Combat! (TV Series) Counter-Punch (1964) User Reviews

Reasonable Episode

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 11 September 2017]

After a great German offensive penetrating the allied lines, every soldier is forced to get their weapons and they are scattered in the front. Saunders and Caje try to reach their line and while walking through the forest, soldiers without combat experience join the increasing group including an arrogant sergeant. When they hear a locomotive, Saunders believe he has found the means to return to their lines. But the locomotive is transporting German soldiers and he needs to get rid of the enemy first. What will Saunders do?

"Counter-Punch" is a reasonable episode of "Combat!" only. Sergent Martinez is another foolish character and his rivalry with Saunders is annoying. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Contra-Ataque" ("Counter-Atack")

Great Synergy and Excellent Screen Writing !!

[jmarchese · 9/10 · 4 July 2014]

Counter-Punch is an excellent story of Americans being cut off from their lines and what strategy revolves around when there's an entire battalion of Germans blocking their path. Hats off to Kay Lenard and Jess Carneol for their superb screen writing.

First off the archival footage of German heavy artillery throughout the episode is fantastic and truly makes up for the lack of rifle and machine gun combat which we are used to.

In the farm scene we learn how crucial it is to work exactly together as a team when the going gets rough. Technical Sergeant Martinez creates excellent conflict with Saunders and becomes the poster boy as to why a combat sergeant should always overrule a technical sergeant on the battlefield.

All characters are significantly developed during the episode and each has their role to play. The map man, the baker, the technical sergeant, the jailbird, and the Frenchman play their roles well and are essential in telling the story. The young GI panics in the crucial moment.

The train scene brings the effort all together and it's absolutely beautiful when the group is once again in radio range.

The ending sequence is again superb American archival footage.

One Of The Best

[sambase-38773 · 9/10 · 15 February 2021]

This is one of the best episodes of Combat! It feels more like a movie than a TV show. Great action and drama. Highlights the difficulty of decision making under extreme conditions. The acting is excellent and so is the writing. All of the characters have a lot to offer from their personal skills and viewpoints. Sgt. Carter has a strong counterpoint to his character in another sergeant who doesn't like to assume that Carter always knows what's best, even though Carter is the one with the hard earned experience. The force of those two characters verbally and psychologically battling with each other is fascinating. And the ending is worthy of the episode.

Fascinating survival story

[lor_ · 24 July 2023]

In the midst of a German offensive, Vic & Cage are cut off from their squad, and hook up with an increasing group of fellow stragglers, all seeking to make it back to their lines. One is a middleweight prize fighter, plus a cook and a mapmaker - a motley crew, but Vic is able to exert his authority and lead them.

There's plenty of bickering from a disparate group, with the boxer especially resentful of authority, especially Vic's, who he doesn't know. A pair of Germans arrive by motorcycle and the boxer's in danger, with the youngest soldier dying trying to protect his "hero".

In the episode the sense of danger is magnified by having most of the regular cast, like Kirby and Little John, absent so any of the week's guest actors are liable to be snuffed at any moment. Hand-held, first-person camera work adds to the suspense. They capture a couple of Germans, tie them up & gag them, and move on.

They encounter a train engine manned by a French worker, while men are repairing the rails for an ammunition train coming the next day. The French engineer devises a plan to overpower the few Germans in charge and Vic carries it out. The boxer turns heroic at the right moment and Vic leads the men to safety. Via their stolen choo-choo. Happy ending has Allied bombers arriving in time to blast the ammo train to kingdom come.