CITIZEN SOLDIER (1956-1957) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

The latest installment of Balladeer’s Blog’s recurring segment Forgotten Television.

CITIZEN SOLDIER (1956-1957) – Also known as The Big Attack, this half-hour series depicted dramatic reenactments of real wartime incidents from World War Two, STARRING THE ACTUAL SERVICEMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THEM!

That gimmick made Citizen Soldier stand out from the many other programs devoted to dramatizations of wartime events, but it was very obvious at times that an episode’s star was just a Citizen Actor and not a professional. If you put aside unrealistic thespian expectations, you’ll likely find this series riveting. 

Charles Marquis Warren directed and Ron W. Alcorn produced this syndicated program that lasted for one season of 39 episodes.

Among my favorite episodes:

THE LITTLE PRIVATE – This episode starred Joe Richardson reenacting his World War Two experience of coming right out of Boot Camp with his unit and winding up at the front lines for the Battle of the Bulge. His recent training with the most up to date bazookas came in handy to save his entire unit.   

A HILL NEAR ALEMERT – Thomas Joseph Kelly, a medic in the 28th Armored Infantry Battalion, stars in a reenactment of his heroics at Alemert during the Second World War. Kelly went on to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his deeds.

WAR AND MEN OF GOD – Captain Leroy W. Raley, a Chaplain, tops the cast in this reenactment of his World War Two experiences. With all of his unit’s other officers cut down in the battle, Raley, experienced at serving as a priest, minister and rabbi to the troops, shouldered the responsibility of taking command and ensuring he and his men survived the battle.

BIG SLIM – In an episode proving “truth is stranger than fiction”, Sgt. Fred “Big Slim” Richardson of C Company, 60th Infantry Regiment, stars in this reenactment. On a battlefield in Europe, Sgt. Richardson got hit by THIRTY-SIX pieces of shrapnel BUT KEPT GOING!

DEFERRED BRIDE – A reenactment of the wartime escapades of Nancy Howard, one of the many women who had to delay their weddings because her fiancé was sent to the front. She enlisted as an Army Nurse in the war and portrays herself in this episode. 

TAKE COMMAND – As the Allies advanced deeper into Nazi territory, a shortage of surviving officers prompted battlefield commissions for enlisted men deemed capable of handling the duties. Brad Fisher of E Company, 253rd Regiment, 63rd Infantry stars as himself in a reenactment of his own sudden elevation to officer rank.

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN – During the postwar occupation of Germany, two American soldiers smuggle fifteen war orphans out of the Soviet Sector to freedom. Sgt. Steve Maycheck and G-2 Officer Tom Ryan play themselves in this reenactment of their heroics.

FIVE MEN OF STEEL – Lt. George Morrison led a tank crew in the 6th Division, 3rd Army during World War Two. He plays himself in this dramatization of he and his crew handling a deadly mission to flush out Nazi rearguard forces late in the conflict.

BIG SWAP – A change of pace episode. Red Cross Director Andrew G. Hodges of the 94th Infantry Division reenacts his wartime heroics. While leading a humanitarian mission to provide supplies for POWs, Hodges learned of the harsh conditions at Stalag 23 and maneuvered a quick exchange of prisoners between the Allies and the Axis.

RUGGED COMPANY K – Company K, 18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Battalion was one of the most decorated companies of World War Two. This episode stars Lt. Clark Johnson as himself leading K Company into battle against vastly greater numbers.

THE MUTE – Another one from the Truth is Stranger Than Fiction file. At Normandy, American Paratrooper Lonnie L. “Gabby” Mosely gets rescued from disaster by French Underground operatives. Posing as a mute, he leads the Underground in sabotaging Nazi communications lines.

WEAPONLESS WONDERS – An unarmed pilot daringly rescues seven wounded men pinned down by Nazi fire. Lt. John Keats of the 35th Division starred as himself in this episode.

THE VALIANT FEW – In this episode, Chaplain Francis Sampson of the 101st Airborne Division uses faith to pull a medic through an episode of panic in the midst of battle.

SURRENDER OR DIE – Colonel J.G. Corley of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Regiment, 1st Infantry Division stars as himself. The Colonel leads the first attack on German soil in 1944 and delivers the title ultimatum to Nazi forces at Aachen, Germany.

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