17-2-19 Garand Picture of the Day - Normandy

[Flying10uk]

I wonder how much thought, if any, prior to D-Day was given at the planning stage to the problems that may be caused by the tight hedge rows/Bocage in Normandy?

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[Mark in Rochester]

I wonder how much thought, if any, prior to D-Day was given at the planning stage to the problems that may be caused by the tight hedge rows/Bocage in Normandy?

One of the key Engineer topographic intelligence failures of WWII took place during the planning phases of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France. This was the failure to properly assess the impact the hedgerows in Normandy would have on our ground movement and tactical operations. This failure to identify and assess the impact of the hedgerows, and then develop tactics and training procedures to deal with them, resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of Allied Soldiers.

The hedgerows in Normandy were used to create small pastures and farm fields, many of them just a few acres in size. In a land without rocks or trees these hedgerows were the fences that kept cattle from wandering off and allowed farmers to clearly identify what land they owned.

The Normandy hedgerows were made up of linear mounds or walls of earth topped by a thick tangle of trees and brush. Most of the hedgerows dated back hundreds of years, some back to the time of William the Conqueror. Centuries of soil compaction and vegetation growth meant the hedgerows were dense, sturdy obstacles that were virtually impossible to penetrate. On a flat and otherwise featureless coastal plain the hedgerows created heavily dissected terrain with limited line of sight and restricted virtually all off-road movement.


The Corps of Engineers: The War Against Germany’



full article here:We Missed The Hedgerows | Northing Easting