James Franciscus brings a thoughtful personality to "Combat!", quite different from the hard-edged character usually cast as guest stars. With his blond hair and attractive features, I imagined him coming back to the show as an arrogant German officer in a future role, but the series was canceled.
He plays a doctor (from a family tradition of doctors) who's become a demolitions expert, assigned to Vic's squad to blow up a German communications outpost. He turns out to be a softie, averse to killing people, even the enemy. Vic simply can't put up with that attitude, as he's got a job to do a war to help win, and needs a team player, not a prima donna.
The mission is accomplished successfully, but they're assigned to another, and one wonders whether James will shape up. After a skirmish with the Germans, can James perform an emergency tracheotomy on a wounded soldier or is he too scared of causing the man's death?
The acting is good, but the segment has an unsatisfying pat ending.