"Cullen Hedgerow Cutters?" Topic

In my reading of PanzerTruppe the rules list the following AFVs as having some form of hedgerow cutter on them:

Sherman
Stuart
M10
Cromwell
Churchill

I knew about the Sherman – is the rest of the list accurate as well?

Thanks!
Art

I've definitely seen photos of the cutters on Stuarts.

M4, M5, and Cromwell (a few)—yes. I don't find any references to M10s or Churchills.

Allen

The Cullen cutters were field mods and made from, among other things, the steel landing craft obstacles on the beaches. The official records are probably not complete. However, I have seen a photo of an M-10 or M-36 with a cutter. I think its in the Osprey Tank Destroyer book. It surprised me at the time since I hadn't seen one with a cutter before.

Wyatt

Yes, the Sherman, Stuart and M-10 all had the hedge row devices. Missing from your list is the M-18 hellcat tank destroyer which also carried them. Pictures of both M-10s and M-18s fitted with the device can be found in Concord Publications Company Armor at War Series 7005 "U.S. Tank Destroyers in Combat 1944-1945" by Steven J Zaloga.

Apparently they either found them useful beyond Normandy or were too lazy to remove them because I've seen a photo of a tank with one during the Battle of the Bulge.

"Apparently they either found them useful beyond Normandy or were too lazy to remove them because I've seen a photo of a tank with one during the Battle of the Bulge."

Mabye they thought that the tanks looked "meaner" with ig pointy things on the front. You know, something to make "Fritz with a Panzerfaust" think twice. :)

- Jim

P.S. I'm astounded that these things were invented before the advent of "Monster Garage" and "Pimp my Ride". :)

"Apparently they either found them useful beyond Normandy or were too lazy to remove them because I've seen a photo of a tank with one during the Battle of the Bulge."

These were welded on so wasnt worth the trouble. Many fell off and others were removed if the tank was in a workshop, otherwise no reason to remove them.

I think there was a discussion of sorts about this back in November or thereabouts. You might want to search back a couple of months to see what the options are. I think TAG produces some figures that'd be suitable.

"Yes, the Sherman, Stuart and M-10 all had the hedge row devices. Missing from your list is the M-18 hellcat tank destroyer which also carried them. Pictures of both M-10s and M-18s fitted with the device can be found in Concord Publications Company Armor at War Series 7005 "U.S. Tank Destroyers in Combat 1944-1945" by Steven J Zaloga."

I included AFVs in the list only after I saw evidence in a book. One of the photos of the M-10s was from the book mentioned above. I must have mised the M-18, I'll look again! I can't remember where I saw the Cromwells & Churchills, I hope it is not an error. The Shermans and Stuarts are by far the most common tanks to receive them. The device should be considered rare on the the others.

My understanding from reading Zaloga is that they often just didn't bother to remove them. One of the pictures of an M-10 with them is from the Bulge.

I'm glad to hear that someone is reading PanzerTruppe!
-Chris P.

The first post by me was actually from someone else. Does that happen because we posted nearly simultaneously?

The GHQ pack of M5 Stuarts comes with two versions, one with the device. See the picture in their catalog.
-Chris P.

Vehicles fitted with Cullin Hedgerow Cutter were M5, M4 75/76mm variants, Firefly, M10, M18, M8 HMC and Cromwell IV-VIII (very debatable!).

The problem with the Cromwell is that there is only one "famous" photograph [p45, Chamberlain & Ellis, British and American Tanks of World War Two]. This example, actually a Centaur, is a prototype but as far as I know photographic evidence from the field is non-existent.

A small film clip of the same vehicle was also taken. There are no known photos of it being used on a tank in the field but a reference is made in a book about 4th CLY to some tanks being fitted with 'prongs' for the fighting around Caen and Falaise. That is the sum of all the knowledge of this combination!.

MrP

"I included AFVs in the list only after I saw evidence in a book. One of the photos of the M-10s was from the book mentioned above. I must have mised the M-18, I'll look again!"
Page 32, first and second photo show two different M18s with two different styles of the hedgerow cutters.

As to late pictures of vehicles which still had the device the same book, top of page 56, shows an M-10 passing through Durne, France on 24 Feb 45 still fitted with one.

And Mr Picky, thanks, I did indeed forget the M8 fitted with them as well.

the same prong that was fitted to the cromwell has been seen on a british sherman in one of the concord gb tanks book, i think it was the normandy one, and s&s models will have a us and gb versions for their 28mm tanks.

Not sure what scale you're doing but Revell's 1/72 Cromwell has one you could use for another model of tank if needed.. and if that's your scale…

"the same prong that was fitted to the cromwell has been seen on a british sherman in one of the concord gb tanks book, i think it was the normandy one"

Yep, the Concord France & Belgium Vol.1 book, on page 58 is a British Sherman with the Cullen hedgerow "prongs" fitted. Obviously a very rare addition to British tanks!

C-u-l-l-i-n

After Sergeant Curtiss Grubb Cullin III iirc

MrP

"Pictures of both M-10s and M-18s fitted with the device can be found in Concord Publications Company Armor at War Series 7005 "U.S. Tank Destroyers in Combat 1944-1945" by Steven J Zaloga."

"Page 32, first and second photo show two different M18s with two different styles of the hedgerow cutters.
…page 56, shows an M-10 passing through Durne, France on 24 Feb 45 still fitted with one."

I have the Military Book Club edition of this book, and the 24 Feb 45 photo is also on the cover.

In that same book there are two additional pictures of M10s with the device. One in central France Aug 44 (p30) and one in Wirtzfield, Belgium 17 Dec 44 (p47).

Some of these same pictures are also in the Osprey New Vanguard editions on the M10 and M18. There the captions for the two M18 pictures indicate that both examples are from the same unit, fighting near Brest in August 1944. Unfortunately, the shots are from the side, so the details of the mounting cannot be seen. It appears that the device is mounted to the towing ring brackets. In one picture the rings have been removed and the there is a bolt through the hole where the ring originally passed. This is much clearer in the Opsrey reproduction of the picture. It might not have been possible to create a robust mount by welding the device to the M18's thin frontal armor, but this is just speculation on my part.

Thae fact that we see two different photos from the same unit underscores the fact that photographic evidence doesn't imply frequent use.

The device is also refered to as the "rhino."

-Chris P.

<<The device is also refered to as the "rhino.">>

I'm not sure whether that is a post-war distortion. There is evidence that the nickname "Rhino" only applied to M4 Medium Tanks equipped with a Cullin hedgerow cutting device…not to the device itself.

MrP

I've just stumble upon this topic and since it might be useful to newcomers, let me had a few words.

I've recently build 4 versions of Culin hedgerow cutters and found great information in a couple of Steelmasters Magazine:

fbminis.blogspot.com

The Osprey book is also nice but the Steelmasters features 2 extensive articles about these field modifications.

Francisco

Cullins were fairly rare on British tanks & the Cromwell 'probably' didn't use them in service. The Churchill didn't carry them, one reason being that it was heavy enough to go through rather than over the hedgerows & didn't have the same problem with exposing the weaker belly armour.

>"The GHQ pack of M5 Stuarts comes with two versions, one with the device."<

I have some of those.

Just my two cents…
#1 – I believe the device did not show up until mid(?) summer '44.
#2 – Early on did they not weld on two poles sticking straight out? Then drive the tank into the embankment to create two holes into which explosives were then packed (inside spent shell casings) and then exploded to blast a hole through the bocage.

Never heard of that one before. (Which proves nothing, of course.)

The 116th regiment (29th Division) used Shermans with hollow pipes attached to the front to ram a hole in the bocage banks during the attack on Saint Lo.
Combat engineers then placed explosives in these holes.
Apparently several other regiments used a similar tactic.

P.S. I'm astounded that these things were invented before the advent of "Monster Garage" and "Pimp my Ride". :)

Ha ha, great comment, I love it!
--
Tim

hobby master have just released a Cromwell with cullen attachment

Does anyone make a model of the motorcycle & sidecar mounting a cullin device? Or the jeep mounting a .50 cal. & a cullin? (Or did the Rat Patrol disband after N. Africa?)