The Furlough

The writers portrayed Sgt. Saunders exactly how I would have had I written the screenplay! What a delightful surprise! And he and Ann made a charming couple. Ann's father recognized the fine man that Saunders was and was hopeful that Ann would find happiness again.

Every episode of this show drives home the senselessness and futility of war whether there are civilians portrayed or not; the destruction of families and homes and villages and towns. I don't think we, as Americans, realize how lucky we are not to have modern day warfare waged on our own soil.

Just a note - it was Carol Lawrence, not Carol Lombard, who played Ann.

A rarity for Combat in that we here see the soldiers during some down time, in this case Saunders on leave in London. It shows well the conditions the British had to live under during WW2: the almost-constant threat of air raids, the sudden, random death and destruction.

Throw in the fact that Saunders is visiting an orphanage, the orphans being so due to this death and destruction and it's quite an emotional experience.

"The Furlough" portrays frightening war reality in & around London, England as constant German bombings trigger as many shelter visits.

Paul Playdon & Bob Frederick wrote a fine screenplay showing us the effects German bombings had on women & children during WW II. Imagine a young kid losing their mom & dad and possibly siblings to war & bombings. Words cannot describe it. Excellent character development, acting, and strong script more than make up for a lack of actual combat, the essence of the series.

The Sarge visits an orphanage to deliver a gift and gets so much more when he decides to stick around for a short while. War orphans touch all of our hearts reminding us of what great tragedy war is. Carol Lombard does a fine job as Ann Tinsley, a house mother torn by war and taking care of the children. Paulette (excellently played by child actress Chris Charney) gives us superb acting and a heartfelt moment when she first meets The Sarge.

The ending sequence brings out the senselessness of war and great humility to us all.

During a reconnaissance patrol, Sgt. Saunders loses two men shot by a German sniper. Private Harold Vincent asks Saunders to deliver US$ 300 to his friend, the orphanage director Ann Tinsley, during his near furlough. Saunders travels to the suburb of London and meets Ann. There are successive bombing and they have to move to the shelter with the children. Saunders gets involved with Ann and the children and decides to spend his leave helping Ann to rebuild the orphanage. But life is not easy in times of war.

"The Furlough" is a different episode of "Combat!", showing the sad reality of the war to the civilians in London. It is another touching and heartbreaking episode of "Combat!" with a dramatic and tragic conclusion. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "A Folga" ("The Furlough")

I was watching another channel when I mistakenly hit the wrong (right!) channel. The show started approx 7-8 minutes before and I was hooked! Why? Because at 70 years old, I vividly remembered this exact episode with my mom! I was 10 or 11 years old and that was exactly when I fell in love with Vic Morrow... and the show. It became our "thing" to do together. No matter what, we always sat together for Combat! On Tuesday nights (I believe!)... My mom came to the US right after the war... she was a teenager living in Munich so sometimes I noticed her cringing during some of the bombing and shooting scenes, but she watched... for me. I never really thanked her but now that she's my guardian angel, I'm sure she knows! And by the way... today would be her 🎂 birthday!! 💕