This Collider feature argues that the 1960s American series Combat! was the true trailblazer of the modern war drama, predating acclaimed shows such as Band of Brothers. Running from 1962 to 1967, the programme is credited with breaking from the polished, propaganda-tinged war stories that dominated earlier Hollywood, instead portraying combat as grim, serious and emotionally costly. The piece frames this as a pivotal shift that audiences now take for granted, aligned with the authenticity of the emerging "New Hollywood" movement.

The article situates Combat! within a lineage of war storytelling, noting earlier anti-war works such as the 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front, The Grand Illusion (1937) and Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory, while arguing most pre-1960s screen war carried a romantic, adventurous flair. Created by Robert Pirosh, the show followed American soldiers advancing through post-D-Day Europe and deliberately focused on lower-ranking troops rather than commanders. Key characters included Lieutenant Gil Hanley (Rick Jason) and Sgt. Chip Saunders (Vic Morrow), with the series emphasising defeat, loneliness and war's toll rather than gore or guaranteed heroics.