Although Combat lasted longer than the war itself of even greater interest is that Combat which began on D-Day certainly lasted longer than the campaign to retake France and invade Germany. I suppose if you calculate the episodes it might work out to twice a week stories for the theater of war that Lt. Rick Jason and Sergeant Vic Morrow's squad operated in.Jason and Morrow were the stars and the story emphasis alternated between the two of them. Kind of like the way it was with Ward Bond and Robert Horton on Wagon Train. Both these guys were the model of professional, but citizen soldiers.Morrow's casting was interesting. I'm sure he was happy to be a good guy for a change. Mostly Morrow was cast in a nice variety of psychotic and/or thuggish roles. But here he was the dependable leader of men.Combat debuted at the same time as another World War II based series did The Gallant Men. But it was set in the Italian Theater and only lasted a season.Combat was jettisoned by NBC due to Vietnam as more people saw real war reported to them in their living rooms and didn't like it. Still it was a good show. I'd love to see one of the nostalgia channels bring it back.

I have all 5 seasons and wouldn't trade them for love or money. These shows gave what my Dad and Brothers said a close look at the horror of war any war. Weather called 1,2 or 100 yrs war, civil, where people died ,old, young, babies ,kids. people just trying to do a days work on their land to feed their families are killed for just being their and each war is to be the one to end all wars but the next one is in line like in a bating cage one after the other. Important people say nice things about the dead and about their bravery all true but then when all go home glad it wasn't their son or daughter the family of the one just buried goes home to cry and cry and cry and I could go on forever couldn't I. Then things go back to what's normal for those who still smile until the next WAR the next speech the next banner to be waved and the new Graveyard services and the circle rolls over more who serve and those who Love them. But if you watch Combat you will see just what I've been saying in each episode. They were very well written and I will keep watching them because war never changes only the faces of its DEAD.Sincerely; Big Mike H.,Ivanhoe,Ca.

Combat ! It came on late on WFIL-TV in Philly. I'd sit there with a pint glass of milk and ten Ivan spiced wafers and pace myself through the four acts of every Combat episode week in and week out. It was great because after Combat were re-runs of the Untouchables. Enough of that. Combat was realistic and well put together. There was no better infantry squad portrayed that I've ever seen in the movies or TV than Chip Saunders squad (with the R/T call-sign "King two".) When I went in the Army in '68 I had to relearn military phonetics.... Baker was Bravo, King was Kilo, Nancy was November....I had watched Combat and Twelve-o'clock High so often. Let me tell you something: having my last name called by a Sargeant and being put on the 'point' or the 'flank' for the first time in the real Army was almost a familiar situation! You learn right away whats Hollywood and whats reality however. The first lesson is helmet etiquette; chin straps never hang loose. You never 'one-arm- hang' your weapon, (sling or port-arms or you are using it.) ad infinitum.....but there was a ton of believability in Combat regardless.All the actors knew how to salute. This is unbelievably critical to convey a sense of reality. Just look at Cuba Gooding playing a military guy if you want a real laugh. I believe two of the actors were ex-military Navy. The actors knew their weapons...so much so that you identified each weapon with the soldier. M-1 Garand with Littlejohn, Saunders with the Thompson, and Kirby with the BAR....Caje with a knife... Kirby, by the way, lugged an authentic Browning Automatic Rifle through every episode. The Radio Operator ALWAYS "got-it" but the R/T traffic was authentic and the unit itself seemed to be as ubiquitous as the weaponry. This crew used to go on-location frequently too. Korbel Winery was one location. To this day I buy their champagne because of it. And there was the back lot at MGM where they shared the set with 'Man from Uncle" and some westerns.Vic Morrow was to Combat and all military movies (both screens) as William Shatner is to James T Kirk: unassailable. The shame of Vic Morrows death is that he was put in a dangerous situation by a movie director later in his career and died because of negligence: plain and simple. Hence Vic Morrow as Sgt Chip Saunders stands forever in my mind, looking over the barrel of the Thompson perched on his hip....as the hard-bitten squad leader: best NCO in the European Theater bar none.The actor who portrayed Littlejohn was an accomplished writer. His recollections of those days are priceless and recommended for any fan of 'Combat!"

Although I'm a big fan of any movie or TV show dealing with the European Theater in WWII, I was not originally going to rent this series. Series just take too long to watch, but the reviews on this show by other people were so positive that I decided to view it anyway. I was very disappointed! Each show was completely unrealistic, and the combat scenes border on comical. Some combat scenes even introduce an element of comedy into them, such as in the first episode when Saunders was sneaking up on a house occupied by Germans who had some American prisoners. One of his squad members was supposed to cover him by firing a rifle grenade at a tank, but kept hitting right near Saunders as he moved (near enough that in real-life he would have killed or wounded Saunders). Saunders kept looking back at him and giving him a sarcastic look. So much for gritty realism. The second episode focused on the characters taking shelter from a series of German air-raids on a French town. The problem is that the Luftwaffe was literally grounded long before D-Day, and last thing the Allied invaders had to worry about was German air-raids. I suppose it must have been difficult for the writers to create material for a series, but I have to say that I didn't care for the show because of what they created.