Battlefield Archaeology Group Normandy
Operation Cobra
Be a part of our professional archaeological team working on a world first for WWII battlefield archaeology in Normandy
Situated 20 miles south of the D-Day Beaches in the deep Normandy country side of the Cotentin peninsular known as the ‘bocage’ or hedgerow country. Impenetrable walls of trees and foliage built into high banks of earth, cultivated by Norman farmers for centuries, imposable to cut through and built like a maze, an interconnecting patchwork of small field systems each linked by small tree cover sunken roads that snaked through the landscape like rat runs or communication tunnels.
The Germans mapped the ‘bocage’ and used this terrain as traps or kill boxers for German machine gunners. Allied Tanks stalled in this type of country leaving the infantry exposed often finding themselves bounded by high hedgerows and shot down like in a shooting gallery.
The Archaeology of Operation Cobra project is the first time a World War Two battlefield in Normandy has been studied in its entirety. It’s our hope that this project will greatly enhance our understanding of this conflict and help in formulating future Archaeological research strategies in this field of study.
Visit the BAG Normandy website
Operation Cobra
Be a part of our professional archaeological team working on a world first for WWII battlefield archaeology in Normandy
Situated 20 miles south of the D-Day Beaches in the deep Normandy country side of the Cotentin peninsular known as the ‘bocage’ or hedgerow country. Impenetrable walls of trees and foliage built into high banks of earth, cultivated by Norman farmers for centuries, imposable to cut through and built like a maze, an interconnecting patchwork of small field systems each linked by small tree cover sunken roads that snaked through the landscape like rat runs or communication tunnels.
The Germans mapped the ‘bocage’ and used this terrain as traps or kill boxers for German machine gunners. Allied Tanks stalled in this type of country leaving the infantry exposed often finding themselves bounded by high hedgerows and shot down like in a shooting gallery.
The Archaeology of Operation Cobra project is the first time a World War Two battlefield in Normandy has been studied in its entirety. It’s our hope that this project will greatly enhance our understanding of this conflict and help in formulating future Archaeological research strategies in this field of study.
Visit the BAG Normandy website