History Series / Combat1962

* AmbiguousDisorder: At the end of "Hill 256," Kirby is proven innocent when his claim of seeing a machine gun is corroborated by Saunders and Caje. Sergeant Metcalf (Creator/RobertCulp), accused Kirby of cowardice and insubordination just because Metcalf claimed he not seen the machine gun at all. He is [[SoreLoser angered]], thinking Kirby is a KarmaHoudini and [[NeverMyFault content he has done no wrongdoing himself]]. However, Saunders theorized that Metcalf is a ShellShockedVeteran suffering from some sort of mental disorder, driven by his [[FearlessFool constant bravery in battle, that caused him to see illusions of no danger at all]], but that Kirby was able to see.

* LicensedGame: A [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] UsefulNotes/SuperNES TurnBasedStrategy game based on the series was released in 1995.

* HeelFaceDoorSlam: In "Entombed," after declaring a truce following a cave-in and forces both Lt. Hanley's group and the Germans to work together and even causes both groups to bond with one another, the dominoes start to fall when the German Lt. Karl Mauer attempted suicide as Hanley attempts to reason with him out of it, only for Mauer to accidentally injure him, leading Pvt. Tommy Bishop[[note]]played by future horror director Tom Holland of ''Film/FrightNight1985'' and ''Film/ChildsPlay''[[/note]] to kill Mauer to save Hanley just as Mauer was apologizing to Hanley for accidentally shooting him and nearly got killed by the German soldier Wexler whom he bonded with to avenge Mauer's death until Hanley saves Bishop by killing Wexler. An unfortunate sad end to a bond between two enemy groups. Sadder considering both Bishop and Wexler finally dug a way out when it happens.

* HeelFaceDoorSlam: In "Entombed," after declaring a truce following a cave-in and forces both Lt. Hanley's group and the Germans to work together and even causes both groups to bond with one another, the dominoes start to fall when the German Lt. Karl Mauer attempted suicide as Hanley attempts to reason with him out of it, only for Mauer to accidentally injure him, leading Pvt. Tommy Bishop[[note]]played by future horror director Tom Holland of ''Film/FrightNight'' and ''Film/ChildsPlay''[[/note]] to kill Mauer to save Hanley just as Mauer was apologizing to Hanley for accidentally shooting him and nearly got killed by the German soldier Wexler whom he bonded with to avenge Mauer's death until Hanley saves Bishop by killing Wexler. An unfortunate sad end to a bond between two enemy groups. Sadder considering both Bishop and Wexler finally dug a way out when it happens.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: In the FeudEpisode "Conflict," Littlejohn's and Caje's bickering throughout the episode and even lashing out at others even during the mission was considered to be the charge of insubordination in face of the enemy. Littlejohn's transfer request would be thrown out the window since he now has war criminal record and if Saunders wasn't merciful, any sergeant in the platoon would automatically have the two infighting privates court martial.

* HeroAntagonist: The British soldier and the French Resistance fighter (until he discovers the truth) towards Kirby out of suspicion of being a German infiltrator in disguise in "The Masquers". There is also Sgt. Metcalf and the court who sides with him towards Kirby too in "Hill 256". Don't forget Eddie Albert as Phil the episode title character of "Doughboy" towards Saunders initially.

* BigGood: Rick Jason as Lt. Hanley, as he in general is one of the series' regulars and the only one with the highest rank in the chain of command above Sgt. Saunders and the White Rook platoon.

* AmbiguousDisorder: At the end of "Hill 256," Kirby is proven innocent when the machine gun he claimed to have seen is provender by Saunders and Caje, but Sergeant Metcalf (Creator/RobertCulp), who accused Kirby of cowardice and insubordination just because Metcalf claimed to have not seen the machine gun at all, still carried his belief of not seeing the machine gun, is [[SoreLoser angered]] at thinking Kirby is a KarmaHoudini and [[NeverMyFault content he has done no wrongdoing himself]]. However, Saunders theorized that Metcalf is a ShellShockedVeteran suffering from some sort of mental disorder driven by his [[FearlessFool constant bravery in battle that caused him to see illusions of no danger at all]] that Kirby was able to see.

* ExcitedShowTitle: The exclamation point is depicted as a stylized bayonet.

* AbsenteeActor: Neither Vic Morrow nor Rick Jason appeared in the episode "The Chateau". This was actually intentional, as the writers and producers were experimenting to see if the secondary cast could carry the show without the leads.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Braddock is on the receiving end in "The Prisoner", when he corrected about pronouncing cognac the way it's spelled, rather than "Con-yak".

* ComicbookTime: The first season follows a roughly consistent StoryArc from D-Day (June '44) to the imminent liberation of Paris (August '44). The next four all happen around and after that time... but the squad never leaves France.

* ExcitedShowTitle

* HeelFaceDoorSlam: In "Entombed," after declaring a truce following a cave-in and forces both Lt. Hanley's group and the Germans to work together and even causes both groups to bond with one another, the dominoes start to fall when the German Lt. Karl Mauer attempted suicide as Hanley attempts to reason with him out of it, only for Mauer to accidentally injure him, leading Pvt. Tommy Bishop (played by future horror director Tom Holland of ''Film/FrightNight'' and ''Film/ChildsPlay'') to kill Mauer to save Hanley just as Mauer was apologizing to Hanley for accidentally shooting him and nearly got killed by the German soldier Wexler whom he bonded with to avenge Mauer's death until Hanley saves Bishop by killing Wexler. An unfortunate sad end to a bond between two enemy groups. Sadder considering both Bishop and Wexler finally dug a way out when it happens.

** Also, Littlejohn and Caje in the FeudEpisode "Conflict," when the lack of sleep and enduring rain prompts them to lose their patience, made them cranky and mean-spirited than they are usually, also behaving like each TheNeidermeyer, turned them against each other and even lashing out at other members of their platoon, affecting their performances in the front lines that gets to a point of them committing insubordination and acting each as TheMillstone for their NiceJobBreakingItHero moments. Both [[WhatTheHellHero Saunders and Doc calls them out for their inexcusable insubordination]] and they nearly earned getting a dishonorable discharge from their squad as {{Fallen Hero}}es after serving White Rook well and nobly in past countless episodes that spanned over four seasons for their disgracefully petty insolence in this episode. Fortunately, while they were not above in attempting to engage in a fistfight in amidst of their bickering, at least Littlejohn and Caje were humane and held on to whatever moral restraint they had left enough not to turn their M1s or bayonets against each other to ''[[UnfriendlyFire kill]]'' one another out of petty spite, which if attempted may resulted in them not just earning a dishonorable discharge and transfer, but an automatic court martial for both of them also and shamed them afterwards as absolute {{Fallen Hero}}es following prosecution for [[UnfriendlyFire attempting or having committed killing a fellow soldier]]. Doc's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech towards the two troublemakers was able to get through to them for them to have a JerkassRealization about themselves and eventually they reconciled, shift to HeroicSafeMode and worked together with no issues.

* AmbiguousDisorder: At the end of "Hill 256," Kirby is proven innocent when the machine gun he claimed to have seen is provender by Saunders and Caje, but Metcalf, the sergeant played by Robert Culp of ''Trackdown'', ''Series/TheGreatestAmericanHero'' and ''Series/ISpy'' who accused Kirby of cowardice and insubordination just because Metcalf claimed to have not seen the machine gun at all, still carried his belief of not seeing the machine gun, is [[SoreLoser angered]] at thinking Kirby is a KarmaHoudini and [[NeverMyFault content he has done no wrongdoing himself]]. However, Saunders theorized that Metcalf is a ShellShockedVeteran suffering from some sort of mental disorder driven by his [[FearlessFool constant bravery in battle that caused him to see illusions of no danger at all]] that Kirby was able to see.

** In the episode "The Volunteer," an AffablyEvil PunchClockVillain Wehrmacht Heer soldier played by ''Film/{{Caddyshack}}'''s Ted Knight shows kindness towards defiant LaResistance ChildSoldier wannabe Gilbert by first showing his FatalFamilyPhoto of his [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes daughter]] and gave him chocolate. When Gilbert killed him to save the Americans and liberate the village his platoon occupied to ambush Saunders' and Hanley's squad, the poor French boy has a HeelRealization and MyGodWhatHaveIDone and expressed an AlasPoorVillain towards the dead German as he also gives back the chocolate to him in memorial upon acknowledging there can be an aversion of AllGermansAreNazis and WhatMeasureIsAMook applying to some {{Mook}}s like that friendly German and that WarIsHell, which was the most important lesson he learned of all.

* PutOnABus: Private Braddock, as Shecky Greene walked off the show after nine episodes, because the physical demands of the series were taking a toll on him, and he wished to return to his nightclub acts in Las Vegas.

''Combat!'' is a TV series that ran on Creator/{{ABC}} from 1962 until 1967 about "King Company" during the invasion of France in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, starting from D-Day [[AbortedArc and never farther than that]] throughout its five-season run. It predominantly featured [[SergeantRock Sergeant Chip Saunders]] (Creator/VicMorrow), though his entire squad was just as fleshed out. Creator/RobertAltman was a major creative force on the series, directing every second episode of the first season. The show's original writer, Robert Pirosh, also wrote ''Film/{{Battleground}}'' and ''Film/HellIsForHeroes'', which have a similar grounded style to this series.