Saunders/Putnam: first full-auto, point-shooting, no optics sniper/spotter team.
I like the way they make you hate Red Shirt Harvey so you're happy when he gets waxed.
Bierkeller set looks just like the one in "Inglourious Basterds". But then, every Gaststatte I've ever been in looked just alike, so...
Una de mis favoritas gracias desde cdmx, México.
¡HOLA, MEXICO CITY! Tengo familia en Mexico City! ¡Viva Mexico!🙏
I knew that was a Bridges !! Just put this episode on for the first time 😉
Bridges played the same type of roll in an episode of 12 O'clock High.
Little John's shit eating grin when the waitress came back to the table was priceless.
It's Littlejohn
I recall watching this episode 51 years ago with my father (who was a WWII medic). I was thinking he was going to be able to see the snipers because of color blindness (shades of grey). (But perhaps that's the plot in another show.) Moving may way through episodes toward with James Whitmore as the cut-throat Nazi masquerading as a priest, an episode I recall very distinctly.
Gregory Powers
I'm color blind and my father (mhrip) said I would have been a huge asset in WW2. His unit the 38th engineers probably served in more countries than any other unit in Europe and Africa.
Omg!Beau Bridges was so young then!
Beau Bridges enlisted in the Coast Guard and was assigned to a Coast Guard Cutter which I was also assigned but a few years later. His brother Jeff also enlisted in the Coast Guard
Fine episode !
My dad turned 15 in '44. He later served in Korea and South Vietnam. But sensibly stayed in school during WWII.
I used to love this show when I was a kid; now when I watch it, it is the most unrealistic WW2. show ever. patrols out in the open (in california hills); every other bullet makes the ricochet sound, everyone jumps out in the open when under fire, the whole squad is bunched up most the time, most the actors are too old to be WW2 troops, the woods is full of snipers, unsupported by their infrantry and yet snipers are too valuable to let that happen; and then the Saunders is picking them off with a .45 tommy gun (a short range weapon),. aand of course why would the tree's be loaded with snipers, out in a wooded field, when the chances of enemy going thru your little woods is about zero.
I love Kirby's bent cigarettes lol
Hope Put isn’t too disappointed. He was probably drafted into Korea anyway
That stone bridge at 0.06 featured in a lot of Combat episodes
This is one of the weirdest episodes in terms of my own tastes and preferences. In short, I find it hard to suspend disbelief for Beau Bridges until the last act is underway; after he and the Sarge start wasting snipers, well, suddenly I get an "It's Fine" all-clear signal. #WTF
This pissed me off, he not the only underage soldier. There were many and my own father one-- only 16. Thankfully he survived but the world was a hard place
I have searched almost all episodes just to watch this again...I've seen it before and I like the story and I want to watch again but can't remember the title..now I know
As a child6-7 years old is when I first remembered watching Combat with dad, and it must of been sometime after this episode. As a Kid I did not know of Private Billy Nelson, as this was his last episode. Also explains why I did not know the first doc, or Braddock
This was one of my best episode ...!!!!!
Love it flawless
I remember watching this episode with my dad on Tuesday 7 p.m. on ABC this segment really tripped me out with Beau Bridges pretending to be a veteran when actually he's a 15 yr old kid called Putt. Saunders as usual difusses the situation and all is well with the rest of the squad. Putt makes up for his lying and tell Saunders that the leaves on the tree don't look right and you know what happens then. I guess the Krauts thought they were one with the tree. Surprise.
Richard Sales
Kind of a silly idea, as most Waffen SS camo was affective and blended in well with different trees, not to mention none had a scope.
This Television series is THE finest drama to date, since both this show and "THE GALLANT MEN" were the first two series depicting our fighting men in World War II. in "COMBAT!", the viewer senses and feels that realism and comradery as "Lt Gil Hanley" and "Sgt. Chip Saunders" and their men engage the Germans each week, in that deadly game of war and survival, as viewers felt that bond with these soldiers and what they had to do! you don't see anything like this on TV anymore, and the role models on Primetime are all dysfunctional, liberal, and just damned stupid! the fighting men of World War II engaged in an armed conflict, that nobody today could even compare, and while "COMBAT!" may not have addressed some of the critical issues involved, the ABC series still stayed focused and committed to telling its story of these brave fighters. Robert Pirosh, the director of MGM's "GO FOR BROKE" movie in the 40s was the creator of this series, and clearly, Pirosh knew his business, as does Jo Davidsmeyer, who was the author of a book about the making of this TV series, when the DVDs from Image Entertainment were released nearly a decade ago. as to the TV rights, I'm certain that it's now the property of CBS TV Distribution, which owns the Spelling/Worldvision Enterprises library, formerly known as ABC Films. this is likely one of the best-made TV shows in history, which ended its ABC-TV run 50 years ago in 1967, to be replaced by "GARRISON'S GUERILLAS", that Selmur Prods. also made, and ABC's "THE RAT PATROL" (1966-68) which was also a great series, but "COMBAT!" was actually way better!
No comparing them. The Rat Patrol is pure farce and GG just plain bad.
@@dindinprivate3477 i hated both rat patrol and GG.
I have an old Canadian buddy he lied at 14 and joined the Merchant Marines. He said he was in constant terror the first two voyages across the Atlantic, they it got better. He was just scared then on. He is still a fearless man.
And NI ONE could tell???
Bridges played the same sort of part on 12 O’ clock High.
Yes, a very young Beau Bridges.
Blindest bunch of snipers ever!
I never forgot about this episode, but thought he was an arborist, not a prodigy of botony - way better.
i like this episode of combat
Well, this should be titled, "Saving Private Putnam." And yes, this war did last 2 more years, in answer to Kirby's question. And still no closer to Paris.
Considering that Normandy was June 1944 and the World War II European theater ended May 1945 and the Pacific theater ended Aug 1945, I suspect your math skills need a little polishing.
Beau bridges, noway, son of my childhood hero, lloyd bridges.!!
Putnam probably got drafted for Korean War 1950-1953.😂😂 Beau Bridges was in the Coast Guard during Cuban Missle Crisis.
Love it!
My dad went into the US Navy underage in 1945. Served in the Pacific.
This episode, like many others, tackles the "inner" enemy of the soldier - ego; but don't forget envy, greed, sloth, lust, and of course pride which has caused many a soldier to underestimate his enemy.
Nice episode..
i am very proud to say that both vic morrow and rick jason were --- JEWISH!
two genius actors,someone should have told rick how astounding his performance in the series was,when his name slipped to second place after the late great VIC MORROW,he couldn't take it,maybe more who knows,both gone this series shows the genius they both had,rip men of combat
@@strattuner come on, Vic was COMBAT. I love the others but Vic was it!!!
@@kathymcmahon6582 you are right he was really something,good guy or bad guy he could play both
Good episode.
Ótimo parabéns pelo trabalho
As the picture said 1944, the Allied forces would have been finishing up in France and moving closer to Germany.
Agreed
Audie Murphy enlisted in the army at age 16.
Saunders actually aimed when he shot second and fifth sniper. But he's just as good when he doesn't aim. He's Sgt Saunders.
Way WAY too much shooting from the hip in this show. I gag when I see Saunders hip-fire his magic Thompson that never needs reloading, but Lt. Hanley hip-firing an M-1 Carbine just ruins the rest of my day. Too much Hollywood. That said, Combat! is the backbone of the Golden Age of Television.
He had the nazi-seeking bullets...
Even if Putnam never got to put on a uniform again and fight in a war (Korea?) he could be very proud of wha he was able to do in the short day of WW2 combat he had. He saved the lives of most of his squad, except for Harvey or course, and spotted snipers in the trees that the experienced soldiers couldn't see.
When I was going through basic down at Lackland AFB we had a kid who basically spoke no English. He was from some remote village in mexico that spoke a dialect of Spanish the brass were lucky to find someone as interpreter. He was kicked out on the charge of Fraudulent Enlistment. We never found out if he was underage.
Howard Fortyfive