592:
551:
519:, bushes, and trees that surrounded small raised irregular-sized fields, which were generally no more than 300 ft (91 m) across on a side. The nature of the hedgerows—"sturdy embankments, half earth, half hedge" up to 15 ft (4.6 m) high with sturdy, interlocking root systems—made excavating them extremely difficult, even with machinery. Narrow sunken roads were the only pathways between these banks. Tank movement was severely restricted, preventing the Allied forces from bringing their vehicular superiority to bear. The rolling landscape was also dotted with small rivers, woods, and fruit trees, along with scattered stone farmhouses and their outbuildings.
464:
700:
42:
444:, Allied forces—particularly the Americans—had become bogged down fighting the Germans in the Normandy bocage. This landscape of thick, banked dirt and rock walls covered with trees and hedges proved difficult for tanks to breach. In an effort to restore battlefield mobility, various devices were invented to allow tanks to navigate the terrain. Initially the devices were manufactured in Normandy, largely from German
575:
compounded by the problem of the conspicuous bulldozers and dozer tanks being targeted by German gunners to deny the Allies a means to break through. Throughout July "innumerable" inventions were created by various
American units to get tanks through the hedges quickly without exposing their weak underside armor. A hedgecutter developed by the
721:, supported by artillery, advanced without infantry for twenty minutes, covering several hundred yards and knocking holes in hedgerows before returning to their starting position. The tanks and infantry then advanced rapidly together before the Germans were able to re-establish their defensive positions.
550:
713:
wrote after the war that the German defensive plan to halt any
American breakout was to hold the front line "very lightly and to concentrate upon holding the road junctions for a depth of three or four miles behind the front", with the intention of delaying any break-through by reducing the speed of
526:
directly into the hedgerow embankments, providing their machine gunners and riflemen protection from overhead artillery fire. These defensive positions limited the ability of the
American forces to coordinate large-scale attacks or receive sufficient and accurate artillery support. Openings that did
574:
or tanks modified to carry a bulldozer blade were used to open gaps in hedgerows. Some hedgerows were so thick that engineers first had to blow a hole in the bank, which a bulldozer would later clear and widen. This time-consuming process slowed down the progress of the Allied offensive, and was
735:
claims that the devices "were not as widely used as the legend would suggest", nor were they as effective as is often believed. But Max
Hastings and Chester Wilmot credit the invention with restoring battlefield maneuverability to the Allied force. Martin Blumenson states that while the device
623:
named
Roberts", who during a discussion about how to overcome the bocage, said "Why don't we get some saw teeth and put them on the front of the tank and cut through these hedges?" Rather than joining in the laughter that greeted this remark, Culin recognized the idea's potential. A prototype
583:
demonstrated a set of prongs that had been initially developed to create holes for the placement of explosives. The force of these prongs was able to lift and remove a portion of the hedgerow, enough so that the tank would be able to push on through to the other side. Units within
714:
the advance to the pace the infantry could manage. Once
Operation Cobra was launched, Allied troops were able to bypass the German positions using the Rhino tanks, thereby allowing the advance to continue, leaving the strong points to be dealt with by infantry and engineers.
647:, notes that Bradley, impressed, ordered the device be manufactured in quantity. Initially this was done using steel salvaged from the thousands of obstacles, such as Czech hedgehogs, that the Germans had placed on the French beaches during the construction of the
639:
bursting through". According to
Hastings, Culin, "an honest man", attempted to give credit to Roberts, but this was forgotten in the publicity surrounding the invention. Hastings concludes: " became a very American kind of national hero".
666:
Around 500 of the assemblies, called the "Culin Rhino device" or "Culin hedgerow cutter" by the
Americans, were manufactured. These devices were used to modify nearly three-quarters of the US 2nd Armored Division's M4 Sherman and
679:(REME) referred to the devices as "Prongs" and produced 24 from ex-German beach defenses, but thereafter Prongs were produced in the United Kingdom. Six hundred Mark I Prongs were delivered by August, to be fitted to the
728:(a British offensive during the Normandy campaign), British Churchill tanks equipped with Prongs were able to traverse terrain considered impassable to tracked vehicles, taking the German defenders by surprise.
591:
736:
restored mobility in hedgerow country, it "was of little tactical value in the breakout, except possibly as a morale factor to the troops, since the tanks advanced on the roads, not cross-country."
628:") to the front of a tank to create a hedge cutter. The teeth helped prevent the vulnerable underside of the tank from being exposed while it knocked a hole in the hedgerow wall. On 14 July,
745:
527:
exist within the patchwork of hedges were already covered by German anti-personnel and anti-tank weapons; armor moving through these gaps attracted immediate defensive fire.
1395:
1400:
774:
The US official campaign historian states that by the time
Operation Cobra was launched, "three out of every five tanks in the First Army mounted the hedgecutter".
143:
676:
1135:
784:
1390:
656:
612:
576:
542:
using explosives to blow holes in the hedgerows for tanks to move through; however, the explosions often attracted immediate German attention.
718:
522:
Allied infantry, in particular the
Americans, found themselves fighting from field to field against the Germans, who had in many places dug
608:
1179:
1084:. United States Army in World War II: The European Theatre of Operations. Washington DC: Center of Military History, United States Army.
683:. A further 1,000 Mark II Prongs were produced, to be fitted on Shermans and the M10, and 500 Mark III prongs were manufactured for the
386:
278:
190:
1304:
1275:
1251:
1230:
1189:
1168:
1116:
629:
268:
455:
The devices have been credited with restoring battlefield mobility in the difficult terrain, a claim which some historians question.
136:
1355:
208:
175:
129:
479:
of June 1944, as Allied forces pushed inland from the French coast, they found themselves operating within an area of
452:
basis. Manufacture was then shifted to the United Kingdom, and vehicles were modified before being shipped to France.
313:
308:
273:
580:
532:
298:
293:
263:
213:
200:
659:) back to the United Kingdom to have tanks modified before being shipped to France, and arranged for additional
680:
401:
391:
248:
162:
238:
511:. In some areas, this terrain stretches for 50 miles (80 kilometres). This landscape contained large earth
1141:
463:
492:
396:
185:
180:
570:), solutions were developed for how tanks could effectively support the offensive within this terrain.
1184:. United States Army in World War II. Washington DC: Center of Military History, United States Army.
288:
283:
233:
170:
750:
512:
323:
152:
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476:
41:
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366:
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inspected the tank and "watched in awe as a hedgerow exploded ... to make way for the
604:
563:
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303:
243:
228:
106:
1324:"The World War II Photo of the Week for 20 August 2001: Hell in the Hedgerows ..."
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625:
535:
445:
371:
223:
76:
1384:
1323:
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were not considered to need the Prong, but some were equipped with them nonetheless.
684:
648:
361:
258:
253:
218:
80:
1137:
Busting the Bocage: American Combined Arms Operations in France June – 31 July 1944
632:
616:
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were able to push their way over the hedgerows, but in doing so they exposed their
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47:
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Blumenson describes how during the launch of Operation Cobra, tanks with the
487:. The actual bocage landscape extends further than the limited definition of
1285:
699:
668:
620:
588:
also invented devices, which were dubbed 'brush cutters' and 'greendozers'.
571:
555:
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508:
17:
500:
480:
376:
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tusk-like assembly was created by welding steel scrap (from destroyed "
121:
515:
averaging 4 ft (1.2 m) high that were covered with tangled
484:
468:
449:
426:
72:
603:
The invention of a hedge-breaching device is generally credited to
698:
590:
549:
516:
462:
1160:
The Universal Tank: British Armour in the Second World War Part 2
1199:
528:
422:
125:
703:
American infantry advancing through a gap created by a Rhino
953:
951:
949:
947:
822:
820:
818:
50:-based United States Rhino tank crashes through a hedgerow.
805:
803:
886:
884:
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880:
878:
876:
874:
849:
847:
663:
equipment and crews to be transported to France by air.
970:
968:
966:
746:
Allied technological cooperation during World War II
433:. The British designation for the modifications was
322:
199:
161:
112:
101:
96:
86:
68:
60:
55:
32:
579:was in operation by 5 July, and a few days later,
538:. Tactical developments throughout June involved
491:, that is to say, from the area directly west of
1270:. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd.
1225:. Pan Grand Strategy Series. London: Pan Books.
1222:Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy 1944
675:in preparation for Operation Cobra. The British
1046:
1010:
998:
619:notes that Culin was inspired by "a Tennessee
868:, p. Chapter 1: The Operational Setting.
137:
8:
1296:Operation Cobra 1944: Breakout from Normandy
1243:Steel Inferno: I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy
1108:British Armour in the Normandy Campaign 1944
1163:. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
1140:. Combat Studies Institute. Archived from
643:The American official campaign historian,
599:tank with hedgerow breaching modifications
144:
130:
122:
29:
1058:
1022:
957:
938:
926:
914:
809:
677:Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
1396:World War II tanks of the United Kingdom
1264:; McDevitt, Christopher Daniel (1997) .
986:
890:
853:
838:
826:
421:") was the American nickname for Allied
1401:World War II tanks of the United States
1034:
902:
865:
799:
767:
974:
657:United States Army Ordnance Department
1134:Doubler, Captain Michael D. (1988) .
613:102nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron
558:, fitted with a Culin-style "cutter".
7:
1340:"Guard NCO Invents Rhino Tank Plow"
387:Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon
105:Various, but generally credited to
651:. Bradley also dispatched Colonel
566:(an American offensive during the
446:steel-beam beach defensive devices
440:In the summer of 1944, during the
25:
1338:Mehl, Captain Thomas W. (2009).
1111:. London: Taylor & Francis.
40:
1391:World War II military vehicles
615:. However, military historian
1:
1178:Harrison, Gordon A (2002) .
483:'s countryside known as the
1240:Reynolds, Michael (2001) .
1417:
1293:Zaloga, Steven J. (2001).
1047:Wilmot & McDevitt 1997
1011:Wilmot & McDevitt 1997
999:Wilmot & McDevitt 1997
39:
1157:Fletcher, David (1993).
783:These tanks were of the
429:cutting devices, during
425:fitted with "tusks", or
402:Multiple rocket launcher
392:Self-propelled artillery
1322:Belmont, Larry (2001).
1267:The Struggle For Europe
1219:Hastings, Max (1999) .
1105:Buckley, John (2006) .
785:6th Guards Tank Brigade
562:Prior to the launch of
495:, including the entire
704:
600:
577:79th Infantry Division
559:
472:
1342:. Army National Guard
719:2nd Infantry Division
702:
594:
553:
493:Arromanches-les-Bains
466:
417:" (initially called "
397:Self-propelled mortar
1360:Photo Gallery of WW2
1181:Cross-Channel Attack
1081:Breakout and Pursuit
609:2nd Armored Division
607:, a sergeant in the
556:M5 Stuart light tank
1366:on 22 February 2014
731:Military historian
673:M10 tank destroyers
154:History of the tank
1299:. Oxford: Osprey.
1206:on 18 October 2015
1144:on 2 December 2010
941:, p. 205-206.
726:Operation Bluecoat
705:
630:Lieutenant General
601:
560:
499:, to the south of
497:Cotentin Peninsula
473:
442:Battle of Normandy
97:Production history
1246:. Da Capo Press.
1076:Blumenson, Martin
917:, pp. 41–42.
829:, pp. 50–51.
708:War correspondent
568:Normandy campaign
477:Normandy landings
410:
409:
120:
119:
16:(Redirected from
1408:
1375:
1373:
1371:
1362:. Archived from
1356:"Cromwell Prong"
1351:
1349:
1347:
1334:
1332:
1330:
1310:
1289:
1257:
1236:
1215:
1213:
1211:
1202:. Archived from
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1101:
1062:
1056:
1050:
1044:
1038:
1032:
1026:
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996:
990:
989:, p. 98-99.
984:
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942:
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924:
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912:
906:
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894:
888:
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857:
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836:
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824:
813:
807:
788:
781:
775:
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751:Hobart's Funnies
645:Martin Blumenson
540:combat engineers
367:Main battle tank
347:Super-heavy tank
155:
146:
139:
132:
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44:
35:
30:
21:
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1292:
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1262:Wilmot, Chester
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808:
801:
797:
792:
791:
782:
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769:
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742:
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689:Churchill tanks
626:Czech hedgehogs
605:Curtis G. Culin
564:Operation Cobra
548:
461:
411:
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318:
195:
157:
153:
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107:Curtis G. Culin
61:In service
56:Service history
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1316:External links
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1312:
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1306:978-1841762968
1305:
1290:
1277:978-1853266775
1276:
1258:
1253:978-1885119445
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1232:978-0330390125
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1191:978-1410201638
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1170:978-0112905349
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1118:978-0415407731
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1061:, p. 332.
1059:Blumenson 2005
1051:
1049:, p. 392.
1039:
1037:, p. 144.
1027:
1025:, p. 284.
1023:Blumenson 2005
1015:
1013:, p. 393.
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1001:, p. 390.
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960:, p. 206.
958:Blumenson 2005
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939:Blumenson 2005
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893:, p. 296.
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856:, p. 284.
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475:Following the
467:An example of
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19:
1378:
1368:. Retrieved
1364:the original
1359:
1344:. Retrieved
1295:
1266:
1242:
1221:
1208:. Retrieved
1204:the original
1180:
1159:
1146:. Retrieved
1142:the original
1136:
1107:
1080:
1054:
1042:
1035:Buckley 2006
1030:
1018:
1006:
994:
982:
934:
922:
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905:, p. 9.
903:Buckley 2006
898:
866:Doubler 1988
861:
834:
779:
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665:
653:John Medaris
642:
633:Omar Bradley
617:Max Hastings
602:
595:An American
561:
521:
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454:
439:
434:
431:World War II
414:
412:
352:Cruiser tank
294:Soviet Union
181:World War II
91:World War II
69:Used by
975:Zaloga 2001
661:arc welding
382:Assault gun
337:Medium tank
289:South Korea
284:North Korea
234:New Zealand
171:World War I
48:M4A1 (76) W
34:Rhino tank
1385:Categories
1327:Retrieved
1090:B00313IYQ0
1068:References
671:tanks and
597:M4 Sherman
572:Bulldozers
459:Background
419:Rhinoceros
415:Rhino tank
357:Flame tank
342:Heavy tank
332:Light tank
18:Rhino Tank
1127:154699922
1078:(2005) .
795:Citations
762:Footnotes
681:Sherman V
621:hillbilly
581:XIX Corps
546:Invention
471:landscape
209:Australia
1370:15 March
1346:15 March
1329:15 March
1286:39697844
1210:15 March
1200:51-61669
1148:15 March
740:See also
655:(of the
524:foxholes
501:Brittany
481:Normandy
377:Tankette
186:Cold War
176:Interwar
113:Designed
102:Designer
1098:1253744
724:During
637:Sherman
586:V Corps
314:Ukraine
249:Germany
201:Country
1303:
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687:. The
669:Stuart
517:hedges
509:Vendée
507:, and
485:bocage
469:bocage
450:ad hoc
448:on an
435:Prongs
427:bocage
304:Sweden
279:Poland
269:Israel
244:France
229:Canada
73:Canada
27:Weapon
757:Notes
695:Usage
536:armor
529:Tanks
513:dikes
505:Maine
423:tanks
299:Spain
274:Japan
264:Italy
224:China
1372:2012
1348:2012
1331:2012
1301:ISBN
1282:OCLC
1272:ISBN
1248:ISBN
1227:ISBN
1212:2012
1196:LCCN
1186:ISBN
1165:ISBN
1150:2012
1123:OCLC
1113:ISBN
1094:OCLC
1086:ASIN
324:Type
259:Iraq
254:Iran
219:Cuba
116:1944
87:Wars
64:1944
611:'s
163:Era
46:An
1387::
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965:^
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554:A
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413:"
145:e
138:t
131:v
20:)
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