THE GALLANT MEN : To Hold up a Mirror 1963
"The Gallant Men" was an American television series that debuted on ABC in the fall of 1962. It followed a company of US soldiers from the Sept 1943 invasion at Salerno, and their battles up the boot of Italy. The series ran for a total of 26 episodes during 1962-63. Leading the cast is Robert McQueeney, who also narrates the story. McQueeney is a newspaper reporter who follows the company on their exploits. (Sort of an Ernie Pyle clone) The rest of the regulars are played by, William Reynolds, Robert Ridgely, Francis X Slattery, Eddie Fontaine, Roland La Starza, Roger Davis and Robert Gothie. There are the standard types sprinkled throughout, the joker, the card sharp, the loner etc. This is the 14th episode.
The Division has just spent the last 10 days attacking the same German held village. The Germans have been most reluctant to oblige the Americans and leave. The battle goes back and forth with the Americans gaining ground this time. The Germans pull back, the Americans believe that maybe this time, they have chased the Germans out.
A company sized recon group is sent in to make sure the Germans have indeed withdrawn. Paul Carr and another soldier, are checking the floors of a building on the main street. Carr discovers a woman hiding in one of the rooms. Carr sends off the other soldier to continue searching the house. Carr intends to try his luck with the lady. Carr is not the woman's type and says so.
The other soldier, Gary Campbell, has had a run in with several Germans hiding on the roof. Campbell collects a bayonet in the back for his efforts. The Germans then open up on the US GI's down on the street. They wipe out 5-6 of the GI's before anyone can reply. Carr, alerted by the gunfire, races up the stairs and drops a grenade in the middle of the machine gun nest.
Now the Germans hit the village with a full-fledged counter-attack. The Germans have brought along several tanks for a bit of added punch. The Americans are shot to pieces and beat a hasty retreat out of the village. They take refuge in a outlaying farm house to wait for reinforcements.
In the house, they find a terrified woman and a shot up man. It seems that some SS types had been rounding up locals suspected of helping the Allies. The dead man and his sister had been corralled in one of these round ups. The woman had only survived because the Germans had left in a hurry.
Now the Americans ambush a German staff car and put the grip on an officer, Karl Held, and a nurse, Ilse Taurins. Nurse Taurins is put to work pronto like patching up the American wounded. The officer, Held, is given a brisk round of third degree by the Americans. This gets them nothing of any importance.
Now a size-able group of Wehrmacht soldiers are soon spotted moving toward the remaining Americans. The US soldiers manage to radio in a massive artillery strike which soon puts paid to the German advance. The German officer is killed when he makes a dash towards his own troops. Carr is also killed trying to stop the German.
There is plenty of action and bloodshed in this rip snorter of an episode.
"The Gallant Men" was an American television series that debuted on ABC in the fall of 1962. It followed a company of US soldiers from the Sept 1943 invasion at Salerno, and their battles up the boot of Italy. The series ran for a total of 26 episodes during 1962-63. Leading the cast is Robert McQueeney, who also narrates the story. McQueeney is a newspaper reporter who follows the company on their exploits. (Sort of an Ernie Pyle clone) The rest of the regulars are played by, William Reynolds, Robert Ridgely, Francis X Slattery, Eddie Fontaine, Roland La Starza, Roger Davis and Robert Gothie. There are the standard types sprinkled throughout, the joker, the card sharp, the loner etc. This is the 14th episode.
The Division has just spent the last 10 days attacking the same German held village. The Germans have been most reluctant to oblige the Americans and leave. The battle goes back and forth with the Americans gaining ground this time. The Germans pull back, the Americans believe that maybe this time, they have chased the Germans out.
A company sized recon group is sent in to make sure the Germans have indeed withdrawn. Paul Carr and another soldier, are checking the floors of a building on the main street. Carr discovers a woman hiding in one of the rooms. Carr sends off the other soldier to continue searching the house. Carr intends to try his luck with the lady. Carr is not the woman's type and says so.
The other soldier, Gary Campbell, has had a run in with several Germans hiding on the roof. Campbell collects a bayonet in the back for his efforts. The Germans then open up on the US GI's down on the street. They wipe out 5-6 of the GI's before anyone can reply. Carr, alerted by the gunfire, races up the stairs and drops a grenade in the middle of the machine gun nest.
Now the Germans hit the village with a full-fledged counter-attack. The Germans have brought along several tanks for a bit of added punch. The Americans are shot to pieces and beat a hasty retreat out of the village. They take refuge in a outlaying farm house to wait for reinforcements.
In the house, they find a terrified woman and a shot up man. It seems that some SS types had been rounding up locals suspected of helping the Allies. The dead man and his sister had been corralled in one of these round ups. The woman had only survived because the Germans had left in a hurry.
Now the Americans ambush a German staff car and put the grip on an officer, Karl Held, and a nurse, Ilse Taurins. Nurse Taurins is put to work pronto like patching up the American wounded. The officer, Held, is given a brisk round of third degree by the Americans. This gets them nothing of any importance.
Now a size-able group of Wehrmacht soldiers are soon spotted moving toward the remaining Americans. The US soldiers manage to radio in a massive artillery strike which soon puts paid to the German advance. The German officer is killed when he makes a dash towards his own troops. Carr is also killed trying to stop the German.
There is plenty of action and bloodshed in this rip snorter of an episode.