Because the depiction of these befuddled officers bears little resemblance to the way real-life Nazis behaved, Hogan's Heroes has always been surrounded in controversy. Objections have been raised since the series first aired concerning the treatment of German soldiers as lovable buffoons.

But, much of the show's popularity has always had more to do with the characterization of the American soldiers, particularly the suave, coolly intelligent Colonel Robert Hogan (Bob Crane). Hogan leads his multi-ethnic band of men on a never-ending series of comic capers, all of which have the express purpose of defeating the enemy in the most humiliating way possible. The show's humor is also largely dependent on the idiocy of Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz who, in spite of their relentless bravado, are nothing more than putty in the hands of a soldier as clever as Hogan.