T2K Fortification

[Raellus]

Good stuff, guys. Keep it coming.

Anyone know when Hesco bastions were introduced? I know the principle's been around for ages (baskets filled with earth). They seem super common nowadays (as evidenced by the pics of the French troops filling/stacking them in the article linked in the OP), but I don't recall seeing the current iteration before around 2005 or thereabouts.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I'm sure somebody posted a file here some time back that gave game stats for turrets from obsolete tanks being used as trench fire support.
Can't remember the name but I'm sure this particular design was Soviet in origin so the game stats used a Soviet name
I think I saved it so I'll check my T2k folders, if I find it I'll post it in this thread.

[Vespers War]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Good stuff, guys. Keep it coming.

Anyone know when Hesco bastions were introduced? I know the principle's been around for ages (baskets filled with earth). They seem super common nowadays (as evidenced by the pics of the French troops filling/stacking them in the article linked in the OP), but I don't recall seeing the current iteration before around 2005 or thereabouts.

The company was formed in 1989 specifically to manufacture them, so sometime around then.

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

I'm sure somebody posted a file here some time back that gave game stats for turrets from obsolete tanks being used as trench fire support.
Can't remember the name but I'm sure this particular design was Soviet in origin so the game stats used a Soviet name
I think I saved it so I'll check my T2k folders, if I find it I'll post it in this thread.

Totschka.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Originally Posted by Vespers War

Totschka.

Yes! That's the one!
Thanks for finding that thread and linking it here

[StainlessSteelCynic]

One thing to think about when using 44-gal drums in barriers/barricades - have two layers, the rear layer staggered so the drums fill the space between the drums of the first layer.
It's very easy for projectiles to slip between two barrels and the rounded shape even assists some projectiles to find that weak spot.

[ChalkLine]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

Yes! That's the one!
Thanks for finding that thread and linking it here

In Germany the wooden ones were Holzunterstand

From 1943, Panther turrets were mounted in fixed fortifications; some were normal production models, but most were made specifically for the task, with additional roof armour to withstand artillery fire. Two types of turret emplacements were used; (Pantherturm III – Betonsockel — concrete base) and (Pantherturm I – Stahluntersatz — steel sub-base). They housed ammunition storage and fighting compartment along with crew quarters. A total of 182 of these were installed in the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall and Siegfried Line (Westwall), 48 in the Gothic Line and Hitler Line, 36 on the Eastern Front, and two for training and experimentation, for a total of 268 installations by March 1945. They proved to be costly to attack, and difficult to destroy

Small, easily camouflaged and resistant to attack they were the bane of attackers. In Italy and France they had an evil reputation and they were building them in road intersections in Berlin at the end.
Of course they never worked alone. They had a compliment of infantry to defend them and could call on nearby artillery. Like everyone in The Second World War the Germans were all about manouevre so these were a potent backstop to deal with breakthroughs.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

There's a few decent images floating around of various German turrets used as a road blockades, typically they're Panther turrets on Berlin streets (although in some cases, they dug in the entire tank, burying the vehicle up to the hull roof).

[ChalkLine]

The problem with isolated fortifications such as the Panzerstellung is you can smoke them and then infantry can sneak up with HEAT weapons.

In a T2K context it's unlikely you'll see many until the final phase of the war but before the total breakdown. You still need to lift the turret into place and tank turrets are seriously heavy and fortifications aren't always on level ground.

The most likely final era versions would be the Holzunterstand "wooden stand" versions as they don't need heavy concrete or too much advanced technical and engineering ability.

[Raellus]

I would also imagine that modern Soviet MBT turrets would not be suited to Panzerstellung type fortifications because of their integral auto-loading systems. I assume it would need some sort of generator or external power source to remain functional? Can the auto-loader be removed and the canon remain operational (yet manually-loaded)?

-

[bash]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Good stuff, guys. Keep it coming.

Anyone know when Hesco bastions were introduced? I know the principle's been around for ages (baskets filled with earth). They seem super common nowadays (as evidenced by the pics of the French troops filling/stacking them in the article linked in the OP), but I don't recall seeing the current iteration before around 2005 or thereabouts.

HESCO barriers were originally designed for flood control and such. They were used IRL in Bosnia (pg. 6) in '96. They were popularized in Afghanistan and Iraq but would have been widely used in the Twilight War.

Quick edit: HESCO's website claims they've been used militarily since the first Gulf War.

[rcaf_777]

Sandbag Designs

[rcaf_777]

Hesco bastions