Howdy Bret, The "Hedgecutters" were an innovation devised out of a particular need to get thru the hedgerows in europe and were usually any metal that the GI's could find including cut up bits of tank barriers welded together and then to the front of the tank and sharpened. I dont think it would be a far stretch to assume that even some bits of destroyed or burned out armor were cannibalized to create these devices. Here is an excerpt from this website Busting the Bocage, American Combined Arms Operations in France, 6 June - July 1944 (found under the topic "The Solution" . "as early as 9 June, First Army headquarters began to grapple with the problem of how to get through the hedgerows. In a conversation with an armor officer on First Army's staff, General Bradley wondered whether tanks could blow their way through the hedgerows with main-gun and machine-gun fires. Throughout First Army during June and July, officers, noncommissioned officers, and enlisted men contemplated methods to overcome the German defense.
The first attempts at penetrating the hedgerows involved the use of specially equipped "dozer" tanks. These tanks were a relatively new invention in 1944 and consisted of M-4 Shermans equipped with a blade similar to those on commercial bulldozers. Dozer tanks normally removed obstacles or improved defensive positions. Early experience in Normandy showed that a dozer tank could push its way through the most formidable hedgerow. Dozer tanks could also widen natural gaps in hedgerows that were too narrow for Shermans to drive through..
During a discussion between some of the 102d's officers and enlisted men, someone suggested that they get "saw teeth," put them on their tanks, and cut through the hedgerows. Many of the troops laughed at the suggestion, but Sergeant Curtis G. Culin took the idea to heart. Culin designed and supervised the construction of a hedgerow cutting device made from scrap iron pulled from a German roadblock.
Culin's device soon got the attention of the chain of command within 2d Armored Division and V Corps. On 14 July, General Bradley attended a demonstration of Culin's hedgerow cutter. Bradley watched as Shermans mounting the hedgerow device plowed through the hedgerows "as though they were pasteboard, throwing the bushes and brush into the air." Very impressed by the demonstration, Bradley ordered the chief of First Army's Ordnance Section to supervise the construction and installation of as many of the hedgerow cutters as possible.
Another site had this to say: "The best was the Culin hedge cutter developed by Sergeant Curtis Culin of the 102nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron. It was made of iron girders salvaged from German roadblocks and beach obstacles. Sharpened girders were welded to the forward hull of a Sherman tank in a saw-tooth pattern. It wasn't a 'cutter' in the sense of a lawnmower or 'brush hog' but more of a plow. " (found here:
Bocage Busting pt. 2 ).
Something else you might wish to look up would be the "Mine flailing chains" used by other tanks. Although this wasnt used in Normandy as far as I know, its still a neat little invention which consists of rotating barrels with flailing chains attached, mounted to the front of the tanks. They spun and detonated mines as the tank moved forward, clearing a path for the armor vehicles and infantry. I hope this has been of some help to you, be sure to check out the two links above. have a good day, Greg