Czech hedgehog

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Czech hedgehogs deployed at the Stachelberg fortress in the Czech Republic

The Czech hedgehog (

anti-tank obstacle defense made of metal angle beams or I-beams (that is, lengths with an L- or 𝐈-shaped cross section). It is similar in shape (and design) to a much larger version of metal knucklebones or caltrops. The hedgehog is very effective in keeping light to medium tanks and vehicles from penetrating a line of defense; it maintains its function even when tipped over by a nearby explosion. Although Czech hedgehogs may provide some scant cover for attacking infantry, infantry forces are generally much less effective against fortified defensive positions than mechanized units. The author of the Czechoslovak invention is Major František Kašík.[1]

History

Origin

Examples of Czech hedgehogs deployed on the Atlantic Wall in the vicinity of Calais

The Czech hedgehog's name refers to its origin in Czechoslovakia. The hedgehogs were originally used on the Czech–German border by the Czechoslovak border fortifications – a massive but never-completed fortification system that was turned over to Germany in 1938 after the occupation of the Sudetenland as a consequence of the Munich Agreement.

The first hedgehogs were built of

machine-gun
fire. Once they were fragmented, the debris provided more cover for the enemy infantry than did their metal counterparts. Therefore, only the oldest sections of the Czechoslovak defensive line, built in 1935–1936, were equipped with concrete hedgehogs, and usually only in the second line.

World War II

Czech Hedgehogs Memorial in Moscow

The Czech hedgehog was widely used during

urban combat, where a single hedgehog could block an entire street. Czech hedgehogs thus became a symbol of "defense at all costs" in the Soviet Union; hence, the memorial to Moscow defenders, built alongside the M-10
highway in 1966, is composed of three giant Czech hedgehogs.

Czech hedgehogs were part of the German defenses of the

hedgerows that made up the bocages across Normandy
.

Cold War

Entry point of the West Berlin S-Bahn into East Berlin near the Berlin Wall in Liesenstrasse/Gartenstrasse, 1980

Postwar tests conducted by the

road-block against wheeled vehicles.[2]

Russo-Ukrainian War

In early 2022, during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine, hedgehogs were used in conjunction with concrete barriers and other techniques to thwart Russian forces.[3] The Ukrainian Railways repurposed new tracks to make hundreds of hedgehogs at 33 of its own shops and some other sites. The railroad estimated they had enough material for some 1,800 hedgehogs.[4][5] The Ukrainian military in Odesa,[6] Kyiv[7][8] and Lviv[9] also made hedgehogs to be distributed to strategic locations. In Kyiv, hedgehogs from WWII were brought out of a museum and used at a roadblock.[10]

Technical details

Modern czech hedgehog in MSU base (Kosovo).

The hedgehog is not generally anchored to prevent movement, as it can be effective even if rolled by a large explosion. Its effectiveness lies in its dimensions, combined with the fact that a vehicle attempting to drive over it will likely become stuck (and possibly damaged) through rolling on top of the lower bar and lifting its treads (or wheels) off the ground.[11]

Industrially manufactured Czech hedgehogs were made of three pieces of metal angle (L 140/140/13 mm, length 1.8 metres (6 ft), weight 198 kilograms (440 lb); later versions: length 2.1 metres (7 ft), weight 240 kilograms (530 lb) joined by gusset plates,

axes of an octahedron. Two arms of the hedgehog were connected in the factory, while the third arm was connected on-site by M20 bolts. The arms were equipped with square "feet" to prevent sinking into the ground, as well as notches for attaching barbed wire
.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hauser, Ferdinand; Lukeš, Petr (February 6, 2024). "Český ježek: Příběh pancéřové bariéry a jejího vynálezce". Czech Radio (in Czech). Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  2. ISBN 978-80-204-1758-9
    .
  3. ^ Kurennaya, Darya; Shtekel, Mykhaylo (2 March 2022). "Snapshots From The War: Under Heavy Fire Or Tensely Waiting, All Ukraine Is Under Siege". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  4. ^ "Ukrzaliznytsia sets up production of anti-tank". Interfax-Ukraine. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  5. ^ "Russian bombs destroying refugee train routes, says Ukrainian Railways boss". POLITICO. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  6. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  7. ^ Vasovic, Aleksandar (2022-03-03). "'Hedgehogs' v tanks, as Kyiv braces for Russian onslaught". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  8. ^ Ponomarenko, Illia (2022-03-03). "Anti-tank hedgehogs seen in the very heart of Kyiv". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  9. ^ "Lviv locals making 'Czech hedgehogs' to scupper Russian tanks". France24.com. AFP. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  10. ^ Leopoldi, Matthew (March 11, 2022). "Anti-tank hedgehogs from WW2 taken from museum used as barricade in Kyiv". Museum Next.
  11. ^ Field Fortifications Course EN0065 Ed. B, US Engineer School Lesson 3, Section 16: Steel Obstacles

External links

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