General Schmidt

General der Infanterie Karl Schmidt is a fictional character who appeared in the Hogan's Heroes episode, The Prisoner's Prisoner. He was played by Roger C. Carmel.

The first time General Schmidt is mentioned in the episode is when a wounded Sergeant Walters is walking outside the barracks with Colonel Hogan, telling him why he and his fellow Commandos has been captured while trying to destroy a German ammo dump. He tells Hogan that it is actually the secret headquarters of General Schmidt and that London has earlier learned that his division is soon to conduct a surprise attack somewhere. Although they have no idea where the attack is to occur, London believes that by destroying Schmidt's headquarters, the attack would be prevented. Unfortunately, he and his fellow Commandos are only able to hide the bomb before they are stopped by the guards and captured, with himself being sent to Stalag 13 and his comrades to soon be sent to another camp. Schmidt is next mentioned when Hogan tricks Colonel Klink into calling the General so that Klink could have the other six Commandos sent to Stalag 13 in order to squash rumors that Hogan claims he has been hearing about the camp being shut down because Klink has been given only one of the seven captured Commandos, when in reality he and Sergeant Carter would be hitching a ride on the side of the truck that would be sent to get the Commandos so that they can arrive at the ammo dump, get the bomb and use it to destroy General Schmidt's headquarters.

After arriving at the ammo dump/headquarters, and then finding the time bomb inside a wine cellar, Hogan and Carter hears a noise coming from another room. Hogan tells Carter to find out what it is, and Carter does, soon seeing through the open door General Schmidt and his dinner date, a local fräulein, both of who are seated on a couch. The General is trying to convince the fräulein to stay a little bit longer before announcing to her that they are out of wine. He then gets up and asks her to wait while he goes to the wine cellar to get some more wine. By then, Hogan has joined Carter and gives him a wine bottle, telling him to use it on Schmidt. After Schmidt enters the darken room, Carter, after walking behind him, smashes the bottle against the back of Schmidt's head, destroying it in the process, while knocking Schmidt out cold. The fräulein, after hearing the noise of the wine bottle smashing against Schmidt's head, gets up to investigate. After entering the wine cellar herself, she is intercepted by Hogan, who kisses her on the lips and then pushes her out of the room, and telling her in German, 'Good Night'. Thinking that she has just been kissed by the General, she gets her things and happily leave. Once she is gone, Hogan tells Carter that they are going to take Schmidt with them. A shocked Carter tries to argue against it, but is soon helping Hogan take the still out cold General to the truck.

Schmidt next appears after the truck has arrived in the camp with the six Commandos and Hogan is asking Sergeant Schultz where is the seventh prisoner. Schultz tells Hogan that there are only six prisoners before he is soon convinced by Hogan that he must've dropped the seventh one on a nearby bumpy road. But before Schultz can get back into the truck to search for him, Hogan, looking into the back of the truck, claims he has found him. When Schultz arrives, he sees Carter inside the truck, along with the so called seventh prisoners, who is actually a still groggy General Schmidt. Schultz is relieved while Hogan tells him that the seventh prisoner is probably groggy from the ride. He then asks the six Commandos to pick up the General while he takes the clipboard from Schultz and signs 'Finnegan' as the prisoner's name. As the Commandos take Schmidt to Barracks 2 and Schultz takes the list to Klink in his office, Hogan tells Carter to tell Kinch to contact London and inform them that they have Schmidt. When Carter informs him that they won't have him for long since Schmidt is sure to get Klink to release him once he is fully awake, Hogan tells him he won't if he gets to Klink first and heads for the barracks to change.

Hogan then sets things up in Klink's office so that Klink will believe that Schmidt is actually the "The Gray Phantom", a master of disguise and master escape artist, and that he has come along with the new prisoners, to escape from Stalag 13 and thus ruin Klink's perfect record while the prisoners would get the blame. So, when an angry Schmidt comes into Klink's office, Hogan says under his breath the name "The Gray Phantom", which catches Klink's attention, before he calls Schmidt by his correct name and rank, even saluting him. Schmidt acknowledges the salute from Hogan before he demands an explanation from Klink about how he has gotten into one of the prisoner's barracks before he demands that Klink allows him to use his phone, so that he can call his aide to help clear up everything. Klink appears to agree to Schmidt's demand as he pushes the phone over to him, but when the General tries to pick up the phone, his fingers are smacked by the riding crop in Klink's hand before he hears Klink call him an impostor as General Schmidt has earlier been killed when his hq has blown up. Schmidt is unable to convince Klink that he is still alive, even with Hogan constantly backing him up. Klink finally tells Schmidt to leave, which an angry Schmidt does, before he tells Hogan that Schmidt would never leave, much to Hogan's amusement.

After leaving Klink's office, Hogan quickly informs Newkirk and Kinch that Schmidt will be with them for a while, before Kinch tells him that London is happy to hear that the hq is destroyed, but then tells him that they now want him to find out where's Schmidt unit is so that they can destroy it before its attack. Hogan and the others then look ahead, looking at a pacing Schmidt. As Newkirk and Kinch leave, Hogan walks over to Schmidt and tells him that he's sorry that Klink didn't recognize him, especially when he did, before he attempts to butter him up, by informing him that he could bribe one of the guards for him so that he could get a message out to his second-in-command, so that he can convince Klink that he is General Schmidt. Schmidt is about to tell Hogan who to contact when he stops and says that his plans will be completed in five days and that he can wait, before he heads for Barracks 2. Newkirk then rejoins Hogan, who after telling him that Schmidt would not tell him even if his life depended on it, then tells Newkirk that he has an idea that would lead to the General opening up: Making him think that he is very ill.

General Schmidt is next seen sitting on the bench of a table, playing a game of chess by himself when Hogan talks to him again, still commenting about Klink not recognizing him. Schmidt also comments about that, before he hears Hogan suggest that it might be because he doesn't appear to look the same as his picture. Hogan then claims that he notices that the General's neck appears to be swelling before warning Schmidt about a disease that is sweeping the camp known as 'Deadly Prison Plague' or 'DPP' for short, which is suppose to be a very deadly disease. He then tells Schmidt to look at an empty bunk bed, claiming that the bed's last two occupants have recently died from the disease. Hogan then mentions that if Schmidt does have the disease, he'll need to contact his people soon to get him out of camp to have it treated, since he is likely to be ignored as long as he is thought of as a prisoner. He rejects Hogan's advice, before asking Hogan why he wants to help him. Hogan then 'confesses', claiming that he admires the General, and that he is an ambitious man and wants to help the winning side, even saying that Germany would eventually be in America. He then tells a now seated Schmidt that in exchange for his help, he wants to be made Bürgemeister of Cleveland. After hearing Schmidt's second refusal, he tells him that he hopes that Schmidt hasn't caught the disease while telling him its symptons. At the same time, he hit a hand against the wooden frame of the top bunk bed. This results in a wooden board that contains several small, lighted canisters being pushed under the bed. Hogan then leaves him and, and as the General goes to sleep, heads for his office.

As he attempts to sleep, Schmidt feels himself getting warm, thanks to the lighted canisters hidden under the bed. He is soon approached by Newkirk, who comments about the colder weather, before he looks at Schmidt. After Newkirk offers him some soup, Newkirk notices the General heating up and then calls for Hogan. Hogan comes back into the main barracks area, and after looking at the warm Schmidt, calls into his office for some blankets to be brought in for him. Carter and Kinch quickly comes in with a couple of blankets, while Kinch also brings in some chains. After Carter places the first blanket on top of Schmidt's body, Hogan uses it to block the General's view while Kinch places the chains on top of Schmidt's legs before covering them up with the second blanket. After putting down the first blanket, Hogan comments that it's probably just a cold because if it is the disease, Schmidt would be unable to move his legs. But, when Schmidt does try to move his legs, he is unable to, thanks to the chains. LeBeau then exits Hogan's office, then appears to get 'all emotional' about Schmidt possibly having 'DPP' before he goes back into the office, soon followed by Carter, Newkirk and Kinch. As Hogan continues to talk to Schmidt, he attaches a couple of long poles to the bottom of the bed, before Newkirk and Kinch starts to use them to shake the bed back and forth. Hogan, as he sees this, then comments that the General now has the shakes and chills, before he sees the bed start to catch fire, thank to the canisters. While claiming to Schmidt that he is now so hot that he has set the bed on fire, he calls into his office for help. Kinch and Carter soon come out with a pair of pillows to try and put the fire out with them, before Newkirk arrives to put it out with a bucket filled with sand. LeBeau then starts to exit Hogan's office with a large casket. After covering Schmidt's face with one of his hands, he tells LeBeau to put it back, before apologizing to the General about LeBeau jumping the gun. Hogan then asks him if he now want to contact his second-in-command. Schmidt appears about ready to say yes, before he shakes his head no, much to Hogan's disappointment. Soon back in his office, he hears from Kinch that London desperately needs the information about the location of Schmidt's unit. Hogan tells Kinch to tell London that they have him about ready to crack.

Schmidt, who is now awake, standing up and wearing a blanket, looks miserable as he sees Newkirk, Carter, LeBeau and Kinch setting up preparations for a Christmas party, which confuses him, since Christmas is still three months away. Hogan tells him that they are doing it for his benefit, since they did not expect him to last that long. Schultz then comes into the barracks, dressed up as Santa Claus, wishing 'Finnegan' a Merry Christmas, believing it is the least he could do because of what he believes has happened to him earlier inside the truck on the way to the camp, before asking Hogan how 'Finnegan' is. Schultz then leaves. Schmidt is now even more depressed, especially after being given some gifts by the prisoners. He then hear them singing several Christmas carols. That is too much for him, and he finally tells Hogan that his troops are presently located near Heidelheim. After the others have gone back into Hogan's office, Schmidt asks Hogan if he would contact his second-in-command for him. Hogan says he would, before telling Schmidt that he now wants to be made the Bürgemeister of Cincinnati as well as Cleveland, before leaving for his office.

Schmidt is then seen wearing some civilian clothes, following Walters and Hogan to the rising bed entrance while walking past Newkirk and a couple of new escaped prisoners who would be taking his and Walters' place in the barracks during their escape. After adjusting his hat and telling him that he didn't look German enough, Hogan informs Schmidt that he is not to speak anything other then German as the two head for England while also telling him that a prison cell is waiting for him there. As Schmidt heads down the ladder into the tunnel, Hogan tells Walters to keep an eye on Schmidt, to make sure he didn't mess up.