The Rat Patrol (1966–1968): Season 1, Episode 18 - The One That Got Away Raid - full transcript
The patrol launches a raid to free a would-be defector.
So this is Buttercup.
Oberleutnant Gustav
Friedrich Luden,
ex-group leader in
the Hitler Youth Corps,
veteran of the first
12-day campaign,
and the first of what
Command hopes...
will be many German defectors
who are fed up with Hitler...
and have the guts to
do something about it.
And you want us to go in and
bring him out as soon as possible.
Exactly. Besides the fact that
the Germans may be onto Luden,
we have a practical reason for
wanting him out too. What's that, sir?
He'll bring the current
Jerry codes with him.
That should give 'em a headache
for a couple of months. At least.
All right, Sergeant.
You're on your way.
Well, don't worry,
sir. We'll bring him out.
What's your pick?
The last one.
Treat her gently.
That truck's our baby.
[ Engines Starting, Revving ]
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
[ Speaking German ]
[ Man Speaking German ]
Walls and ears.
For morale, better if
no one knows, huh?
Lieutenant, even you
must admit it's curious...
that three times
in the past month...
the Americans have attacked
our fuel supply trucks, hmm?
Especially, Herr Oberleutnant, fuel supply
trucks coming in under secret orders.
It's not so curious.
It only proves that the German
Army has no monopoly on brains.
Doesn't it make sense to you that every
so often a daily code should be broken?
And what better sense it makes
when one realizes, Lieutenant,
that on each of the three occasions
you were the officer on duty!
[ Door Closes ]
The charge is, of course,
ridiculous. Of course, Lieutenant.
That's why we're taking
you to Corps headquarters.
To give you the opportunity of meeting
the gestapo and clearing yourself.
A few questions, a few...
[ Chuckles ] cigarettes...
and, uh, back to duty, huh?
Nice little vacation from
the war, huh, Lieutenant?
So, Lieutenant, our
car is waiting outside.
I, uh, said we'd be
back in time for dinner.
And, well, 40 kilometers
is a bit of a drive, so, uh...
Hmm?
It doesn't pay to keep
the gestapo waiting,
does it, Lieutenant?
[ Sniffs ]
[ Grunts ]
Pity he didn't turn it on himself
when he had the chance.
Wake up, Buttercup.
I'm glad he speaks better
German than he drives.
Just to remind you,
there's a war on.
Yeah, but whose side
are you on... theirs or ours?
Naturally, Captain,
we will want a full
report from you.
Naturally.
It's almost certain the Americans
will make some sort of, uh,
move to get Luden out, if
only for propaganda purposes.
If they're foolish enough to try
that, we will be ready for them.
Of course, Luden won't be here.
But, uh, they won't know that.
I suggest, Herr Oberst,
you make certain of that...
by leaving as soon as possible.
Yes.
I suppose you're right, Captain.
Approaching the gate.
[ Engine Stops ]
[ Grunts ]
[ Phone Ringing ]
[ Ringing Continues ]
[ German ]
Communications unit... all the way
down the road, all the way left. Good luck.
See you later.
[ Engine Starting ]
[ Engine Revving ]
[ Door Closes ] [ German ]
Cover me. Right, Sarge.
[ Dialing ]
[ Ringing ]
[ German ]
S.S. sedan, headin' your
way. Buttercup's in it, and...
Buttercup? How...
Troy. Troy!
[ Banging On Phone ] Troy!
[ German ]
[ German ]
[ Conversing In German ]
[ German ]
Better to have conscientious
soldiers like him...
than traitors like this one.
[ German ]
[ German ] [ Shouts ]
Put them in the guardhouse.
Give me a hand with this one.
[ Grunts ]
You seem to have lost
something, Sergeant.
Now, where the three go,
the fourth can't be
far behind, can he?
Behind what, Captain?
Buttercup, of course.
Buttercup?
Do you realize, Sergeant, that
I could have you shot as spies?
That's not your style, Captain.
Don't bet on it, Sergeant.
Now, you two seem to be
much smarter than your sergeant.
Why don't you tell me something?
Okay, Captain.
Hitchcock, Mark T.,
Private First Class.
Serial number 08725.
That truck back there...
It's the one we came in.
Do any of the others
know you're Buttercup?
None of the enlisted
man, I don't think.
The S.S. wanted it
kept quiet for morale.
Are you game?
All right.
Let's go.
What's the matter?
The tall one...
He's one of my radio operators.
He might have overheard.
Oberleutnant?
Bitte?
[ German ]
- [ German ]
- [ German ]
Danke.
[ German ]
The word has been
passed. I understood.
You've been transferred.
What you don't seem
to understand, Sergeant,
is that there are standing
orders pertaining to your group.
You're considered to be
something very special.
Well, don't go to any trouble
on our account, Captain.
- Believe me, Sergeant,
the trouble will be all yours.
- [ Door Opens ]
- [ German ]
- [ German ]
[ Door Closes ]
[ German ]
[ Grunting ]
[ Engine Starts ]
[ Shouting In German ]
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
[ Tires Screeching ]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
[ German ]
[ Shouting ] Halt!
Halt!
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
[ Tires Screeching ]
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
Shake it.
[ Brakes Screech ]
Almost a perfect score. Almost.
Yeah, we got Buttercup
out, but we missed the codes.
But not quite.
[ Fabric Tears ]
Perfect score. Come
on. You ride with me.
Sarge, you look like the cat
that swallowed the mouse.
[ Troy ] Come on. Move it
out. [ Engine Starts, Revs ]
[ Roars ]
Oberleutnant Gustav
Friedrich Luden,
ex-group leader in
the Hitler Youth Corps,
veteran of the first
12-day campaign,
and the first of what
Command hopes...
will be many German defectors
who are fed up with Hitler...
and have the guts to
do something about it.
And you want us to go in and
bring him out as soon as possible.
Exactly. Besides the fact that
the Germans may be onto Luden,
we have a practical reason for
wanting him out too. What's that, sir?
He'll bring the current
Jerry codes with him.
That should give 'em a headache
for a couple of months. At least.
All right, Sergeant.
You're on your way.
Well, don't worry,
sir. We'll bring him out.
What's your pick?
The last one.
Treat her gently.
That truck's our baby.
[ Engines Starting, Revving ]
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
[ Speaking German ]
[ Man Speaking German ]
Walls and ears.
For morale, better if
no one knows, huh?
Lieutenant, even you
must admit it's curious...
that three times
in the past month...
the Americans have attacked
our fuel supply trucks, hmm?
Especially, Herr Oberleutnant, fuel supply
trucks coming in under secret orders.
It's not so curious.
It only proves that the German
Army has no monopoly on brains.
Doesn't it make sense to you that every
so often a daily code should be broken?
And what better sense it makes
when one realizes, Lieutenant,
that on each of the three occasions
you were the officer on duty!
[ Door Closes ]
The charge is, of course,
ridiculous. Of course, Lieutenant.
That's why we're taking
you to Corps headquarters.
To give you the opportunity of meeting
the gestapo and clearing yourself.
A few questions, a few...
[ Chuckles ] cigarettes...
and, uh, back to duty, huh?
Nice little vacation from
the war, huh, Lieutenant?
So, Lieutenant, our
car is waiting outside.
I, uh, said we'd be
back in time for dinner.
And, well, 40 kilometers
is a bit of a drive, so, uh...
Hmm?
It doesn't pay to keep
the gestapo waiting,
does it, Lieutenant?
[ Sniffs ]
[ Grunts ]
Pity he didn't turn it on himself
when he had the chance.
Wake up, Buttercup.
I'm glad he speaks better
German than he drives.
Just to remind you,
there's a war on.
Yeah, but whose side
are you on... theirs or ours?
Naturally, Captain,
we will want a full
report from you.
Naturally.
It's almost certain the Americans
will make some sort of, uh,
move to get Luden out, if
only for propaganda purposes.
If they're foolish enough to try
that, we will be ready for them.
Of course, Luden won't be here.
But, uh, they won't know that.
I suggest, Herr Oberst,
you make certain of that...
by leaving as soon as possible.
Yes.
I suppose you're right, Captain.
Approaching the gate.
[ Engine Stops ]
[ Grunts ]
[ Phone Ringing ]
[ Ringing Continues ]
[ German ]
Communications unit... all the way
down the road, all the way left. Good luck.
See you later.
[ Engine Starting ]
[ Engine Revving ]
[ Door Closes ] [ German ]
Cover me. Right, Sarge.
[ Dialing ]
[ Ringing ]
[ German ]
S.S. sedan, headin' your
way. Buttercup's in it, and...
Buttercup? How...
Troy. Troy!
[ Banging On Phone ] Troy!
[ German ]
[ German ]
[ Conversing In German ]
[ German ]
Better to have conscientious
soldiers like him...
than traitors like this one.
[ German ]
[ German ] [ Shouts ]
Put them in the guardhouse.
Give me a hand with this one.
[ Grunts ]
You seem to have lost
something, Sergeant.
Now, where the three go,
the fourth can't be
far behind, can he?
Behind what, Captain?
Buttercup, of course.
Buttercup?
Do you realize, Sergeant, that
I could have you shot as spies?
That's not your style, Captain.
Don't bet on it, Sergeant.
Now, you two seem to be
much smarter than your sergeant.
Why don't you tell me something?
Okay, Captain.
Hitchcock, Mark T.,
Private First Class.
Serial number 08725.
That truck back there...
It's the one we came in.
Do any of the others
know you're Buttercup?
None of the enlisted
man, I don't think.
The S.S. wanted it
kept quiet for morale.
Are you game?
All right.
Let's go.
What's the matter?
The tall one...
He's one of my radio operators.
He might have overheard.
Oberleutnant?
Bitte?
[ German ]
- [ German ]
- [ German ]
Danke.
[ German ]
The word has been
passed. I understood.
You've been transferred.
What you don't seem
to understand, Sergeant,
is that there are standing
orders pertaining to your group.
You're considered to be
something very special.
Well, don't go to any trouble
on our account, Captain.
- Believe me, Sergeant,
the trouble will be all yours.
- [ Door Opens ]
- [ German ]
- [ German ]
[ Door Closes ]
[ German ]
[ Grunting ]
[ Engine Starts ]
[ Shouting In German ]
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
[ Tires Screeching ]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
[ German ]
[ Shouting ] Halt!
Halt!
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
[ Tires Screeching ]
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
Shake it.
[ Brakes Screech ]
Almost a perfect score. Almost.
Yeah, we got Buttercup
out, but we missed the codes.
But not quite.
[ Fabric Tears ]
Perfect score. Come
on. You ride with me.
Sarge, you look like the cat
that swallowed the mouse.
[ Troy ] Come on. Move it
out. [ Engine Starts, Revs ]
[ Roars ]