Earlier Rhino Tanks

[SK85]

What if the allies had been prepared for hedgerow combat and put "hedgehogs" on hundreds of tanks before they went into combat in June. In the OTL the Americans had serious problems attacking in the hedgerows until the middle of July. Would having tanks with the ability to get through the hedgerows have resulted in an earlier breakout or at least significantly lower American casualties?

Thanks for any response
SK85

[NapoleonXIV]

Originally Posted by SK85

What if the allies had been prepared for hedgerow combat and put "hedgehogs" on hundreds of tanks before they went into combat in June. In the OTL the Americans had serious problems attacking in the hedgerows until the middle of July. Would having tanks with the ability to get through the hedgerows have resulted in an earlier breakout or at least significantly lower American casualties?

Thanks for any response
SK85

Maybe...but there were other factors in the Hedgerows. One major was the fact that the Germans had a much better tank. The Tiger was practically invulnerable to the Sherman but the Sherman was terribly vulnerable to the Tiger. Fortunately, the Germans didn't have many, and the Americans had thousands; but it took time for the Americans to learn how to use their numbers and, in fact, to get sufficient numbers ashore.

[Ward]

Also the Hedgecuter tank was a mechanics idea and was build in the Field in normandy by the matiance shopes there.

[Melvin Loh]

Fellas, it was IIR Sgt Curtis Culin, 102nd Armd Cav Sqn, 2nd Armd Div HELL ON WHEELS who was credited with inventing the Rhino hedgecutter to be welded onto the fronts of American tanks, esp the M4 Shermans, from salvaged German beach obstacles at Omaha and Utah.

Hmmm, how could the Allies have better anticipated the problems they'd faced during the fight inland instead of OTL only concentrating on the problems of taking the beaches ?

[Nik]

Where could Allies have found equivalent to the Normandy terrain ??

IIRC, the Bocage country had real-thick hedgerows buttressed by trees and over-grown bushes, flanking & masking sunken lanes...

Real tank-killer country...

I can think of some areas in Wales near Haverford West that are *vaguely* similar, but where else ??

[SK85]

Even if the allies could not have found an area that was very similar to Normandy they certaintly could have prepared the tankers and infantrymen for what was coming. Being trained to fight in the hedgerows would have made the first month of the Battle for Normandy much easier for the average soldier.