Ace of Spades HQ

July 24, 2011

July 24, 1944. "Bocage" A New Word That Meant Danger
— Dave in Texas

Allied forces having successfully taken the beachheads, were now slogging through the hedgerows and traps. So much about history has (rightly) commemorated the landings, and fight of June 6, 1944.

There was so much more danger waiting, so many battles yet to fight.

At this point in the fight, victory was not assured. Hitler's "Fortress Europe" did not depend upon the beaches. It was a retrograde action, miles of hedgerow, and flooded fields, and danger for the Allies. They were fighting into a well-laid trap.

And still they fought.

This win cost thousands of lives past the beaches. God grant them rest, and I hope we're not so young we ever forget what they did.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 04:19 PM | Comments (37)
Post contains 135 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Normandy is the one place in France I'd like to visit.

Posted by: USS Diversity at July 24, 2011 04:22 PM (Jyt+i)

2 Citizen Soldiers by Ambrose is the story of post D-Day campaigns. Stunning book.

Posted by: real joe at July 24, 2011 04:25 PM (w7Lv+)

3 My big regret is that I didn't splash for the Chunnel train when I was in England and go stand on the Normandy beaches.

Posted by: Retread at July 24, 2011 04:26 PM (BO5ap)

4 Two of my favorite movies are Jack Benny's "To Be or Not to Be" and "Casablanca." When those movies were made, no one knew how the war would end. God bless those who used whatever they had to bring peace back to the world.

Posted by: goddessoftheclassroom at July 24, 2011 04:30 PM (0s3mX)

5 What a living hell those boys went through. The hedgerows, then Monty's folly at Arnhem, the Hurtgen forest and the Bulge. And then there was the Pacific where my poor uncle, of blessed memory, was cut in half by a Jap machine gun on Saipan. Every time I see pictures of those cemeteries, I weep.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at July 24, 2011 04:31 PM (UlUS4)

6 May God bless each and every one of them.

Posted by: USA at July 24, 2011 04:31 PM (6Cjut)

7 Some gave all. They are the greatest generation. I miss my grandfathers, all of whom served.

Posted by: NC Ref at July 24, 2011 04:31 PM (/izg2)

8 So many lives lost, and we should never forget it.

Thanks for the reminder, Dave in Texas.

And thanks for the book recommendation, real joe.

Posted by: Miss Marple at July 24, 2011 04:33 PM (Fo83G)

9 I thought Band of Brothers showed the tenor of the fighting in the episode that included the assault on a fixed position. Imagine yourself in a small squad of infantry, going up against the enemy in machine-gun nests.

I was born on July 24, 1944. Just a smidgen too old to have been nailed by the draft when things jacked up during the Vietnam war. Lucky, I guess. Rice paddies or hedgerows, war is hell.

Posted by: I'm in a New York state of mind at July 24, 2011 04:37 PM (4sQwu)

I wandered off from my tour group to stand on the beach and look up at the hills and dunes, to try to get a feel for what our boys were facing. I still can't imagine how they were able to keep going and win the day. The courage and fortitude they showed astounds me.

Posted by: Tim at July 24, 2011 04:40 PM (P0Sfo)

11 Example of the Bocage and what it can do to a tank The field-invention of the hedgerow cutter is a triumph of US creativity. _

Posted by: BumperStickerist at July 24, 2011 04:43 PM (h6mPj)

12 I am utterly amazed at the courage that it took to walk off those boat ramps on D-Day. I don't know why, but to me, that just seems like the bravest think I can imagine. Yet I know in my heart that every man who enters combat is just as brave as the first wave at Omaha, and deserves my admiration, respect, and thanks. And I will be buying them all a pint of Guinness at the Great Tavern in the Sky, if I am lucky.

Posted by: Sharkman at July 24, 2011 04:45 PM (RD/KP)

13 Many were separated from their units after the initial landings, especially the paratroops. It was simply amazing that they were able to find each other and press onward.

The clickers, called crickets, issued to the paratroops helped them find each other on the ground. I saw a D-Day vet tell a story about guys clicking those things trying to tell friend from foe, knowing if they didn't get an answer the guy they heard moving around was probably a bad guy.

Found a military store that makes reproductions from the original design and gave one to my 17 y/o nephew who has a big interest in WWII.

Posted by: Retread at July 24, 2011 04:45 PM (BO5ap)

14 I know this thread is about a topic that deserves remembrance, and discussion.

But I have a math problem that I really need to solve, and I can't think of anyone beyond the Morons who can do it.

Here goes.......

Rasmussen's daily tracking poll is a rolling three day average of the preznidents popularity.
Here are the values....

Friday -15
Saturday -19
Sunday -21
Solve for Sundays stand alone, one day poll average.

I thing I come up with something like -29 for todays results to draw him from a rolling -15 average to a three day -21 average.

Is this possible,or am I overlooking something?

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at July 24, 2011 04:47 PM (6Im7x)

15 I stopped in France twice when I was in the Corps, in '88 and '90. No matter where you are in France, you are not far from a cemetery like the one pictured.

Let's also not forget the Pacific. My uncle, God rest his soul, was in it from Guadalcanal to Iwo, where he was awarded the Navy Cross.

They were the best, regardless of branch or theater, and may God grant them peace.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at July 24, 2011 04:49 PM (LWQCa)

16 Reading the book Tonight We Die As Men PB: The Untold Story of the Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment. Its about the Company not mentioned in the Band of Brothers, whose D-Day objective were the wooden bridges near Brevands, France.

Posted by: x11b1p at July 24, 2011 04:50 PM (nVLlM)

17 I'm not sure I'd call that country a trap. The terrain was the terrain and the Germans took advantage of it. Interesting how they Allies technologied their way out of the problem. Problem. The hedgerows (hedges that in been in place so long, centuries, that they had accumulated blown in dirt and effectively turned into tall walls) couldn't stop tanks but tanks weren't able to bust directly though. They crawled over the top of the hedgerow. The few seconds that took exposed the weakest part of the tank, it's bottom, and made for an easy kill shot for even the smaller German anti-tank guns. If tanks can't cross, you gotta use infantry and there were no shortage of German machine guns to slow that down. Some sergeant came up with a brilliancy. He used scrap steel (from the German's own beach obstacles!) and welded a contrivance on the front of a tank. Looked a little like a cowcatcher on a train but there eventually various styles. They all worked the same way. The tank charges into the hedgerow, the steel gadget digs into the wall and forces the tank down. That lets the tank use it's power to push THROUGH the wall and force a great big tank sized hole in the wall and the only thing exposed is the front armor - the strongest. That didn't make the German defenses worthless but it did allow the Allies to make good use of one their advantages - lots and lots of tanks. Now you attack the position with infantry AND tanks. Machine guns aren't so tough when 75mm HE rains down on 'em!

Posted by: Comrade Arthur at July 24, 2011 04:50 PM (/62i9)

18 I am amazed by the bravery of the tankers, and the bomber crews. Big targets, full of gasoline, and not much chance of survival, or even a quick and painless end when things went bad.

This might not be the best of worlds, but it would have been much worse without their courage and sacrifice.

Posted by: MarkD at July 24, 2011 04:53 PM (iYBP2)

my dad was in the pacific and flew on PBY's and very rarely talked about those they rescued. only time was after emergency surgery and comin out of the anesthesia he kept yelling the "japs" were outside the window and grab my rifle. will never forget that. God rest his soul and all those who have served, including my brother and me who also raised our hand to serve.

"The only heroes are those who do what they must, because it is right"

Posted by: morigu at July 24, 2011 04:59 PM (QXzRP)

20 Brave as they were, we are indeed blessed to have those same kind of heroes serving this great Country yet today May God protect them all.

Posted by: CMU VET at July 24, 2011 05:00 PM (mmps/)

21 The bravery of the Americans who fought in WWII is simply breathtaking. No matter what the challenge, whether on land, at sea, or in the air they simply Would. Not. Stop. until they met their objective. I remember seeing an interview with a German tank officer that sums up the situation perfectly. When asked about his impression of American armor (and specifically the Sherman tank) he said: "their tanks were not very good- we could easily destroy three of them at a time. The problem was that there was always a fourth..."

Posted by: Nighthawk at July 24, 2011 05:13 PM (8Gktw)

22 Just re-opened JJ Carafano's "After D-Day", a nice study of Operation Cobra, which sprung the US Army out of the hedgerows. I think he may be too Bradley-philic, but I suppose someone's got to be.

Posted by: Todd G. at July 24, 2011 05:17 PM (we/KD)

23 Unfortunately the Shermans had thin armor and a relatively small gun ( like Weiner, only bigger and longer )

It was the Allies who set the trap. Google 'Falaise pocket'

Posted by: SantaRosaStan at July 24, 2011 05:18 PM (cIkEL)

24 I am not clear if I totally understand the full thought pattern behind this.

Posted by: The Quantum Story Audiobook at July 24, 2011 05:20 PM (sNC/J)

25 Wasn't there a movie that came out a few years back, VJ Day, about a group of heroic bikini waxers battling for survival neck deep in the hedgerows of 1970's New Jersey?

Posted by: CoolCzech at July 24, 2011 05:22 PM (kUaEF)

26 As I understand it, the Army figured that tanks would work with the infantry and anit-tank guns would take on the tanks. They learned. One other point re German vs. American tanks-not only did we have a lot more, but our were much more reliable than the German panzers. The breakdown rate was terrible on all fronts. Of course, if one King Tiger made it, you were in trouble.

Posted by: Bookdoc at July 24, 2011 05:25 PM (Opyrm)

27 Google 'Falaise pocket'

Just watched a show on the Military Channel a couple of days ago that spent a good bit of time explaining the significance of the Falaise pocket.

Since they tend to repeat shows frequently, I'm sure it'll be on again soon, if you're interested.

Posted by: Retread at July 24, 2011 05:25 PM (G+7cD)

28 My old man still had night terrors in his 70s to go along with the two Purple Hearts. From North Africa until the end. He was a hell of a man.

Posted by: MCPO Airdale at July 24, 2011 05:54 PM (FAyWo)

We visited the beaches and the Cemetery in 2007. It was very moving. My Dad, a Pacific veteran starting at Pearl Harbor had just died. Tough for me. My Father-in-law was 82nd, and landed just after D-Day and fought on to the Russian lines. He died in 1999. I looked up at the cliffs and just shook my head. How did they do it.

Posted by: LYNNDH at July 24, 2011 06:36 PM (R0CxY)

30 #23. Morigu, my Dad was in PBM's. After getting a ship sunk from under him at Salvo Island/ Guadalcanal.

Posted by: LYNNDH at July 24, 2011 06:42 PM (R0CxY)

31 And in August 1944, the Allied Command decided to bypass Paris for fear of getting bogged down and losing time/resources for the push to Germany. Had they followed through with that plan, Paris would have been destroyed. Is Paris Burning? is a terrific chronicle about those crucial days.

Posted by: Taxpayer at July 24, 2011 08:38 PM (NpmCe)

32 Also, my hubs was friends with (the late) Carwood Lipton. He knew Carwood was a WWII vet, but that was all. Back in 1999 or 2000, Carwood said HBO invited him to Europe to advise on a WWII documentary....we totally freaked out to see him speak about and be portrayed in Band of Brothers! Sadly, Carwood passed away not long after the series premiere, so he didn't get to enjoy its amazing success.

Posted by: Taxpayer at July 24, 2011 08:46 PM (NpmCe)

33 American armor doctrine was that tanks were meant to support infantry and were designed to fight infantry in the open and in fixed, fortified positions. Enemy tanks would be engaged by anti-tank forces, consisting of towed anti-tank guns and tank destroyers. Tank destroyers were basically open topped tanks with guns optimized for anti armor performance.
No country entered WWII with a completely evolved armor doctrine. Everybody's was different. The Brits were even more screwy than the US. (Their early war tanks were limited in the size of the guns they would carry by the gauge of English railroads. The size of the railcars limited the max size of the turret ring they include on a rail transportable chassis.)
Until the advent of the high velocity 76mm armed Shermans and the British Firefly (a Sherman mounting the 17 pounder) the allies did not have a tank that could match the equivalent German vehicles.

Posted by: Have Blue at July 24, 2011 09:19 PM (XPwyF)

34 I just cant stop reading this. Its so cool, so full of information that I just didnt know. Im glad to see that people are actually writing about this issue in such a smart way, showing us all different sides to it. Youre a great blogger. Please keep it up. I cant wait to read whats next.

Posted by: Sexy corsets at July 25, 2011 01:26 AM (KfJRz)

Hitler's "Fortress Europe" did not depend upon the beaches. It was a retrograde action, miles of hedgerow, and flooded fields, and danger for the Allies. They were fighting into a well-laid trap.

But wasn't Normandy also chosen for D-Day *because* of its hedgerows, in order to prevent another Dieppe disaster? The hedgerows, once siezed bythe Allies, proved difficult to take and prevented massed panzers from easily pushing the Allies back into the sea.

Posted by: Curmudgeon at July 25, 2011 07:36 AM (ujg0T)

36 The bocage country was rough: "dogged 'doughboy' fighting at its worst", as Eisenhower wrote. But it was not something the Germans had prepared or used as a trap. The Germans concentrated their defenses on the coastline, and it was getting ashore on the first day that was the hardest part of the campaign. During the first three weeks of the campaign, the Allies had 60,771 casualties (8,975 killed) (per Eisenhower). Over 9,000 of those (3,000 killed) were on D-Day. (The Germans lost 41,000 men captured, plus dead and wounded, so they were losing.) Also, with the beachhead secure, the Allies brought over 1,000,000 men ashore - a force the Germans couldn't hope to resist for very long, The Germans knew this: Rommel said that the invasion had to be defeated on the beach, or the Allies would eventually win.

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