The Fortification Pack (work in progress)

[MarkSheppard]

Something I'm going to be working on from time to time, to add to the various fort icons already in the game; to allow better representations of the WW2 era forts of Europe.

First up is the Abri of Coucou in the Metz Fortified Region (magniot line). It was laid out as follows:

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8215/metzabrihc3.gif

These were placed behind the main protection line, on reverse slopes.

Total Capacity is probably 50 men; broken down into
4 x Officer Bunkerage
48 x Enlisted Men Bunkage

with 2 x LMGs firing forward to protect the entrance.

There is one GFM Cloche on the top, which can be an unarmed observation cupola, or an armed one, the armor thickness on these is generally 250mm minimum, with a roof thickness of 250-300mm.

Armed GFMs have either:

1 x LMG
OR
1 x 50mm Mortar.

The Bunker's protection level appears to be French Level 2; protection against 240-mm calibre weapons; based on a scaled concrete thickness of 2.25 meters I found.

Here's a rough icon I ginned up.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1466/metziconbigxm7.gif

I know it's not much, but we gotta start somewhere. Refinement can come later.

FYI; the information and drawings are from J.E. Kaufmann's and Robert M. Jurga's [i]Fortress Europe - European Fortifications of World War II

[PatG]

Nice addition.

I have a few related questions. Which way is front? If the right side, then is this designed as an shelter against artillery? If to the left, is the grey section ("2" on the drawing) a fighting trench? If so, what's your thinking on representing rifle fire from the squaddies? It seems a bit wasteful to provide 2.25m of concrete for a hidey hole with only a couple of mgs.

Art comment: The "sun" is top right so the shaded area on the cloche should be rotated 45 degrees clockwise.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have planned.

[MarkSheppard]

Which way is front?

I assume you mean the side pointing towards the enemy? It's the one with the cloche on it. (right)

If the right side, then is this designed as an shelter against artillery?

Pretty much yeah. It's actually a two level bunker, with room to sleep 50~ people.

If to the left, is the grey section ("2" on the drawing) a fighting trench?

No, it's a fougasse. Modern day version of the ancient moat.

The two (1) items in the diagram are actually drawbridges which can be cranked in or pulled up, and as a bonus, if you try to throw a grenade or satchel charge at the entrance, the charge will end up inside the fougasse and explode away from the entrance.

It seems a bit wasteful to provide 2.25m of concrete for a hidey hole with only a couple of mgs.

2.25m is actually quite light, being only Level 2 and protects from 240mm weapons. The French went up to level four and protection from 400~mm weapons in their bunkers.

As for the few MGs, yeah, it does seem wasteful, but it's primary purpose is to provide a gastight, artillery proof barracks for 50~ men (possibly as high as 100 if hotbunking is used), which is connected via an underground tunnel to other fighting bunkers and positions.

[MarkSheppard]

Doing some exploratory work, so I can understand and set up the icon just right, so that it looks "right" when placed on a reverse slope.

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/6319/rsov5.gif

I ditched the hand drawn earth and stuff over the bunker in favor of a transparent line, so that you can make the bunker blend in with terrain...

Just needs a bit more work....

Got it to work. New icon attached.

Settings to use in ShpED:

X Size: 88
Y Size: 88
X Offs: 0
Y Offs: 0
Left: -55
Top: -35
Right: 0
Bottom: 33

It really does work like a charm.

[PatG]

Very nice. So I gather that this will be just one of a series of bunker types - looking forward to seeing more.

[MarkSheppard]

Okay, so this is one I haven't figured out the armor for.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/2789/scharnhorstturretgameih6.gif

When the British essentially bombed Gneiesenau (sp?) so badly that she had to be scrapped, her turrets were re-used for coastal defense in Norway and elsewhere.

Here's the SHPed Specs:

Hull/Barbette:

X Size: 88
Y Size: 88
X Offs: 0
Y Offs: 0
Left: -21
Top: -21
Right: 20
Bottom: 20

Turret:

X Size: 88
Y Size: 88
X Offs: 0
Y Offs: 0
Left: -29
Top: -18
Right: 48
Bottom: 20

I'm attaching the drawing I used to help do it; so if anyone wants to take a crack at improving my icon.....

Apparently I got it wrong. The Germans removed the stereoscopic rangefinder hoods from the turrets when they remounted them in Norway, and put it onto a concrete pedestal:

http://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/gneisenau/gneisenauguns/pictures/battery_orland/battery_orland06.jpg

[MarkSheppard]

Redid the base and the turrets to represent the historical ones more closely based on photos.

Also included a Postwar color scheme for the turret; since after WW2; the Norwegians simply took the battery over and used it actively until 1974!!!!

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6608/newturmla2.gif

Here's the SHPed Specs for the new redone icons:

Concrete Base:

X Size: 88
Y Size: 88
X Offs: 0
Y Offs: 0
Left: -41
Top: -27
Right: 40
Bottom: 27

Turret:

X Size: 88
Y Size: 88
X Offs: 0
Y Offs: 0
Left: -29
Top: -15
Right: 48
Bottom: 14

[narwan]

Very cool work. I like it a lot!

Narwan

[MarkSheppard]

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/8023/hackenbergcasematedrawda7.gif
Hackenberg, Block 5 Artillery casemate for 3 x 75-mm guns

1. Defended exit with decontamination area
2. Firing chambers for 75-mm guns
3. Munitions elevators
4. Munitions
5. Munitions
6. Cloche (the two on the ends are GFM, the center one is for an automatic mortar that was never perfected)
7. Munitions
8. Water reservoir
9. Flanking coffre for light MG
10. Fosse
11. Storage
12. Magazine
13. Storage
14. WC
15. Rest area
15a. Ventilator and Filters
16. Storage
17. Officers room
18. Rest area
19. Storage
20. T.S.F. (Radio Room)

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/5530/casemateyo0.gif

Icon Setting for Casemate Icon:

X Size: 137
Y Size: 146
X Offs: 0
Y Offs: 0
Left: -54
Top: -67
Right: 23
Bottom: 70

I basically split off the GFM Cloches into a separate icon, so you can place them more easily, and to represent the fact that knocking out a single cloche won't destroy the entire fortified bunker...

Hopefully, the SHP wizards can do a better job with this than I did...

[MarkSheppard]

Layout of the Magniot Gross Ouvrage of Soetrich near Metz:

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9344/soetrichek6.gif

1. EM (2 x GFM cloche, 1 x 47-mm AT)
2. EH (1 GFM cloche, 1 x 47 mm AT)
3. Blocks 5 (75-mm Gun Turret, 1 GFM cloche)
4. Block 4 (135-mm Howtz.Turret, 1 GFM cloche)
5. Block 1 (MG turret, 1 MG cloche, 1 GFM cloche)
6. Block 2 (MG turret, 1 GFM cloche, 1 Obsv cloche)
7. Block 3 (2 GFM cloche, 2 x 81 -mm mortars, 1 x 47 mm AT)
8. Block 6 (75-mm gun turret, 1 GFM cloche, mortar cloche*)
9. Small gallery serving as a drain and cable entrance
10. Magazine M-1
11. Position for armored door which closes by pressure from explosion of magazine to protect caserne - also includes a bypass around armored door.
12. Caserne
13. Kitchen
14. Position for explosives to block gallery
15. Command Post
16. Usine

Essentially, the majority of the Magniot was underground, with the GFM Cloches and armored turrets being the most numerous above ground positions.

Each bunker which projected above ground was essentially "custom designed" to fit the terrain available; making recreating the magniot line problematic without making a lot of generic icons...

[Marcello]

"Hackenberg, Block 5 Artillery casemate for 3 x 75-mm guns"

Ah, sweet memories. I did a tour of french fortresses seven years ago. On the Maginot line I visited Hackenberg and Fermont from the inside plus some others works from the outside. Bought all the materials they had, pestered the staff for info etc. If you have any question ask.

"Each bunker which projected above ground was essentially "custom designed" to fit the terrain available; making recreating the magniot line problematic without making a lot of generic icons..."

While the bunkers were modified to fit local conditions they were based on standardized patterns drawn by the CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées). While a generic icon would not be 100% it will be good enough.
Let's take the Bloc 5 for example. This is a textbook "casemate the flanquement". Each fort was supposed to have two of them (in some cases they were replaced by turrets fulfilling the same mission). They were the most important blocs of the fortress as they were supposed to cover the intervals between one fortress and the other, so that the germans couldn't just break throught there. You can find the same type of bloc at Fermont, for example, where it is labelled Bloc 4.
The only substantial difference is the position of the lift.

[Marcello]

"Cloche (the two on the ends are GFM, the center one is for an automatic mortar that was never perfected)"

Do you mean the 50mm mortar? AFAIK it was a standard feature across the line.

Besides the above bloc and the GFM cloche a few others standard types would be needed

1) The main entrance bloc (that with the narrow gauge railway)
2) the standard mg turret;
3) the standard twin 75mm turret;
4) the standard twin 82mm turret;
5) the standard twin 135mm turret;
6) An infantry bloc armed with mg;

With the ones above you could build most of the typical forts of the line. Now if you want say a 100% exact copy of Hackenberg you will have to crank out 25 icons, many of which will be non standard, but for a typical fortress the ones above will do.

[Marek_Tucan]

May I interest you in creating some Czechoslovakian forts just for the fun of it? I may supply you with floor plans etc. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif