T2K Fortification

[Raellus]

Fortifications in Sweden

For Sweden-based campaigns, check out Boden Fortress. It was built in the early 20th century to defend against an attack from Russia. It was in use until the early 1990s, IRL (the last bit that was used was decommissioned in 1998!). Apparently, Sweden's gold reserves were stored inside Boden Fortress at one point.

https://www.spottinghistory.com/view/2012/boden-fortress/

The website also provides links to info on other fortresses and castles in Sweden.

Here's an unofficial "tour" (no narration) posted on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watchv=3ddr-IJbOGI

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[Homer]

In the US and some of its current and former possessions, there are numerous coast artillery positions that are still extant around major port cities and key waterways. Some of the later era (Endicott and Taft period) fortifications were built tough with steel reinforced concrete structures while even the earlier fortifications have masonry walls and all have ravelins, outer works, and hardened or buried magazines. Most of the later forts began closing their doors in the 40s, with some remaining in service into the Nike-Hercules era in the 60s and 70s before shuttering. A few were incorporated as non-functional items into subsequent military installations.

Going into T2K, some of the ones in better condition include Fort Monroe, VA; Fort Kamehameha (Hickam AFB) and Fort Ruger (Diamond Head/Fort Ruger State Military Reservation), HI; Fort Baker (Presidio of San Francisco), CA; Fort Jay (USCG Governors Island as mentioned in Armies of the Night), NY; Fort Trumbull (Naval Underwater Systems Center) (and associated fortifications on Fishers Island and Tern Island), New London, CT; Fort Niagara, NY; Fort McHenry, MD; The Harbor Defenses of Boston; Fort Terry (Plum Island), NY; and Fort Vancouver, WA. Its doubtful they are serving their original role, but they all provide fairly defensible structures, many of which would have survived nuclear explosions quite well and all of which would pose a challenge to direct attack by a post TDM force.

Most have their own water supplies, some have generators (especially the Taft area forts), and all have either hardened barracks built into the structure or a cantonment area with barracks, etc (most of the oefort part of Fort Niagara is a post civil war area administrative post with brick Baracks and support structures). Because they were all designed to be defensible (and the separate batteries and facilities were also designed to be defensible) with a minimal sized force to enable the bulk of the garrison to work the guns, they could be a good refuge for a party and their allies or a decent base of operations.

[Vespers War]

In the US and some of its current and former possessions, there are numerous coast artillery positions that are still extant around major port cities and key waterways. Some of the later era (Endicott and Taft period) fortifications were built tough with steel reinforced concrete structures while even the earlier fortifications have masonry walls and all have ravelins, outer works, and hardened or buried magazines. Most of the later forts began closing their doors in the 40s, with some remaining in service into the Nike-Hercules era in the 60s and 70s before shuttering. A few were incorporated as non-functional items into subsequent military installations.

Going into T2K, some of the ones in better condition include Fort Monroe, VA; Fort Kamehameha (Hickam AFB) and Fort Ruger (Diamond Head/Fort Ruger State Military Reservation), HI; Fort Baker (Presidio of San Francisco), CA; Fort Jay (USCG Governors Island as mentioned in Armies of the Night), NY; Fort Trumbull (Naval Underwater Systems Center) (and associated fortifications on Fishers Island and Tern Island), New London, CT; Fort Niagara, NY; Fort McHenry, MD; The Harbor Defenses of Boston; Fort Terry (Plum Island), NY; and Fort Vancouver, WA. Its doubtful they are serving their original role, but they all provide fairly defensible structures, many of which would have survived nuclear explosions quite well and all of which would pose a challenge to direct attack by a post TDM force.

Most have their own water supplies, some have generators (especially the Taft area forts), and all have either hardened barracks built into the structure or a cantonment area with barracks, etc (most of the oefort part of Fort Niagara is a post civil war area administrative post with brick Baracks and support structures). Because they were all designed to be defensible (and the separate batteries and facilities were also designed to be defensible) with a minimal sized force to enable the bulk of the garrison to work the guns, they could be a good refuge for a party and their allies or a decent base of operations.

Piping up solely because I've been there a number of times, Fort Monroe does not have its own water supply. The Army kept trying, but after a 2,248 foot deep well still only drew saline water, they gave up and had water shipped to the fort. That part of the Chesapeake got smacked by a bolide ~35 million years ago that disrupted all the aquifers. One other problem with Monroe is it's a stinking huge fort by enclosed fort standards - the area inside the walls is 63 acres, and those walls are 1.3 miles. By comparison, Fort McHenry has 2 acres inside its walls. You'd need a lot of people to adequately cover those walls, and those people will need a lot of water brought in to Monroe.

I'd also add Fort Washington (MD) to the list. The existing masonry fort dates to 1824 but was kept in decent shape because it was a staging area for units being assembled for World War One and was the Adjutant General's School in World War Two before being transferred to Interior. There are also ten Endicott Batteries that were built there, ranging from a pair of 3" quickfire guns to a battery of eight 12" mortars, although the batteries I saw nearest the fort are in rough shape. There's also a large marina within rifle shot of the fort with 300 slips from 25' to 50' that could be useful. There aren't any useful guns there (some preserved smoothbores only IIRC), but the site would still have good potential.

[Homer]

Yep- I see that now. Apparently Monroe had shallow wells and cisterns which met peacetime requirements but were unsuitable for the increased garrison during the ACW. Looks like they actually established an outer work during the ACW solely to ensure they could draw fresh water. Post war, the eventually began buying municipal water. Yeah, thats bad, unless you can snag a ROWPU and a connex full of spares from the 92W course at Fort Lee. Maybe its a place that gets abandoned as surviving forces coalesce around Eustis/NWS Norfolk and Little Creek/Oceana

Good call on Fort Washington. It always seemed like a well designed place. And in good repair. I actually got the idea of people going to old coastal fortifications after exploring some of the remaining Taft era forts and seeing how well they were built as defensive works, but also how they were generally intended to be semi autonomous for short periods. Places like Fort Washington seem like just the type of location a force could establish an outpost or base of operations, being reasonably secure, putting a roof over your head, and normally (unless youre the geniuses who surveyed Fort Monroe!) close to or on water. Great locations for everything from the local MILGOV/CIVGOV/NA unit trying to exert control, the local militia post, a survivor community, to a marauder/pirate lair.

[Homer]

One historic fort that could be occupied and worked into a number of adventures is Fort Frederick in Big Pool, MD. It's an FIW curtain wall that's been rebuilt and maintained as a state park. Not much else except a few structures and the state museum. But, it's got a large cleared area around it, and ample resources for reverting, building fighting platforms, etc.

The fort sits very close to the upper Potomac and about 1500m south of I-70. Originally constructed as a base for patrols in the Potomac water gap area, it could easily do the same today.

The fort itself lies in the no-man's land area between NA and the CIVGOV enclave around Frederick. Could be controlled by either side, or taking control of it and extending control over/blocking an easy route through the hills could be a small adventure on its own.

[Vespers War]

One historic fort that could be occupied and worked into a number of adventures is Fort Frederick in Big Pool, MD. It's an FIW curtain wall that's been rebuilt and maintained as a state park. Not much else except a few structures and the state museum. But, it's got a large cleared area around it, and ample resources for reverting, building fighting platforms, etc.

The fort sits very close to the upper Potomac and about 1500m south of I-70. Originally constructed as a base for patrols in the Potomac water gap area, it could easily do the same today.

The fort itself lies in the no-man's land area between NA and the CIVGOV enclave around Frederick. Could he controlled by either side, or taking control of it and extending control over/blocking an easy route through the hills could be a small adventure on its own.

Frederick would need a fair bit of work (I've been there a few times as well). The walls themselves are thin. It was assumed nobody could transport artillery that deep into the continent overland, which was true at the time. The bastions are 4.5 feet thick at the base (AV 8 or 9), while the walls between the bastions are 3 feet thick at the base (AV 5 or 6)

It did have small artillery pieces transported upriver, but the gun platforms were timber and dirt constructions inside the walls which no longer exist. There's currently no way to the top of the walls, which are partially original and partially rebuilt by the CCC in the 1930s. Dirt platforms/ramps could be built, but that's going to be a lot of work.

There are two reconstructed barracks buildings used as a museum (one to appear as the original would have, the other with displays of the fort's history), while a third barrack has had its foundation outlined but has not been rebuilt. There's only one gate, so it would be fairly easy to pen people up inside the fort and because of the wall design difficult to get a good view to guide indirect fire onto targets outside the fort. There also aren't any embrasures for firing out of the fort while within its walls. If you want to shoot someone outside the walls, you either have to shoot over the wall or be outside the fort yourself.

It's better than nothing as far as a shelter from lightly-armed raiders, but it's not going to stand up to any sort of heavy combat.

[dragoon500ly]

Here's an interesting link to a paper concerning the background of Civil War (American) fortifications:

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA313032.pdf

This is of interest due to the large number of field fortifications left over form the war, and still reusable to varying degrees.

[Homer]

It's better than nothing as far as a shelter from lightly-armed raiders, but it's not going to stand up to any sort of heavy combat.

Yep. As a place to fight from Frederick leaves a lot to be desired. Youd need to rebuild the gun platforms and/or a firing step, and probably add a glacis outside. That said, the location still makes it suitable for its original use as a kind of oesuper patrol base and theres enough local material and land to do defensive improvements and to build outerworks.

The walls themselves arent much good for defense, but they do provide shelter and protection, and theres enough space inside for mortar pits or extemporized shelter.

Could almost see it as the basis of a hardened redoubt, serving as a harbor for squad sized patrols into and out of the area.

For forts suited to actual fighting platforms against modern weapons, Id be stretched to call most of the stuff on the interior of the US suitable. Even the modern hardened facilities werent designed with that use in mind.

[Vespers War]

Yep. As a place to fight from Frederick leaves a lot to be desired. Youd need to rebuild the gun platforms and/or a firing step, and probably add a glacis outside. That said, the location still makes it suitable for its original use as a kind of oesuper patrol base and theres enough local material and land to do defensive improvements and to build outerworks.

The walls themselves arent much good for defense, but they do provide shelter and protection, and theres enough space inside for mortar pits or extemporized shelter.

Could almost see it as the basis of a hardened redoubt, serving as a harbor for squad sized patrols into and out of the area.

For forts suited to actual fighting platforms against modern weapons, Id be stretched to call most of the stuff on the interior of the US suitable. Even the modern hardened facilities werent designed with that use in mind.

Sure, it's just that Frederick's walls are really thin. Fort Monroe is 10 feet. Castle Williams on Governors' Island is 8 feet. The Castillo de San Marcos is 14 feet of coquina. Even Fort Washington is 7 feet, albeit mostly brick with a stone entrance. I suspect Frederick's 3-to-4.5-foot walls could be breached by infantry-carried explosives with a pretty small number of devices, where most of the others would need something a little heavier or a more sustained effort. I don't think a raider squad could carry enough AT4AST to punch through the Castillo's walls, let alone less effective warheads in the anti-building role. I'm less confident in Frederick's walls.

[Homer]

Yep- I dont think theres a question that its an easy breach.

I started thinking about the older fortifications as places to hole up, but rapidly realized they were rarely, if ever, fought that way (maybe for Oswego, Carillon, and William Henry) but that most came with outerworks designed to protect the fort itself from direct assault, or at least disrupt the assault. Thats a lot of men then and especially in T2K numbers, so maybe theres room for the actual oefortresses (an example being McHenry or Pulaski with infantry ditches and supporting gun positions) and forts (where people seek protection-real or illusory- from the structure itself that you might see in places like Frederick or Sumter).

That said, some of the sea forts would be interesting locations for pirate bases, etc. Imagine trying to get close to Fort Jefferson surreptitiously!

Kind of makes me wonder if some of the sea and island forts may not have given a new lease on life as inspection and harbor defense stations during the first phases of the war. Pea patch island/Fort Delaware for example, is set to cover the close approaches to the Port of Wilmington and Port of Philadelphia. Probably would have been done for by the blast from the Delaware city strike, though.

[Raellus]

What's Old is New

Missed this when it first came out, but here's a 2020 Popular Mechanics article about 21st century French Vauban-style star forts in West Africa.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a35084150/vauban-fortification-star-forts-french-army-north-africa/

I think that these would be a widespread feature of cantonment system defenses in the last Twilight War.

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[Brit]

I hope this is posted in the right place:

https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/4503/Sherman-Turret-Olst.htm

Sherman Firefly turret used as static defence by The Netherlands post-war.

If you click on the < > one photo show the hatch to access the bunker below / how to fire the gun area.

[Raellus]

I hope this is posted in the right place:

It fits in several threads, including this one:

https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.phpt=5849&highlight=turrets

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[Brit]

Of use

https://fortwiki.com/Fort_Wiki

I think goes to this now:

https://cdsg.org/