The Do or Die Raid

The Rat Patrol is asked to do something a bit different in The Do or Die Raid. Their mission is to get a trained safecracker in and out of a seaside village held by the Germans. The target is a safe in the village that contains a map showing Allied positions in the desert. Before the Germans have a chance to examine the map, the real map will be replaced by a forgery that will lead the Germans into a trap. Sounds simple enough - what could possibly go wrong?

No desert, no sun, no sand, no dune jumping, no Deitrich - The Do or Die Raid hardly seems like an episode of The Rat Patrol. There is also very little action. Instead, The Do or Die Raid is filled with tension. It's real edge-of-your-seat type stuff. There were a few moments when I thought for sure the guys would be discovered and have to fight/talk their way out of it. I'm kind of glad, however, that the writers didn't employ that overused plot device. The safecracker with a weak heart who Troy is forced to carry like a sack of flour provided more than enough predictability for one episode.

The safecracker in The Do or Die Raid was played by Warren Stevens. I didn't know the name, but I definitely recognized the face. With 169 credits listed on IMDb, including Forbidden Planet (1956), it's no surprise he looked so familiar.