The Rat Patrol (1966–1968): Season 1, Episode 15 - The Last Harbor Raid: Episode I - full transcript
[ Man Narrating ] Once more, Allied
bombers approach a strategic target...
on the North African coast.
German shipping docks vital to the
supply lines are desperately needed...
by Rommel's Africa Corps,
without which Germany's stronghold in
this campaign would be greatly weakened.
At that precise moment, in a prisoner
of war compound a few miles away,
[ No Audible Dialogue ] a mass
escape was being undertaken...
by a group of desperate
men, whose hope it
was that the diversion
of the bombing raid...
would give them the
edge they needed.
Lacking outside aid, their
efforts proved fruitless...
and costly.
- Don't do it!
- [ Machine Gun Fire ]
[ Narrator ] The Rat
Patrol is now accustomed...
to being given difficult
and important assignments.
Infiltration and demolition
was their specialty.
But what kind of mission would
beckon these desert fighters...
so far from their
sandy battlefield?
How important that they be summoned
to appear before a special staff...
of the Allied Command?
[ Man ] Be seated, gentlemen.
All right, Sergeant.
This town is the last
open enemy-held port...
in this particular
sector of North Africa.
It is a vital lifeline...
urgently needed to supply and
keep alive its armies in the field.
In the wake of constant
Allied bombings,
the enemy struggles daily and desperately
to do everything in its power...
to hold on to this port.
Its main weapon... 5,000
Allied prisoners of war...
American, French,
British, Australian.
An inexhaustible
supply of labor...
to clear away the rubble
and repair the docks.
It is rather ironic that we are the
ones keeping the enemy's port open,
because as long as he has access to
this manpower, our bombings are useless.
We cannot close the port.
But there is one way,
one chance, one hope...
to deny the enemy the
use of these troops...
Evacuation by sea.
Thank you, Sergeant.
Sergeant Troy, will you and
your men step up here, please?
Here is the nerve center
of port German command.
Oh, yes, and here they
did themselves real well...
with a magnificent
officers' quarters.
I don't recommend that
you drop in for a drink.
May I draw your attention
to that photo on your right?
This is an area eight
kilometers from the port.
Here, a group of buildings
housing the prisoners...
whom we hope you will liberate
over these beaches right here.
Be seated, gentlemen.
Now, your job, Sergeant Troy,
is to effect the rescue
as to be outlined.
- What exactly is the plan, sir?
- Bertaine will bring you in
on his fishing boat.
We've already boarded
arms and explosives.
You will contact Major
Indrus at the P.O.W. camp.
You will coordinate your
plans for the prison break.
Major Indrus... He
knows our mission?
No, he does not. We can't take the
chance of any message being intercepted.
- Then we'll have to
find a way to get to him.
- That is right, Sergeant.
May the sergeant ask,
sir, if my men and I...
will be wearing commando
garb, civilian clothes or what, sir?
You will, at all times,
wear your proper uniform.
Question, sir. Sergeant Moffitt?
Does that mean to expect, sir, that
getting captured is a calculated risk?
Highly calculated, Sergeant.
Better a prisoner of war
than... shot as a spy, hmm?
Bertaine is the key to it.
He's organized a fishing fleet
to pick up the liberated prisoners.
Now, this fleet operates
with virtual immunity...
since it is the major food
supply to the enemy...
as well as the
civilians in town.
They should not arouse any suspicion
en route to the point of rendezvous.
- All clear so far?
- All clear, sir.
But, uh, why not by land,
or send in the navy, sir?
We try to take that many men back
to our lines through open country,
well, we might as well
have a turkey shoot.
Besides, we can't
spare a single ship.
H.Q. is pulling off an
offensive of its own.
Oh, one thing... The town is
defended by a small port battalion.
Any security around
the prison camp?
Not too large a force. Main
strength is fighting in the desert.
Gentlemen, any other questions?
Yes, sir. Air cover.
That would help, Colonel.
We'll try, but we can't promise.
What made you do this, Bertaine?
Risk your neck, with the enemy
leaning on you 24 hours a day?
- What makes you?
- We get paid for it.
You count your money every night
before you go to sleep, like prayers?
By the time our money catches
up to where we are, we've gone.
Besides, who gets sleep?
So we just pray a little.
You better start praying now!
- Hit the deck!
- Get below, in the hold!
Jacques! Pierre! [
Speaking French ]
[ French ]
After curfew, no boats are allowed to leave
the harbor. What are you doing at sea?
Oui, mon capitaine, oui.
You tell that to
this stupid boat!
An engine with no life in it!
Like a sieve, it pours
out oil and petrol.
I-I tell you, Capitaine, it
wheezes worse than my wife...
on a cold winter's night.
For hours I have been foundering
out here, unable to come back.
[ Angry Grunt ]
You see? That is
how it has been.
Now, maybe I can get
back into the harbor.
Merci, mon capitaine. Merci.
- [ Speaking German ] -
Moffitt. What's that Jerry saying?
He's sending his crew on board.
[ German ]
- What'd he say then?
- They're taking the boat
into harbor.
They'll search us there.
[ Whispering ] Hitch,
take the guy on the bow.
Tully, the stern. Move.
All right. Let's move out.
What about the explosives?
Can't stop now.
Too many Germans.
We'll have to find a place
to hole up, or we've had it.
[ Narrator ] With their only contact
lying dead at the bottom of the harbor...
and the arms and explosives still
in the hold of Bertaine's fishing boat,
the Rat Patrol was now alone
in their unfamiliar surroundings.
The immediate situation
demanded they find a sanctuary,
someplace to pause,
reevaluate their position,
rearrange their plans.
But the mission was on,
and the mission was the
only thing that counted.
[ Meowing ]
Hold it. We're being
followed. By what, another cat?
Not unless this one has shoes.
Now, talk. Talk very
fast and very quiet.
Please, it makes
very difficult to talk.
You haven't got
much time, friend.
Please, I have not
surrendered yet.
If you live that long.
A chance?
I am a friend, not an enemy.
I knew you were coming, but
when I did not see Bertaine,
and I saw the argument
aboard Bertaine's boat...
And being very cowardly, I decided
discretion was the better part of valor.
[ Gasps ] So I left you alone
and followed you instead.
Here I am, but we
cannot talk here.
You must rip off those
uniforms before every
cat in town finds you
before the enemy.
So I will take you to my place.
Do we have any choice?
Just so you know,
we're right behind you.
Please, I trust you.
Please? You will follow me?
You'd better believe it.
[ Speaking Foreign Language ]
Mes amis, my home is your home.
Please, sit down.
Dhakil.
Yasmine.
Abdullah.
Muhammed.
Sofia, my wife. [ Baby Crying ]
We have not named this one yet.
[ Crying Continues ]
And now, we shall eat.
Please. No fish.
How such a devout
coward as myself...
could ever have been caught in so
hazardous a way of life, I do not know.
Well, you seem to be surviving.
It is only because the enemy
is more stupid than I am.
I'm glad you're on our side.
The question is, what do we
do? Bertaine was our one link.
Bertaine. A foolish, heroic act,
but that was always
the way with Bertaine.
I kept telling him,
"The world will continue
after you are gone."
No cause is worth
the forfeit of one's life.
- Can you help us?
- Me? [ Chuckling ]
I am such a
blunderer, such an oaf.
Was there any contact he
left, someone we could meet?
There is a girl,
Bertaine's daughter.
Daughter?
I wonder why Intelligence
didn't brief us on that one.
He kept his silence about her.
- His heart was heavy.
- Why?
Marianne.
As a small child, she would go
with Bertaine aboard his boat,
with the fishermen, like
a daughter to all of them.
But no more.
When we were occupied,
she made her choice.
She sings at the
German Officers Club.
To her own people, she is
the worst kind of collaborator.
He was still her father, and
he was killed by the enemy.
That's got to mean something.
Like our neck, Sarge?
- That's one way
of looking at it.
- Maybe she'll sing for us.
Depends on how much
her father really meant to her.
How do we find that out?
We tell her. We break
the news of his death.
So it's all not that nice,
but we don't have
time to play nice games.
If using Bertaine's death will
get her to spill her real feelings,
we do it.
I can take you to
where she lives.
Too risky going to her place.
She might be entertaining
the wrong kind of company.
So we'll go to
the Officers Club.
You go. You're the only
one that speaks German.
Wonderful to feel needed.
Hitch.
You go with him.
Oh, that's something I've always wanted
to do... go to a German Officers Club.
[ Tires Screeching ]
Please. Do not disturb
your breakfast, gentlemen.
One of them has
just driven up outside.
Stay back in the darkness.
I will handle him, huh?
[ Knocking ]
[ German ]
Gasoline? Oh, I wish I could
accommodate you. [ Chuckling ]
But I am unfortunate enough
not to have any at this time.
However, tomorrow
night I will have some.
Ah, I have some very old,
very expensive brandy...
that...
[ Sighs ]
[ Car Door Closes,
Engine Starts ]
[ Car Departs ]
How do they get into the
Officers Club? The Officers Club!
[ Laughs ] Say no more.
How 'bout a car? Oh-ho-ho!
A car? Ask no further.
Next question: I've got to get into
that prison camp and see Major Indrus.
Oh-ho-ho! The prisoners' camp.
Ask no further.
El Gamil is the greatest...
magician in all
of... in this town.
[ Narrator ] Upon discovering
the bodies of the sailors,
a thorough search was made, disclosing
the arms and explosives below deck.
[ German ]
[ Narrator ] Realizing there was
more to Bertaine's resistance...
than just that of
a French patriot,
the German captain dispatched a
courier to report to the area commandant.
Ironically, Sergeant Moffitt
and Private Hitchcock...
were headed for the same
destination as the messenger...
The German Officers Club.
Next week, part two of
"The Last Harbor Raid."
Here are some scenes.
- [ No Audible Dialogue ]
- [ Gunfire ]
[ Roars ]
bombers approach a strategic target...
on the North African coast.
German shipping docks vital to the
supply lines are desperately needed...
by Rommel's Africa Corps,
without which Germany's stronghold in
this campaign would be greatly weakened.
At that precise moment, in a prisoner
of war compound a few miles away,
[ No Audible Dialogue ] a mass
escape was being undertaken...
by a group of desperate
men, whose hope it
was that the diversion
of the bombing raid...
would give them the
edge they needed.
Lacking outside aid, their
efforts proved fruitless...
and costly.
- Don't do it!
- [ Machine Gun Fire ]
[ Narrator ] The Rat
Patrol is now accustomed...
to being given difficult
and important assignments.
Infiltration and demolition
was their specialty.
But what kind of mission would
beckon these desert fighters...
so far from their
sandy battlefield?
How important that they be summoned
to appear before a special staff...
of the Allied Command?
[ Man ] Be seated, gentlemen.
All right, Sergeant.
This town is the last
open enemy-held port...
in this particular
sector of North Africa.
It is a vital lifeline...
urgently needed to supply and
keep alive its armies in the field.
In the wake of constant
Allied bombings,
the enemy struggles daily and desperately
to do everything in its power...
to hold on to this port.
Its main weapon... 5,000
Allied prisoners of war...
American, French,
British, Australian.
An inexhaustible
supply of labor...
to clear away the rubble
and repair the docks.
It is rather ironic that we are the
ones keeping the enemy's port open,
because as long as he has access to
this manpower, our bombings are useless.
We cannot close the port.
But there is one way,
one chance, one hope...
to deny the enemy the
use of these troops...
Evacuation by sea.
Thank you, Sergeant.
Sergeant Troy, will you and
your men step up here, please?
Here is the nerve center
of port German command.
Oh, yes, and here they
did themselves real well...
with a magnificent
officers' quarters.
I don't recommend that
you drop in for a drink.
May I draw your attention
to that photo on your right?
This is an area eight
kilometers from the port.
Here, a group of buildings
housing the prisoners...
whom we hope you will liberate
over these beaches right here.
Be seated, gentlemen.
Now, your job, Sergeant Troy,
is to effect the rescue
as to be outlined.
- What exactly is the plan, sir?
- Bertaine will bring you in
on his fishing boat.
We've already boarded
arms and explosives.
You will contact Major
Indrus at the P.O.W. camp.
You will coordinate your
plans for the prison break.
Major Indrus... He
knows our mission?
No, he does not. We can't take the
chance of any message being intercepted.
- Then we'll have to
find a way to get to him.
- That is right, Sergeant.
May the sergeant ask,
sir, if my men and I...
will be wearing commando
garb, civilian clothes or what, sir?
You will, at all times,
wear your proper uniform.
Question, sir. Sergeant Moffitt?
Does that mean to expect, sir, that
getting captured is a calculated risk?
Highly calculated, Sergeant.
Better a prisoner of war
than... shot as a spy, hmm?
Bertaine is the key to it.
He's organized a fishing fleet
to pick up the liberated prisoners.
Now, this fleet operates
with virtual immunity...
since it is the major food
supply to the enemy...
as well as the
civilians in town.
They should not arouse any suspicion
en route to the point of rendezvous.
- All clear so far?
- All clear, sir.
But, uh, why not by land,
or send in the navy, sir?
We try to take that many men back
to our lines through open country,
well, we might as well
have a turkey shoot.
Besides, we can't
spare a single ship.
H.Q. is pulling off an
offensive of its own.
Oh, one thing... The town is
defended by a small port battalion.
Any security around
the prison camp?
Not too large a force. Main
strength is fighting in the desert.
Gentlemen, any other questions?
Yes, sir. Air cover.
That would help, Colonel.
We'll try, but we can't promise.
What made you do this, Bertaine?
Risk your neck, with the enemy
leaning on you 24 hours a day?
- What makes you?
- We get paid for it.
You count your money every night
before you go to sleep, like prayers?
By the time our money catches
up to where we are, we've gone.
Besides, who gets sleep?
So we just pray a little.
You better start praying now!
- Hit the deck!
- Get below, in the hold!
Jacques! Pierre! [
Speaking French ]
[ French ]
After curfew, no boats are allowed to leave
the harbor. What are you doing at sea?
Oui, mon capitaine, oui.
You tell that to
this stupid boat!
An engine with no life in it!
Like a sieve, it pours
out oil and petrol.
I-I tell you, Capitaine, it
wheezes worse than my wife...
on a cold winter's night.
For hours I have been foundering
out here, unable to come back.
[ Angry Grunt ]
You see? That is
how it has been.
Now, maybe I can get
back into the harbor.
Merci, mon capitaine. Merci.
- [ Speaking German ] -
Moffitt. What's that Jerry saying?
He's sending his crew on board.
[ German ]
- What'd he say then?
- They're taking the boat
into harbor.
They'll search us there.
[ Whispering ] Hitch,
take the guy on the bow.
Tully, the stern. Move.
All right. Let's move out.
What about the explosives?
Can't stop now.
Too many Germans.
We'll have to find a place
to hole up, or we've had it.
[ Narrator ] With their only contact
lying dead at the bottom of the harbor...
and the arms and explosives still
in the hold of Bertaine's fishing boat,
the Rat Patrol was now alone
in their unfamiliar surroundings.
The immediate situation
demanded they find a sanctuary,
someplace to pause,
reevaluate their position,
rearrange their plans.
But the mission was on,
and the mission was the
only thing that counted.
[ Meowing ]
Hold it. We're being
followed. By what, another cat?
Not unless this one has shoes.
Now, talk. Talk very
fast and very quiet.
Please, it makes
very difficult to talk.
You haven't got
much time, friend.
Please, I have not
surrendered yet.
If you live that long.
A chance?
I am a friend, not an enemy.
I knew you were coming, but
when I did not see Bertaine,
and I saw the argument
aboard Bertaine's boat...
And being very cowardly, I decided
discretion was the better part of valor.
[ Gasps ] So I left you alone
and followed you instead.
Here I am, but we
cannot talk here.
You must rip off those
uniforms before every
cat in town finds you
before the enemy.
So I will take you to my place.
Do we have any choice?
Just so you know,
we're right behind you.
Please, I trust you.
Please? You will follow me?
You'd better believe it.
[ Speaking Foreign Language ]
Mes amis, my home is your home.
Please, sit down.
Dhakil.
Yasmine.
Abdullah.
Muhammed.
Sofia, my wife. [ Baby Crying ]
We have not named this one yet.
[ Crying Continues ]
And now, we shall eat.
Please. No fish.
How such a devout
coward as myself...
could ever have been caught in so
hazardous a way of life, I do not know.
Well, you seem to be surviving.
It is only because the enemy
is more stupid than I am.
I'm glad you're on our side.
The question is, what do we
do? Bertaine was our one link.
Bertaine. A foolish, heroic act,
but that was always
the way with Bertaine.
I kept telling him,
"The world will continue
after you are gone."
No cause is worth
the forfeit of one's life.
- Can you help us?
- Me? [ Chuckling ]
I am such a
blunderer, such an oaf.
Was there any contact he
left, someone we could meet?
There is a girl,
Bertaine's daughter.
Daughter?
I wonder why Intelligence
didn't brief us on that one.
He kept his silence about her.
- His heart was heavy.
- Why?
Marianne.
As a small child, she would go
with Bertaine aboard his boat,
with the fishermen, like
a daughter to all of them.
But no more.
When we were occupied,
she made her choice.
She sings at the
German Officers Club.
To her own people, she is
the worst kind of collaborator.
He was still her father, and
he was killed by the enemy.
That's got to mean something.
Like our neck, Sarge?
- That's one way
of looking at it.
- Maybe she'll sing for us.
Depends on how much
her father really meant to her.
How do we find that out?
We tell her. We break
the news of his death.
So it's all not that nice,
but we don't have
time to play nice games.
If using Bertaine's death will
get her to spill her real feelings,
we do it.
I can take you to
where she lives.
Too risky going to her place.
She might be entertaining
the wrong kind of company.
So we'll go to
the Officers Club.
You go. You're the only
one that speaks German.
Wonderful to feel needed.
Hitch.
You go with him.
Oh, that's something I've always wanted
to do... go to a German Officers Club.
[ Tires Screeching ]
Please. Do not disturb
your breakfast, gentlemen.
One of them has
just driven up outside.
Stay back in the darkness.
I will handle him, huh?
[ Knocking ]
[ German ]
Gasoline? Oh, I wish I could
accommodate you. [ Chuckling ]
But I am unfortunate enough
not to have any at this time.
However, tomorrow
night I will have some.
Ah, I have some very old,
very expensive brandy...
that...
[ Sighs ]
[ Car Door Closes,
Engine Starts ]
[ Car Departs ]
How do they get into the
Officers Club? The Officers Club!
[ Laughs ] Say no more.
How 'bout a car? Oh-ho-ho!
A car? Ask no further.
Next question: I've got to get into
that prison camp and see Major Indrus.
Oh-ho-ho! The prisoners' camp.
Ask no further.
El Gamil is the greatest...
magician in all
of... in this town.
[ Narrator ] Upon discovering
the bodies of the sailors,
a thorough search was made, disclosing
the arms and explosives below deck.
[ German ]
[ Narrator ] Realizing there was
more to Bertaine's resistance...
than just that of
a French patriot,
the German captain dispatched a
courier to report to the area commandant.
Ironically, Sergeant Moffitt
and Private Hitchcock...
were headed for the same
destination as the messenger...
The German Officers Club.
Next week, part two of
"The Last Harbor Raid."
Here are some scenes.
- [ No Audible Dialogue ]
- [ Gunfire ]
[ Roars ]