Thursday, 01 May 2008 15:16
The bombardment of Paris during the siege of 1870, showed that strengths of 1840 (Charenton, Vincennes, Nogent, Noisy-le-sec, Romainvile ...) are placed too close to the speaker while the new rifled ordnance can bombard 8km. The new explosive shells can make a breach in a wall at 1km. The barracks roof tiles above the wall are ideal targets. The large central courtyards ("nest shells") are dangerous crossings in all directions by the enemy.
The general pattern of this new forts:
* A front facing east (opposite to the enemy)
* Two sides in the North and South
* A groove in the West (the entrance).
The courtyards are close and perpendicular to the trajectories of enemy shells. All buildings are to the test, that is to say, protected by a layer of earth at least 3.5 m. The fort is half-buried.
The general pattern of this new forts:
* A front facing east (opposite to the enemy)
* Two sides in the North and South
* A groove in the West (the entrance).
The courtyards are close and perpendicular to the trajectories of enemy shells. All buildings are to the test, that is to say, protected by a layer of earth at least 3.5 m. The fort is half-buried.
All the forts built between 1874 and 1880 have in common a polygonal characterized by specialization of the role and architecture of different elements. The action is entrusted to distant rampart guns while the close defense is provided by the gap and caponiers.
