In a previous episode of Combat I talked about, SS troops take Saunders and the rest of the squad members (with the exceptions of Kirby and Little John) hostage. This episode is interesting because now, the situation is reversed, and the squad is attempting to take Germans hostage in order to accomplish a certain objective. They're not looking to kill them, because that would compromise the mission, and the whole point of this particular mission is to make sure nothing appears out of place. Operation Fly Trap begins with Saunders, Caje, Doc (who's been wounded), and a new squad member named Meider (Gary Lockwood) taking cover in a barn as they eye a farmhouse across the road. This farmhouse is being used by the Nazis as a radio station, and the squad intends to capture it so that Saunders can take a high ranking german officer (a colonel to be exact) prisoner. Early on, the squad kills a german soldier who is curious to see what's going on in the barn, and take another two hostage when they look for their fallen comrade. Meider (who speaks german) is ordered to kill them if they move. After moving into the farmhouse itself, Saunders and the others come across a radio and some more germans, one being a captain. Saunders orders Caje to bind and gag all the germans except the radio operator and the captain, the latter constantly taunting Saunders about how german reinforcements will happen upon the house with armored vehicles and completely outgun him. While Saunders debates with himself on whether or not to keep Doc in the farmhouse (and possibly let him bleed to death), Meider forces the radio operator to keep the colonel and his aides on the other end busy. So far, the colonel and the men with him have no idea the farmhouse has Americans in it. Meider goes into the cellar of the house to conduct a search shortly after, and fails to realize there is a german in there (who manages to remain unseen). Meider's inability to spot him later comes back to bite the entire squad when that particular german manages to tunnel through the wall and escape. Caje tries to shoot at him, but is unable to hit him. Saunders knows that german is going to alert the colonel's troops to his position, and now has a decision to make: he can leave immediately, or risk waiting it out to see if the colonel actually shows up. With Doc still injured, Saunders opts for leaving, but then receives news that the colonel is en route to the farmhouse. Unfortunately, the german who managed to escape also radioed a squad of german riflemen who are also en route to the house. Luckily for Saunders, the colonel and his two guards show up first. As Saunders and the others keep their eyes on them, the german captain in the house throws a gun to the radio operator, but Caje catches him and kills them both. Now alerted to the danger, the colonel makes a run for it while his aides stand and fight Saunders and the others. Meider is able to rush outside and take the colonel hostage while Saunders kills the other two officers. Saunders then loads Doc and the other squad members into the colonel's staff car and drive off just as the other car comes driving down the road. Although Meider is frustrated at the absurdity of the mission, it was a success largely thanks to him. Like many other Combat episodes, Operation Fly Trap is impressive in some areas more so than others. I didn't care for Gary's character, as he is whiny and questions Saunders' decisions throughout the entire episode. He keeps reminding him how capturing the german colonel was nobody's idea but his own, and once the german soldier escapes, Meider is quick to say that it's Saunders' fault german reinforcements will be there soon. I did like how Caje has a lot more screen time than he usually does, as he's probably the most underrated member of the squad (for me anyway). Kirby is the comic relief character who serves as the troublemaker that makes people laugh, Little John is the towering midwesterner with a contrasting gentle demeanor, and Saunders is, well, Saunders. Caje doesn't really have a distinctive trait about him other than the fact that he speaks French, so I liked seeing him get let loose on the germans toward the end during the gunfight. I did miss Kirby for 47 minutes though. Overall, this episode isn't among the best of the series since the guest star is so self-righteous, but it was interesting to see Vic and the others try to stealthily accomplish something rather than going in guns blazing.
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