One in Every Crowd

Prisoners

 * Colonel Hogan - Bob Crane
 * Corporal Louis LeBeau - Robert Clary
 * Corporal Peter Newkirk - Richard Dawson
 * Sergeant Andrew Carter - Larry Hovis

Camp Personnel

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

Semi-Regulars
None

Guest Stars

 * Maria - Barbara Babcock
 * Felix - John Stephenson
 * Captain Hermann - John Crawford
 * Jack Williams - Paul Picerni

Synopsis
A prisoner offers the Nazis information on Hogan's operation in exchange for his freedom.

Plot Details
It is night time at Stalag 13 and some of the prisoners are playing a game of poker. The dealer, Williams, deals a king to himself, prompting Newkirk to accuse him of cheating by dealing from the bottom, and a matching king would be at the bottom of the deck. The accusation is correct, and a fight breaks out in the barracks. Hogan arrives to restore order and sides with Newkirk, reminding Williams he has been kicked out of every other barracks in camp and accusing him of selling their Red Cross packages to the Germans. Hogan orders everyone to take the money they started with, but the fight quickly resumes and only breaks up when Klink and Schultz enter the barracks. The prisoners quickly begin dancing with each other, Newkirk and Williams giving each other angry stares throughout. Hogan says they are practicing their dancing to cover the situation. Klink angrily has Schultz put Hogan on report for allowing the lights to be on half an hour overtime and sarcastically tells Hogan to invite him the next time they're dancing. LeBeau offers to be Klink's partner due to his love of dancing, prompting a shocked Kommandant to put LeBeau on report too.

A truck enters Stalag 13 the next day towing what appears to be an anti-aircraft gun which is partially covered. A German captain goes into Klink's office, prompting LeBeau to tell Hogan. The Colonel, LeBeau and Newkirk listen in on Klink and his visitor Captain Hermann. Hermann has stopped at Stalag 13 since his truck broke down and needs a new fuel pump before he can leave. Klink tries to make Hermann leave, but the captain shows papers signed by General Yodel on behalf of Adolf Hitler. Klink instantly welcomes Captain Hermann with open arms knowing he could be executed for refusal. Hermann requests guards to protect his truck, prompting Klink to ask what the truck is towing. Hermann says it is an S-5, a prototype of an 88-millimeter field gun with no recoil. Hermann's mission is to deliver it to an ordnance factory in France for mass production. Hogan has LeBeau radio London to inform them of the gun's existence and see what they want done with it. Hogan unflinchingly suggests London may wish to bomb the gun while it is in camp, to the horror of Newkirk and LeBeau who can't tell if he's joking or not.

Meanwhile, Williams and Carter have a discussion outside. Williams wants out of Stalag 13, and offers to buy Carter's flashlight. Carter offers to give it to Williams for free, but advises against escape since the prisoners have been ordered not to by Hogan. Williams doesn't care about Hogan's orders and leaves just as Hogan steps outside the barracks. Carter quickly tells Hogan of Williams' escape plan, but Hogan thinks it is merely a bluff.

Later that day, Hogan receives London's answer. The Air Force is busy and thus the Heroes have to destroy the field gun themselves. Carter suggests one of his explosives for the job and Hogan agrees. Carter gets to work on the explosives, and Hogan enters the barracks via the bunk-bed entrance. Almost immediately after Hogan's departure, Williams, dressed in a civilian suit and carrying a suitcase, sneaks through the tunnels and leaves the camp. He doesn't get very far before being discovered by Schultz and hauled into Klink's office. Williams is sentenced to 30 days in the cooler, followed by 30 days confinement to the barracks and no privileges, a punishment seen as light by Klink since Williams could be executed as a spy without a trial for being caught in civilian clothes. Williams demands to speak with Klink alone, without Hogan, prompting a warning from the POW officer before Schultz escorts him to the barracks. Williams offers to divulge military information to Klink in exchange for his freedom, money and to be allowed to live in Berlin until the war is over. Klink doubts he could have information worth that much, but Williams insists he does before being taken to the cooler. The entire conversation is heard by the Heroes on the coffee pot, and since Williams knows most of the Heroes' operation, Hogan has Carter volunteer to bring Williams meals in the cooler, to see if he really is selling them out.

Klink phones Burkhalter and relays Williams' offer to him. Burkhalter orders Klink to hear out Williams' information and see if it is valuable enough.

Later in the cooler, Williams' meal is delivered by Carter. Williams is angry and believes he was caught so quickly because Hogan ratted him out to Klink. Carter denies Hogan would do such a thing but is interrupted by Klink who orders Carter out of the cell. But Carter listens outside the door and overhears Williams give a sample of information to Klink regarding a sabotage job the Heroes did. Klink presses Williams for more information but he will not budge unless his deal is accepted.

Carter informs the rest of the Heroes Williams indeed intends to sell them out. Newkirk offers to poison Williams' food, but Hogan declines as they would be blamed. Hogan has Carter contact the Underground to get in touch with an operative codenamed "Felix." He assigns LeBeau to meet Felix and guide him into camp using the emergency tunnel. The American colonel explains to Newkirk his intent to remove Williams and destroy the field gun in camp at the same time.

Felix is brought into camp that night and fitted with a Luftwaffe major's uniform. He is given papers to identify him as "Major Webber" and orders signed by General Burkhalter, aka Kinch. They also arrange for Maria, another Underground agent to serve as Felix's secretary.

Klink soon gets a call from an unnamed Gestapo officer (actually Newkirk) who orders him to travel to Berlin the next day for a conference regarding Williams' deal. Newkirk further tells Klink his absence will be filled by a "Major Webber." Klink affirms he will arrive for the conference. Hogan then tells Newkirk to call General Burkhalter and get him to come to the fictitious conference.

The next day, Klink runs through what needs to be done with the newly arrived Major Webber and his secretary. Klink introduces Webber to Hogan and Schultz. Webber says he will rely on Schultz, causing the deflated Klink to reply "well he's here anyway," before leaving. Webber orders Schultz to bring Williams to the kommandant's office.

Upon Williams' arrival, Webber announces the deal has been agreed to by officials in Berlin. Williams lives up to his threat and dictates every detail he knows of the Heroes' operation at Stalag 13. He is then sent back to the cooler as Hogan is brought in. After musing about Williams' traitorous act, Hogan orders a new story be written on a piece of paper Williams signed without realizing. Schultz reappears and "Major Webber" announces he and Maria must return to Berlin and until Klink returns, Schultz will be in charge of Stalag 13. Schultz is shocked, but quickly helps himself to Klink's cigars and falls asleep at his desk. When Klink returns, he berates Schultz before reading the fake information, which is a warning that a nearby arms factory will be attacked that night. Klink immediately coordinates his men to defend the factory and once again, Schultz is placed in charge of the camp.

This is the opportunity the Heroes have been waiting for. Carter is sent to rig the field gun with explosives and Newkirk and LeBeau are sent to bust Williams out of the cooler. They break through the cell door with explosives and drag him back to the barracks, where Hogan declares he will be sent to England for trial and recommends Williams pray none of his judges have been prisoners of war. Carter reappears and the field gun soon goes up with his explosives. Hogan and Carter leave the barracks to look at their handiwork, then join the watching Schultz who rues "first the cooler and now this, while I am in charge." Hogan merely remarks "things certainly happen when you're around."

The next day, Klink and Captain Hermann are surveying the damage and find Williams' jacket. Hogan feeds them the story Williams escaped from his cell and put explosives on the gun but didn't get away from the impact zone in time. Klink and Hermann doubt it, but Klink soon changes his tune when he realizes the alternative would not be good for him. His change prompts Hogan to quip "I knew you would."

Story Notes

 * This is the seventy-sixth produced episode of the series, but is the seventy-second episode to be shown on television and the tenth episode shown for the Third Season.
 * Ivan Dixon does not appear in this episode.
 * The POWs walk by two buildings in the compound, one labeled "Barracke" in German and the other "Recreation Hall" in English.
 * Part of the premise for the story comes from the 1965 WWII feature film King Rat, dealing with the activities of a collaborator at a Japanese POW camp. Prior to his role in the series, actor Richard Dawson (Newkirk) appeared in King Rat as paratrooper Captain Weaver.
 * Klink's open office door reveals a male assistant sitting in the outer office. Male office assistants can also be seen in other episodes, in particular an older red-headed gentleman filing papers or helping Hilda or Helga, usually in a brief glimpse through Klink's office door.

Timeline Notes and Speculations

 * This episode appears to take place sometime in mid-1943. This date is keyed to the so-called "S-5 anti-aircraft gun" featured in the story. In real life, this might have been the prototype for the Krupp/Rheinmetall Pak 43, an improved version of Krupp's legendary 88mm antitank gun. The Pak 43 was undergoing testing by 1942 and entered service (in limited quantities) by 1943. It was the most powerful gun of its type in service on either side during the war.
 * SPECULATION: Williams may be the Gestapo mole mentioned by SS Major Hegel in Diamonds in the Rough. If so, he was the most effective mole ever to penetrate the operations of our heroes.

Quotes
(As Klink leaves for Berlin)


 * Schultz (delightedly): Now we can relax!
 * Felix (sharply): Sergeant! You will bring the prisoner Williams to the Kommandant's office!
 * Schultz: Jawohl, Herr Major!
 * Schultz (after "Major Webber" leaves): EVERYBODY wants to be a big shot...

Bloopers

 * Felix, in his persona as 'Major Webber', is wearing a Luftwaffe Major's uniform. However, instead of having the Luftadler patch (the silver bullion threaded Swastika-carrying Eagle that was the service insignia for the Luftwaffe), he is instead wearing the solid silver metal pin form of the device on his right breast. This device was only to be worn with Dress Whites, which is the military analogue to 'White Tie' formality, and was never used in place of the ubiquitous (and far less expensive) patch. Moreover, this was a serious breach of military dress code, and would have made any officer highly suspicious. As an aside, the metal Luftadler came in two colors - silver for regular officers, and gold for General Staff officers.