The Rat Patrol (1966–1968): Season 1, Episode 10 - The Moment of Truce Raid - full transcript

Troy and Dietrich declare an uneasy truce when both of their units are ambushed by a horde of homicidal Bedouins.

[ Man Narrating ] Returning from a
raid and still far behind enemy lines,

the Rat Patrol was unaware that
they were about to cross paths...

with Hauptmann Dietrich and an Arab
leader in the pay of the German army,

who were on a special
mission seeking to enlist...

the fanatic desert chieftain
Faisal in the German cause.

- Worried, Captain?
- I'm always worried...

when I don't know where
my enemy is, Abu Hassan.

You find him. I'll take care of him,
even though he is my countryman.

I think we can make it to
the supply cache... maybe.

We're sitting on
empty now, Sarge.

All right. Let's shake it.



[ Starting Engine ]

[ Gunshot ]

[ Engine Revving ]

Let's try and make it
to those ruins! Come on!

[ Speaking German ]

Get in out of the rain!

[ German ]

[ Firing Stops ]

They've had it for the moment.

We've got them out
there... and us in here.

Truce, Captain?

- Any other choice, Sergeant?
- Not at the moment.

Fair enough. As you
said, not at the moment.

All right. We've got food,
water and ammunition.



What have you got? Three
guns to add to yours, I guess.

You have any gasoline out there?

Some in the truck, if it
hasn't been shot up by now.

I'll trade you half of my water
for some of that gasoline,

No, Sergeant.

- I could send one of my men
out there to get It.
- If you do, I'll kill him.

- How long do you think
we can hold out here?
- [ Gunfire ]

Until we are all dead, I guess.

- Hold your fire!
- [ German ]

Don't give orders to my men.

Then tell 'em to stop firing at things
they can't see. [ Machine Gun Firing ]

This beautiful girl came
dancin' over the hill doin' a Lindy.

What do you think
about that? [ Snorts ]

[ Gunfire ]

Looks like that dancing
girl's out squirrel huntin', Tully.

Hitch, brew up some coffee.

Coffee coming up, Sarge.

[ German ]

- You just chew it to
soften it up, Hans.
- Heinrich.

And then you make like
you're blowin' a big bubble.

[ Chuckles ]

[ Gunfire ]

What I don't understand is that
those are your people out there.

Animals. Wild,
primitive animals.

He speaks, does he?

Now, let me see.
Education... Switzerland?

France? United States?

United States, I would say.

New York. Chicago. You've
got yourself quite a brogue.

Abu Hassan's father was
attaché in Chicago, as you said.

- Quite a distance
from his homeland.
- I taught at the university.

What a parlay...
America, Germany.

Let us say, brain power is another
way to win the war, Sergeant.

Seems we both
had the same idea...

To convert those
primitive animals out there.

Oh, you wouldn't have
a chance with Faisal.

Since you are the expert on
Arabian affairs, Abu Hassan,

and since it's unlikely we'll get
out of here alive to talk to Faisal,

tell me how you would have approached
the situation... to satisfy my curiosity.

The blood of one's brothers
always runs stronger...

than the water of one's
friends, Englishman.

Then you seem to have forgotten
some famous family vendettas, effendi.

Son of the father returning
to his people... an infidel.

[ Laughs ]

An infidel! [ Laughs ]

[ Gunfire ]

This is absolute suicide.
What do you suggest?

To do what I came to
do. To go out there and

negotiate with Faisal
for the Third Reich.

You wouldn't be able to
negotiate a walk of three steps,

neither for the Third
Reich nor for the Allies.

You know that. Captain, my
orders are to make a pact with Faisal.

I cannot go back to the Propaganda
Ministry and report failure.

Tully, make some noise.
Let 'em know we're still here.

Be a pleasure.

[ Firing ]

Troy, whatever Hassan may
say, Faisal doesn't bargain.

Not with anyone. I know
him. I know his mind.

I know how he thinks.

He's declared a holy war
against all unbelievers.

And at the moment, he and
his tribesmen are running amok.

There's a way to cool
even the hottest of fires.

It's your fire, Hassan.
You burn your fingers.

Bad shot. He should have killed
me. Yeah. Maybe he will next time.

Now, listen to me
for the last time.

Faisal out there has fired up
his people to such a degree...

that we're going to have to kill
all of them in order to stop them.

It may not have to be that way.

Tell me, did Goebbels arm me
with some kind of a secret weapon?

In a manner of speaking,
perhaps: our momentary allies.

We're not so helpless. We still have
guns. We take them as prisoners,

march then out to
Faisal, use them as barter.

They could buy me time to
convince Faisal we are his friends.

Absolutely not. It's ridiculous
to create a second front...

on such a small
battlefield as this.

Then let this battlefield
become your grave, German.

Hold your fire!

[ Gunfire ]

Heil Hassan.

[ Gunfire ]

They're potshotting him
like they're at a turkey shoot.

[ Gunfire Continues ]

He wrapped up a
good deal for the Führer.

You see, Captain,
how utterly brilliant they

are at the art of the
long, slow extermination.

They have it timed exactly to
the precise second one will die.

The next bullet won't
kill him either, merely

drain another moment
of life out of his body...

Almost as though they'd had
their basic training with the S.S.

[ Gunfire Continues ]

- Let me go bring him back,
Sarge.
- No.

That's just what they want
us to do. Right, Captain?

Western compassion
against Eastern detachment.

He's already dead, Sergeant.

There's nothin' to it. I told ya, you
make like you're blowing up a big balloon.

Now watch again, Hans. Heinrich.

[ Groans, Sighs ]

What do you think
he's doing out there?

I should think Faisal will be
doing a great deal of talking.

And in the morning, his whole
army will hurtle down those dunes,

fighting for their new prophet.

You want to change your mind on trading
gas for some food and water, Captain?

It's night. We could stand a
chance on breakin' outta here.

Who's "we," Sergeant? And how do I
know that the minute you fill your tanks,

you don't turn your guns on me?

You don't... any more than I know
that you wouldn't put a bullet in my back.

It night be a bit risky, Troy.

Some of them may have buried
themselves in the sand out there.

[ Dietrich ] They don't
need eyes, Sergeant.

The minute you turn on your
engine, they will shoot at your sound.

Well, why don't we
just set here and...

open the doors
and let 'em come in?

- Maybe invite 'em for breakfast.
- Hey, Sarge, why don't
we do just that?

- Do what?
- Do what Tully says.

Open the doors and let 'em
in. Invite them for breakfast.

Sometimes I think you're
getting a case of the mirages.

What do you suggest
we serve them?

Build a fire wall with the
captain's gasoline supply.

I have some explosives
out in the truck.

- What do you think?
- Might be a little bit noisy.

- I can stand it if you can.
- Cover us.

If any of 'em are out there, they'll
keep their heads buried in the sand.

- Okay. Let's go, Hitch.
- No, Sergeant. Just the two of us.

- What's the matter? Don't you trust me?
- Should I?

- Like I trust you.
- [ German ]

- What'd he say, Moffitt?
- I told him to shoot...

as soon as you make a
wrong move, Sergeant.

Give us 30 seconds, then let
'em know we're still awake in here.

Let's go, Captain.

Now.

Could be guests for breakfast.

- Got the main course
ready yet, Sarge?
- Cooking it up now.

Better hurry. They're
getting awfully hungry.

They're beginning to drool.

[ Gunfire ]

They're coming at us like
food was going out of style.

All right. Bring on
the bacon and eggs.

Now!

[ Narrator ] Unwilling
to trade further

heavy losses for the
lives of the seven men,

Faisal withdrew
with heavy casualties,

leaving the desert battlefield to
the Rat Patrol and the Germans.

[ Firing Stops ]

- [ Firing ]
- Tully! Tully!

Breakfast is over.

- Our truce is over, Captain.
- Three of us.

Four of you.

One man wounded. The odds
are almost equal, Sergeant.

I pull out.

All right. One by one.

[ German ]

Hitch, help Tully out.

[ German ]

Moffitt.

[ Roars ]