Very interesting video, It is cool to see that much of the bocage has remained unchanged since the war. I am combat veteran (Infantry/US army), I fought in Afghanistan in a area called Zhari, in Kandahar Province. It resembles the bocage in many ways, sunken footpaths, thick mud walls, irrigation ditches and hundreds of small fields with thick tree and brush lines separating each one. We would blow up some of these overgrown areas with C4, APOBS or MPLC explosives in order to destroy previous ambush sites and paths riddled with IEDs. It was an incredibly exhausting, intense and frustrating place to fight, and I will never forget it. I still can’t imagine how difficult fighting in Normandy must have been for soldiers on the front, I have the highest of respect for the men who fought in this brutal war, they truly went through hell.

Very interesting video. My father was severely wounded in the hedgerows at Villers Fossard, near St Lo. He was a US Army recon platoon Sargent. It was an action during tree burst shelling by the Germans. Thank you for posting...

An interesting study of the hedgerow problem. Many hedgerows were ripped out in the 80s. Over the generations farmers had inherited or bought fields all over the place. That resulted in herds of cattle going down roads between fields. Communes did what they called « remembrement » or re- membering as in restructuring. Each farmer was allotted the same area of land around his farm. The first thing they did was to rip out hedges separating fields so they could use machinery more efficiently. They then found that hedges are pretty useful to stop soil erosion by wind or rain , and give shelter and food to livestock. The indiscriminate ripping out slowed and some hedges were replanted.

Those sunken lanes are incredible, so much natural cover. Wouldn't have been much fun to be caught unawares in one of them though.

This is by far the best video available about the hedgerows in Normandy!

My grand father was in the 30th infringement was wounded in ww2 at St Lo France. He was in the hedge rows fighting.

My father (30th Infantry Div.) used to say how difficult the fighting in the hedgerow was. Now I understand. Thank you.

I have been studying World War 2 for over 45 years. The Normandy campaign was always one of my favorites to read about. I was very impressed with your video and the work you did to explain and show what the hedgerow country was really like. Seeing it like this gives a whole different perspective on all those books that I have read. I thought you did a wonderful job explaining the different types of hedgerows and I agree with your assessments on both defending and attacking the various types. I have seen many pictures from war time photos, but an actual video like yours is a lot more effective in giving the historian an actual feel for what the soldiers experienced. Great job and I look forward to watching more of your videos.

At about 15:15 you make the point I've been arguing for years. Many people are nearly incredulous the boys weren't trained for this topography.The Allies didnt train for the bocage because it was unique to that area of Normandy, and would be a dead giveaway as to the Allied beach landing zones. Very good doc, I enjoyed it very much!

Absolutely brilliant video Paul, with extremely deadly narrow killing zones, for the defenders. Trying to even cross any part with a tank it was likely to kill any tank trying to drive over any hedge to escape from German anti tank weapons. You drive over one hedge to get hit with the perfect killing zone of the panzerfaust!

Never really understood hedgerows before. Now I see why they were such an obstacle. Great video!

Outstanding Video! As an amateur history buff of WW II I've long wondered what Normandy Hedgerow fighting was like...you've answered that question. Bravo!

I was inspired to learn more about the hedgerows after playing Hell Let Loose. I’ve even visited the beaches of Normandy, and was not fully aware of the Hell of the bocage that the soldiers had to endure after breaching the beaches. Thank you for this very informational and straightforward video.

I’m seeing the bocage in real time Dec, 2021. I’m visiting in the Bordeaux, Libourne, Laval region. I couldn’t understand why a tank would have difficulties ramming through a “hedge” but when you see it up close, it’s an almost vertical wall of soil and rocks and tree roots, many times a thick, tall, closely planted row of yews growing on the top. Superb video! I too was interested in finding out more on this!

...unbelievable...generations of animals and people wandering through the fields have made sunken trails...haven’t seen anything like it in my many travels...a hell of a welcome to our soldiers...thank God for your sacrifices...

Great video, I purchased a 1935 Joanne guide which has a map of the paved, gravel and paths of Normandy. Plus the names of all of the cafes, restaurants, service stations and Chambre des hôtes etc and driving times between them.

I watched this video for a WWII class I was taking, and shared with a classmate who lives in Normandy. He knows you and holds you in high regard. Small world. Thank you for this work.

My father, Stg Noel Dube, was part of the 121st engineers who landed on D-Day. He spoke of the hedgerows as well and was given the bronze star for devising a way to deal with them. The bronze star noted and was described this way. There were tubes that were put on the prongs on the front of the tanks and shoved into the hedgerows. Once the tank backed out, the tubes were filled with explosives, and the hedgerows were blown up. When the tanks climbed the hedgerows, they exposed their belly to the enemy. By flattening them with the TNT, the tanks could move safer. I appreciate your video as it gives me a better feel for what they encountered in those days.

Thank you----- Superb video for anyone interested in the Normandy campaign. I've been reading James Holland's "Normandy '44", one of several great histories. Without going to the actual places where it happened, it's impossible to understand the actual realities of the "bocage". You have done a wonderful job. It looks so beautiful, green and peaceful today, but in 1944 this was a land of death and extreme terror and violence. The whole area was a massive slaughterhouse reeking of the smell of death and destruction. Thousands of men on both sides lost their lives, likewise innocent civilians trapped in the crossfire. While I'm imagining the dangers of fighting in the bocage, I'm also imagining what it was like for the Germans on the receiving end of the massive aerial bombardments that rained down on their heads. It's beyond our comprehension. It was total air superiority that enabled the Allies to push through the bocage and eventually defeat the Germans, otherwise history might have told a different story.

Very interesting. I never really understood what fuss was all about a bunch of hedgerows causing the Allied forces so much trouble during the battle of Normandy. Now I know this must have been a damn nightmare for the attackers. Also, interesting to see a German with a Lee-Enfield at 18:45, never saw that before.

what a great video; the battle of normandy sure makes a lot more sense after seeing this footage. Paul and WW2TV deserve many awards for their great work.

This is great! I used this as a resource for my class in US History in America. Thank you!

Thank you! This is the best description of the Norman hedgerows that I have run across, and I have been a serious student of WW2 for fifty years. I never had the chance to visit France to see the bocage country. Your video tutorial really helped in understanding the real structure of the hedgerows. This is of great use to me as a history buff and as a model bulder.

even though this is an old one it's still my favourite. you are a gifted film maker i apreciate that a lot. thanks

I am so glad to have found this video and watch it. My father was in the 29th division, 110 field artillery. He was wounded on June 17, as a forward observer. He rarely spoke of his time in the war, but when he did, he would repeatedly say how much he hated the hedgerow. He said you never knew what was on the other side of the hedgerow, and it became nerve racking. He was wounded on the way St. Lo. I hope to get over there next year (2024), but if my health prevents my trip, having seen your video completes the puzzle I have had in my mind for 30 years. Thank you again.

Fascinating information. I live in the quiet Norman countryside and can vouch for the difficulty climbinging the bigger banks. I was trying to chainsaw a dead tree on top of one today and kept slipping down back to the road. They are also thick was brambles which are strong enough to stop someone pushing through and the Hazel trees usually have about 50 thick stems from the ancient coppicing.

A brilliant visual guide to the Bocage of Normandy. I have read many first hand accounts of American soldiers who described the difficulties of fighting in this area. I now have a better appreciation of the actions described by those who fought there. They also confirmed your assertion of the Germans counter-attacking whenever the Allies made an advance.

this video is outstanding! totally changed my understanding of the bocage and hedgerows in particular. thank you for making this! very informative!

One of the best videos I ever seen on the bocage country. You really get a feeling for what it was like to fight in those hedges and the sunken Lanes. Keep up the great work!

That sunken path is actually amazing and kinda otherworldly

This was brilliantly done. My dad was in the battle of Normandy after Caen with the Royal Artillery.

Paul, this is amazing! Next time in Normandy, if I’m not with a veteran group, I’d love for you to show me some of these locations! The scene where you’re talking about a possible ambush in the sunken track would look like, was mind blowing! The walls of the track are massive!

Awesome video thank you. My grandfather fought the he was in the 30th infantry division 119th regiment. I hope I get to visit Normandy one day

Excellent description of the Normandy Bocage. I’ve been waiting for a documentary like this including the proper archival footage. Im looking forward to part two. Well done.

Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant..in terms of other productions a simplistic account of the bocage. No battle plans and movements of opposing forces, just a real-time experience of the differing types of bocage. It is worth noting that those pesky Germans had years of experience stemming from occupation of the region. You have given a visual experience from an infantryman point of view, a tank commander, and an artillery battery. Also, from the perspective of both sides and how they used the bocage to their own needs, how they overcame their first experience. Genius, using Bradley's quote, this would have been fed back to him from serving officers and nco's personal terrain experience. Thank you once again, Paul.

Excellent presentation. Have never seen a better illustration of a terrain problem.

This video has been invaluable as a reference for ww2 tabletop wargaming! Thank you!

Amazing that this video exists and is only two months old, just as I was starting to develop an extreme interest in WW2 history and started looking into it all so many decades later, only now does this explanation of the Normandy environment exist. Very well done, gives an excellent perspective of what the ground was like for an infantryman.

Incredible! I've been interested in this most of my life and finally someone helps explain the bocage. Awesome!!!

exactly what I was looking for, and made for this specific purpose... now, that's something I don't see everyday

Thank you so much for this video, it really allows one a better understanding of the hedgerow terrain of Normandy, some of those sunken lane hedgerows are absolutely incredible and must have been terrifying to have fought through in the summer of '44.

I appreciate your film. I’m reading The Clay Pigeons of St Lo and wanted get a visual of what the hedgerows looked like. It enhanced the reading perfectly

Best visualization of the bocage I have ever seen.

Best video I have ever seen about the hedgerows! Thank You Sir for time and effort making this.

What an amazing video. As much as I’ve read in books describing these, nothing i have ever seen gives the amazing look at these things as you have. Thank you so much for this.

Very cool. My father was wounded crawling through a hedgerow somewhere between Timmes' Orchard and Amfreville. He stumbled across a German MG crew setting up on the other side. The point being they were on opposite sides of the same hedgerow and neither suspected the other's presence.

I believe my history teacher fought and was wounded there. He described to us it exactly as you have in the 1960's. A captain I believe.

What a truly fascinating video Paul - great stuff ! I think you've also answered a question that's been puzzling me for many years - i.e given the extensive military planning for Operation Overlord why so little advance knowledge seemed to exist about the presence of all the bocage in Normandy. You've just told us this intelligence did exist but was not disseminated widely for security reasons.

Most Excellent! Well done good sir! I really learned a lot watching this, far more then any WWII education programs on mainstream TV!

This is an awesome resource. Thank you.

Splitting our time between homes in Yorkshire Dales and Sainte-Marguerite-d'Elle we find your videos on Normandy (especially) to be fascinating, you have educated us about the WW2 & local history and what lies all around us. Will check out your Patreon page to try help you keep this great content coming.

This is the best resource on this topic that I’ve found yet. Well done!

Thanks for the video. Very well researched. I fought in Sangin, Afghanistan and we had irrigation ditches bordering fields. They were much like the hedgerows with a lot less vegetation. We would use these for cover but IEDs mainly dictated our movement. If there was water in the ditches than we knew it was safe for us to move down. If no water was present than we assumed that the enemy had emplaced IEDs and we would buddy rush through the fields with MG cover fire or find another route.

Good job, Paul. Nicely illustrative.

Brilliant stuff Paul. Ed was reminded of the Bocage when he was over here down in Kildare. I recognise every type you described having seen them over here in Ireland. Keep up the good work! Pad.

Outstanding depiction and commentary. Well done would be an understatement 👍🏻👍🏻

This is astonishing to see at Normandy hedgerows more closer, more deeper by this great channel.

This is really awesome Paul! Thank you. Watching this video is gonna become mandatory for any guest booking a tour with me!!!

An amazing show. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the Normandy hedgerows and this video really shows what a hedgerow is and how it effected the Normandy campaign.

Working my way through your library and I absolutely love this video, Woody. Looks like a lot of viewers feel the same. It's immersive and the care you took to set up the shots and organize the naming convention and sections really shines. The quotes about similarities to Guadalcanal took the words right out of my mouth. Significant tactical advantage for the defending Germans familiar with the ground. The decision to not inform field commanders about the Bocage terrain seems criminal because bypassing was only occasionally possible. The potential for enfilade fire from an even modestly trained defender is clear and your demo was excellent. Perfect ground for danger close grenades, too. The list of other more recent videos you've included above got me thinking. YT organization of large channels with multiple topics such as yours leaves something to be desired. A one-stop linked "Index" grouped/sub-grouped by topic with titles and a 1-2 sentence description/featured guest(s) would be effective and less overwhelming than YT's current design. A manageable project for a history (or library science) grad student ? It would require significant critical thinking skill for cross-referencing. Thanks for all you do--

Great film mate! Really illustrates this unique european „jungle“ the Allies faced in 1944

Paul, well done! Every film you make is better than the previous one. As others have mentioned the archival footage helps a great deal with the scale of the bocage as it relates to infantrymen and tanks. I very much look forward to Part 2!

So well done, Paul! I learned so much. Thank you!!!

been researching this battle for some time and can confidently say it's unlike anything else. VERY illuminating and revelatory for my puposes. thanks for grat job!

Brilliant. Not seen anything as good as this on the bocage.

Very similar to a great deal of Cornish farmland. Those that use unclassified Cornish roads on a regular basis know the possibility of a 'surprise' around every bend. A lot of field side hedgerows in Cornwall have now gone but the hedge lined sunken roads still abound.

Paul, this is superb. Currently reading John McManus’ book on US in Normandy when this popped up. Great footage - both yours and archival. We have a few sunken roads in parts of Dorset, with trees arching over the top. Weirdly claustrophobic and humid & verdant in summer. This film excellently captures the problems in manoeuvring out of those damn tracks/roads and also across the fields - also the close range of the fighting. Contrast it with Caen, Epsom & Bourguebus with those long ranges and fortified villages that posed their own tactical problem but here it’s very much the close range ambush which must have been devastating to those caught on a track or trapped in fields swept by interlocking MG fire. I noticed in John’s book how orientation went to pieces, with troops unable to see where they were exactly (one field boxed by hedgerows must look pretty similar to others, and which one is it on the map?), where friendlies were and where fire was coming from. This shows that quite well - I guess you’d be hoping to spot muzzle flash, or movement or smoke but all of that involves looking up and exposing yourself to fire. Are you able to pinpoint specific actions in individual fields/hedgerows from diaries/grid refs? Probably impossible, given the issues with locating exact spots at the time, plus probably one field blends into another in a day’s events. I was wondering earlier whether the tank-sized holes in the embankments made by Rhino Sherman’s remain. Thinking on Rhino’s... a lot gets made of those combined arms innovations in Normandy historiography, like Culin prongs or tankdozers or use of explosive etc to brute force through embankments and boundaries. But looking at this that’s still only part of a bigger problem. A Rhino or dozer won’t get you out of those sunken tracks, or up the pathways barely wide enough for two people side by side. At the end of the day you still need infantry to claw your way through them, and that’s going to incur a grievous cost in lives. I wonder whether Rhino etc gets more prominence than it should? One to ponder maybe. Anyway, thankyou for this - a brilliant resource!

Phenomenal video! Very good descriptions and classifications of the four types of Normandy hedgerows. Excellent video footage accompanied by actual war time battle footage to help you imagine what it was like. Thank you so much for making this video. There are not many, if any of this type and level of detail. Subscribed!

Absolutely brill Paul, not sure I'd want to be an Allied soldier pushing through that, must have been hellish.

Wow, Paul - nice job! Really clear and clever weave of archive, maps, questions and PTC's.

Great video. They're beautiful and terrifying. And they're certainly unique to Normandy, not seen anything like them anywhere else.

In the invasion of Europe there were just too many different things to brief on. Sometimes you just have to cross each bridge as you come to it. Some historians say that because of the technical difficulties and risks involved, training for amphibious operations took precedence over everything else, thus consideration of the Normandy countryside was neglected.

Watching from the hot and humid tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia. Thanks for such an in depth look at what actual bocage is like in real life. Bit different from the big grassy fields with occasional hedgerows I always imagined. Cheers!

This is really useful research for land use research as well as military! Thanks!

Very interesting Paul, and can really get a detailed view of just how daunting and unpredictable such country could be for an Allied soldier.

Desperately need video for yt, very well made and very informative, thanks for spending the time to produce it👍

Fantastic. Thank you for putting this together and posting it.

Well done. Great video, with a good classification of types. My (limited) understanding is that the field boundary bocage, being so much more prevalent, was the most important type in the infantry-centric combat in that area. I think the distinction between light field boundary bocage and heavy field boundary bocage that you illustrate was very significant to the fighters therein.

This was excellent. Very informative and detailed.

I just read in one of my D-day books that a marine that fought in Guadal Canal, said hedgerow fighting was every bit as terrifying.

This was amazing! Loved it & Subscribed! If I ever visit Normandy I'm looking you up for a tour lol!

My uncle went in on 3rd day ( Normandy) and I tell you all he ever talked about was the hedge rows. Must a been a huge pia He went on to get shot and blown up. I loved him dearly and miss him and all the other guys from greater generation. Those were real men....I truly believe...I am the man I am today because of guys like that and my dad.It's just really hard to deal with what is now and what we had then . I miss them every day. And hey...My own dad was shot too. Korea. USMC. The best father you could ever ask for.

This is a very educational and informative video. I'm sharing it with the 50 people that will be touring this area this Summer with me.

Quite well done! We will be there next spring(June 4-10) and this is exactly what we want to experience. You have done what few historians have and it’s what we as WWII buffs and enthusiasts want to know. Thanks!

I wondered what the hedgerows were that caused such a problem during ww2. I can't imagine those sunken paths were created over years of foot traffic. They are like tunnels with the trees reaching over the path. Thanks for the video.

Incredible video with excellent commentary. I can't thank you guys enough for making this. It's been difficult to learn about these in depth here in the U.S. because they're unlike anything we have. I have heard so many veterans here talk about them and they really are remarkable.

Brilliantly produced.

Really late to the party here but the video was fantastic! Thanks for this.

This was a Great help Thank you:) Dave in USA

Brilliant piece of work and much appreciated, I toured Normandy but could not find any hedgerows but my next visit...

Awesome video Paul. Very informative.

Totally rocked the bocage(s)... very interesting

Very intresting and valuable document for a game level desiger. Thanks!!

Interesting subject as the Bocage had a huge bearing on how the Battle of Normandy was fought. Great archive material and well put together giving a “Now and then” effect. The description of the types of hedgerow was unique and well explained. In my opinion best film so far.

Great video fascinating. I love medieval history So it's fascinating to see how the subject William the conqueror lived In Normandy. Also sunken lane in detail opening Those beautiful long shots of the lane Some real Tim Burton Vibes going. So great work on the cinematography also

My dad was here told me of the hedgerows how the engineers devised what look like huge knifes attached to the front of the tank to cut through the hedgerows.

Serious effort has gone into this.

Have never seen anything like this. Great video and perspective!

Most enjoyable and informative. Thank you.

I've seen hedgerows very similar to this a few minutes outside of Philadelphia. Of course they weren't as elaborate and lacked sunken lanes.