Curtis G. Culin
Encyclopedia
Sgt Curtis Grubb Culin III (February 15, 1915 - November 20, 1965) was a World War II
soldier credited with the invention of a hedge-breaching device
fitted to Allied armored vehicles during the Battle of Normandy
. As they moved inland after the D-Day
landings, the Allies found their tanks were unable to operate easily or safely in the Normandy bocage
countryside. Instead of breaking through the thick, high hedges the tanks rode over them, which exposed their thinly armored undersides to attack while their own guns could not be brought to bear.
A native of Cranford, New Jersey
, Culin was serving as a tanker with the 102nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron
(New Jersey National Guard
, the "Essex Troop," 2nd Armored Division) when he came up with the four-pronged plow device, created from angle iron that the Germans used on the beaches of Normandy. When attached to the front of his tank it was successful in rapidly plowing gaps in the hedgerows. Military historian Max Hastings
notes that Culin was inspired by "a Tennessee hillbilly named Roberts", who during a discussion about how the bocage could be overcome 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 realised the idea's potential and put together a prototype tusk-like assembly welded to the front of a tank. In due course this was demonstrated to General Bradley, who "watched in awe as a hedgerow exploded ... to make way for the Sherman 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: "[Culin] became a very American kind of national hero".
Bradley ordered that as many Sherman tanks as possible be fitted with the device. By the launch of Operation Cobra
, eight weeks after the landings at Normandy,some 60 percent of First Army tanks were so equipped.
Culin received the Legion of Merit
.
Four months after his invention, he lost a leg to a land mine in the Huertgen Forest. When he returned to the United States, he became a salesman.
as President of the United States, in a January 10, 1961, speech to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
:
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
soldier credited with the invention of a hedge-breaching device
Rhino Tank
The Rhino tank was the American nickname for Allied tanks fitted with bocage breaching "tusks" during the Second World War Battle of Normandy, which took place during the Liberation of France in the summer of 1944...
fitted to Allied armored vehicles during the Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. As they moved inland after the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings, the Allies found their tanks were unable to operate easily or safely in the Normandy bocage
Bocage
Bocage is a Norman word which has entered both the French and English languages. It may refer to a small forest, a decorative element of leaves, a terrain of mixed woodland and pasture, or a type of rubble-work, comparable with the English use of 'rustic' in relation to garden...
countryside. Instead of breaking through the thick, high hedges the tanks rode over them, which exposed their thinly armored undersides to attack while their own guns could not be brought to bear.
A native of Cranford, New Jersey
Cranford, New Jersey
Cranford is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 22,625.Cranford was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1871, from portions of the Townships of Clark, Linden,...
, Culin was serving as a tanker with the 102nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron
102nd Cavalry Regiment (United States)
The 102nd Cavalry Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army first established in 1913.-Lineage:Organized 29 May 1913 in the New Jersey National Guard as the 1st Cavalry Squadron with Headquarters at Newark...
(New Jersey National Guard
New Jersey National Guard
The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of over 9000 Guardsmen. The Guard is currently engaged in several worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germany and Egypt...
, the "Essex Troop," 2nd Armored Division) when he came up with the four-pronged plow device, created from angle iron that the Germans used on the beaches of Normandy. When attached to the front of his tank it was successful in rapidly plowing gaps in the hedgerows. Military historian Max Hastings
Max Hastings
Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings, FRSL is a British journalist, editor, historian and author. He is the son of Macdonald Hastings, the noted British journalist and war correspondent and Anne Scott-James, sometime editor of Harper's Bazaar.-Life and career:Hastings was educated at Charterhouse...
notes that Culin was inspired by "a Tennessee hillbilly named Roberts", who during a discussion about how the bocage could be overcome 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 realised the idea's potential and put together a prototype tusk-like assembly welded to the front of a tank. In due course this was demonstrated to General Bradley, who "watched in awe as a hedgerow exploded ... to make way for the Sherman 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: "[Culin] became a very American kind of national hero".
Bradley ordered that as many Sherman tanks as possible be fitted with the device. By the launch of Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the First United States Army seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy Campaign of World War II...
, eight weeks after the landings at Normandy,some 60 percent of First Army tanks were so equipped.
Culin received the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
.
Four months after his invention, he lost a leg to a land mine in the Huertgen Forest. When he returned to the United States, he became a salesman.
Eisenhower speech
Culin was mentioned in one of the last addresses by Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
as President of the United States, in a January 10, 1961, speech to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
: