The Czech hedgehog (ježek in Czech language) was a static defense made of angle iron (i.e. L-shaped metal brackets) deployed (amongst other places) on the Atlantic coast of northern Europe during World War II as part of the Atlantic Wall.
The hedgehog is very effective in keeping tanks from getting through the line of defense. It maintains its function even when tipped over by a nearby explosion.
The name refers to the place of origin. The hedgehogs were originally used on the Czech-German border by the Czechoslovakian military as anti-tank defenses. They were part of a massive but never completed fortification system built on the eve of World War II by Czechoslovakia. The fortification system fell to Germany in 1938 after the occupation of Sudetenland as a consequence of the Munich Agreement.
Technological details
The hedgehog was made of three L-shaped metal brackets (L 140/140/13 mm; length 1800 mm; weight 198 kg, later versions: length 2100 mm; weight 240 kg) joined by sheet metal, rivets and bolts (or welded together later on) into a characteristic spatial three-arm cross. (This pattern forms the axes of an octahedron.) Two arms of the hedgehog were connected in the factory, while the third arm was connected on-site by a M20 bolt. The arms were equipped with square "feet" to prevent sinking into the ground, as well as a notch for attaching barbed wire.
See Also