Year of the Rat: Rat Patrol

Tomorrow marks the start of the Chinese New Year, so we’re exploring fanboy themes relating the Year of the Rat. Rat Patrol was a TV series that ran from 1966 until 1968 which featured the exploits of four Allied soldiers (three American and one Brit) during World War II whose mission was “to attack, harass and wreak havoc on Field Marshal Rommel’s vaunted Afrika Korps”.

Rat Patrol was one of many shows in the late 60s based on World War II — other shows from that era included Combat!, 12 O’clock High and the comedy classic Hogan’s Heroes. The show inspired a great deal of merchandise, everything from toys to a Halloween costume (which I owned briefly as a child at one point). Here’s the opening to the show:

…me thinks they’re pretty clean cut for a renegade squad hanging out in the dessert, no?