Robert Hogan
From Hogan's Heroes
| INDIVIDUAL | |
| Robert Hogan | |
| |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Enlisted In | Allied Forces, USAAF |
| Serial Number | 0876707 |
| Appearances | Full List of Appearances |
| Actor | Bob Crane |
Colonel Robert Hogan is a fictional character who is the Senior POW officer of Stalag 13 in the television series, Hogan's Heroes. He is assigned to lead an underground organization made up of POWs that would work as spies inside Germany. He was played by the show's main star, Emmy Award-nominated actor, Bob Crane.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early Life and Before the War
Hogan was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, sometime in the early 1900s. Before the war, Hogan lived in several major cities in the American Midwest. Among these were Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio (which he frequently claims as a birthplace; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By his own admission he was something of a wild child in his youth, and was known for his talents in the fine art of vandalism. His womanizing began in his teens and would stay with him for the rest of his life. As an adult he became a career Army man, having enlisted at his local recruiting center, and by the time of World War II he has risen to the rank of full colonel. He claimed to have been assigned to The Pentagon, but as it was still under construction, apparently elected instead to go fight in the war as a bomber pilot.
[edit] During the War
During the war, he commanded a squadron of bombers (the 504th), until he is shot down during a raid. It is unknown whether the Allies has planned for him to crash his plane or simply took advantage of it. Either way, Hogan would lead the operation for more than three years, with his men including, among others, Louis LeBeau, Peter Newkirk, Andrew Carter (having replaced Vladimir Minsk), and James Kinchloe (later being replaced by Richard Baker).
[edit] After the War
Nothing is yet known of what might have happen to Hogan after the war.
[edit] Personality
Known for his wit and daring, Hogan found it easy to manipulate the Germans running the Luft Stalag. Hogan is a true master at reverse psychology and with Klink he has the perfect blank slate on which to paint.
Hogan always manages to get Klink to do what Hogan wants Klink to do but the key to manipulating Klink is to inflate his ego and make Klink think that the idea is really Klink's own idea, and to say that what he is doing will not lead him into trouble. Klink is so insecure and neurotic about being punished by his superiors (Burkhalter, Hochstetter and any other German officer who out-ranks Colonel Klink) that it is often easy to get Klink to do things he otherwise wouldn't have done or even have thought of.
By continually reminding Klink of his "perfect no-escape record at Stalag 13" and that Klink "deserves to be promoted to General" Hogan is able to control all of the action at the camp through Klink or just as often through Schultz, who never wanted to be in the German Army in the first place. Schultz's reluctance to see things or report things or know things comes from his desire to go back to normal civilian life and to avoid getting into trouble so Hogan always has Schultz over a barrel.
As well as manipulating Klink, Hogan has constantly been able to save Klink, Major Hochstetter, General Burkhalter, and Sergeant Shultz from ending up being fatally punished when the four are placed in situations that seem impossible to crack, thanks to his quick wit.
[edit] Awards
Colonel Hogan is said to have been awarded the following medals for his service:
- The Distinguished Service Cross
- The Distinguished Service Medal
- The Silver Star Medal
- The Legion of Merit
- The Distinguished Flying Cross
- The Bronze Star Medal
- The Purple Heart
- The Air Medal
- The Army Commendation Medal
- The Good Conduct Medal
- The American Campaign Medal
- The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
- The American Defence Service Medal.
Hogan is also supposed to have been awarded the Air Force's Air Force Cross and Distinguished Service Medal although the Air Force did not become a seperate entity until 1947. As a prisoner of war, Hogan would be eligible, as of 1985, to have the Prisoner of War Medal awarded retroactively.
[edit] Trivia
- He graduates third in his military class, in contrast to Colonel Klink, his main opponent in the series.
- Hogan is a charmer when it comes to females. He has an ongoing romantic relationship with both of Klink's secretaries and Tiger Lily, as well as getting kissed almost every time a woman comes in contact with him and his men.
- Hogan is named after the actor Robert Hogan who is a friend of the series' co-creator and producer Bernard Fein. The actor Robert Hogan appears as a guest star in a couple of episodes.
