Here is some almost interesting trivia about the show Hogan's Heros
When it was first being written/proposed by Bernard Fein, the show was supposed to be called Hogan's Horde. It was supposed to take place inside an American prison with Hogan being a criminal and the American prison guards playing what would be the bumbling German guards.
Clearly this type of plot would not fly in 1960's. Depicting American prison guards as bumbling is not very patriotic and how could Hogan be portrayed as being a criminal (hence in a prison) but still the sympathetic protagonist?
Where can you have American's in prison and still have them be the good guys?
POW camp of course.
And a really really funny sitcom was born
