What channel did you find it on? My wife and I were talking about that program a couple weeks ago and was wondering why they didn't show the old reruns like they do with "Gunsmoke" and other old movies.
When i was a kid they'd show Rat Patrol after the cartoons were over on Sat mornings. Loved that show. Would make me want to go straight outside and play in the dirt afterwards.
"The Rat Patrol" was a highly fictionalized and Americanized retelling of the exploits of the British Long Range Desert Group in North Africa during WWII. While entertaining, it wasn't much on historical accuracy. Although the LRDG used Willys MB's very successfully, the majority of their vehicles were 2WD and 4WD trucks, which could carry more people, weapons, ammo and supplies for deep raids. I honestly don't think that it would have hurt the story lines if they had used more accurate equipment, but that's American TV for you. Of course, the Jeeps were a lot more sexy than some modified pickup truck with tan paint...