The Klink Commandos

Series:	Hogan's Heroes
Episode:	The Klink's Commandos
Original Airdate:	October 10, 1969
Production Number:	5784-126
Written by:	Richard M. Powell
Directed by:	Edward H. Feldman
Produced by:	Edward H. Feldman, William A. Calihan & Jerry London

Regular

Prisoners

• Colonel Hogan - Bob Crane
• Corporal Louis LeBeau - Robert Clary
• Corporal Peter Newkirk - Richard Dawson
• Sergeant James Kinchloe - Ivan Dixon
• Sergeant Andrew Carter - Larry Hovis

Camp Personnel

• Kommandant Wilhelm Klink - Werner Klemperer
• Sergeant Hans Schultz - John Banner

Semi-Regulars

• Marya - Nita Talbot

Guest Stars

• Count von Waffenschmidt - Frank Marth

Synopsis

Hogan and his men volunteer for a German suicide squad train bound for the Russian front in order to steal key documents.

Story Notes

• This is the one hundred and twenty-sixth episode of the series, but is the one hundred and twenty-first to be shown on television and the third episode shown for the Fifth Season.
• Both the title and premise of this episode are offhand references to The Dirty Dozen.
• Klink's worst nightmare - getting transferred to the Russian front - first comes true in this episode after being threatened in 125 previous episodes.
• Kinch again dons a German uniform for this episode.

Timeline Notes and Speculations

• This most likely takes place sometime during the winter of 1943-44. It is snowing and the temperature is dropping rapidly as the train leaves the station. Also, Marya references the anti-Hitler conspiracy and its Russian connections. This has not come up before in the world of the series. In real life, the anti-Hitler conspirators did not contact the Russians until late in the game, mostly because they didn't trust them.
• Count von Waffenschmidt reveals that the Germans "have been troubled the past six months by spies .... The Russians know what we are doing before we do it." He also reveals that the SS has had their eye on Marya for quite some time.
• Marya remark of Russians receiving plans from German Generals via Switzerland refers to the "Lucy Spy Ring" [[1]] which existed from 1941 to 1944.

Bloopers

• In the scene where Hogan convinces the Count to defect, the train should be moving but the backdrop of green trees is stationary.
• The uniform for the Count has errors. A Brigadier General in the SS would not have any pips on the shoulder board.
• Newkirk can be seen in the background outside the cooler when Carter in disguise is choosing prisoners.

External links

• The Klink Commandos at the Internet Movie Database
• The Klink Commandos episode capsule at Webstalag 13
• The Hofbrau

Previous episode: The Well

Next episode: The Gasoline War