Czech hedgehog

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Antitank hedgehogs in front of Trehgornaya Manufactura in Moscow, Russia

The Czech hedgehog (rozsocháč or ježek in Czech language) was a static defense made of angle iron (that is, lengths with an L-shaped cross section) deployed (amongst other places) on the Atlantic coast of northern Europe during World War II as part of the German Atlantic Wall.

The hedgehog is very effective in keeping tanks from getting through the line of defense. It maintains its function even when tipped over by a nearby explosion. Although it may provide some scant cover for infantry, infantry forces are generally much less effective against fortified defensive positions than mechanized units.

The name refers to the place of origin. The hedgehogs were originally used on the Czech–German border by the Czechoslovakian military as anti-tank defenses. They were part of a massive but never-completed fortification system built on the eve of World War II by Czechoslovakia. The fortification system fell to Germany in 1938 after the occupation of the Sudetenland as a consequence of the Munich Agreement.

Czech hedgehogs were widely used during World War II by USSR in anti-tank defence. They were produced from any sturdy piece of metal (sometimes even wood), including railroad rails. Czech hedgehogs were especially effective in urban combat where a single hedgehog could block a single street. Czech hedgehogs thus became a symbol of "defence at all cost" in USSR, even obtaining their own monument near Moscow to commemorate the successful defence of the city.

However, in the real warfare Czech hedgehogs proved to be ineffective. Firstly, they were often made larger than they should be; secondly, although they were quite useful in urban warfare, there wasn't much use of armor in urban warfare during Russian campaign.

Czech hedgehogs are prominently featured in the opening battle sequence of the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. In the film, as in real life, they formed part of the Atlantic Wall defenses at Omaha Beach.

Technological details

Technically, a Czech hedgehog can be made of any material, capable of withstanding at least 60 tons of force while being at most 140 centimetres high. However, such parameters were hard to achieve in makeshift hedgehogs, thus reducing their usefulness.

Industrially manufactured Czech hedgehog were made of three L-shaped metal brackets (L 140/140/13 mm; length 1800 mm; weight 198 kg, later versions: length 2100 mm; weight 240 kg) joined by sheet metal, rivets and bolts (or welded together later on) into a characteristic spatial three-armed cross. (This pattern forms the axes of an octahedron.) Two arms of the hedgehog were connected in the factory, while the third arm was connected on-site by an M20 bolt. The arms were equipped with square "feet" to prevent sinking into the ground, as well as a notch for attaching barbed wire.

Czech hedgehog

Technological details

See also