A Hedgehog on the Heath: The Second World War Landscape of Exercise 'Kruschen', Dunwich, Suffolk

The importance of training areas to the militarization of the landscape in the twentieth century is well recognized, but many sites remain unexplored and unrecorded. This article discusses the archaeology of a Second World War landscape at Westleton Walks, near Dunwich in Suffolk. The principal rema...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archaeological journal (London) 2012-01, Vol.169 (1), p.519-549
Main Authors: Liddiard, Robert, Sims, David
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The importance of training areas to the militarization of the landscape in the twentieth century is well recognized, but many sites remain unexplored and unrecorded. This article discusses the archaeology of a Second World War landscape at Westleton Walks, near Dunwich in Suffolk. The principal remains are those of a mock German 'Hedgehog' defensive position built in the spring of 1943 for use in Exercise 'Kruschen', an extended trial of techniques and equipment that went on to inform the successful Allied campaign in north-west Europe the following year. The archaeology of the site is significant both as a case study of a Second World War training landscape and also because the remains can be given a precise historical context.
ISSN:0066-5983
2373-2288
DOI:10.1080/00665983.2012.11020923