In 1944, American Tanks Grew Tusks

Normandy, 1944: the fields were walled by hedgerows, earth banks packed with roots, some taller than a tank. A Sherman that tried to climb one reared up and showed its thin belly to German guns. Sergeant Curtis Culin is credited with the fix: steel teeth welded to the front, so the tank dug into the bank and burst straight through. The steel came from the beach obstacles the Germans had planted to stop the invasion. After General Bradley saw a demonstration, about three in five First Army tanks had the cutters by Operation Cobra. The troops called them Rhinos. Sources: "Rhino tank" and "Curtis G. Culin" (Wikipedia); Martin Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit (US Army in WWII). #history #ww2 #tanks