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Second World War conflict archaeology in the forests of north-west Europe

Part of: Conflict Archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2015

David G. Passmore ,
Stephan Harrison  and
David Capps Tunwell
David G. Passmore*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Toronto (Mississauga), 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
Stephan Harrison
Affiliation:
College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK
David Capps Tunwell
Affiliation:
Lieu Dit Le Point Du Jour, 61140 La Chapelle d’Andaine, France
*
*Author for correspondance (Email: david.passmore@utoronto.ca)
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Abstract

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Concrete fortifications have long served as battle-scarred memorials of the Second World War. The forests of north-west Europe, meanwhile, have concealed a preserved landscape of earthwork field fortifications, military support structures and bomb- and shell-craters that promise to enhance our understanding of the conflict landscapes of the 1944 Normandy Campaign and the subsequent battles in the Ardennes and Hürtgenwald forests. Recent survey has revealed that the archaeology surviving in wooded landscapes can significantly enhance our understanding of ground combat in areas covered by forest. In particular, this evidence sheds new light on the logistical support of field armies and the impact of Allied bombing on German installations.

Keywords

Second World WarNormandy CampaignArdennes Offensiveconflict archaeologyfield fortificationbomb-craterlogistics depotbattlefield
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 88 , Issue 342 , December 2014 , pp. 1275 - 1290
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2014

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