The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia
An authoritative history of the defensive lines built in Central Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

After the Napoleonic Wars the borders of Central Europe were redrawn and relative peace endured across the region, but the volatile politics of the late nineteenth century generated an atmosphere of fear and distrust, and it gave rise to a new era of fortress building, and this is the subject of this highly illustrated new study. The authors describe how defensive lines and structures on a massive scale were constructed along national frontiers to deter aggression. The Germans, Austro-Hungarians and Czechs all embarked on ambitious building programs. Artillery positions, barbed-wire networks, casemates, concrete bunkers, trench lines, observation posts all sprang up in a vain attempt to keep the peace and to delay the invader. The strategic thinking that gave rise to these defensive schemes is described in detail in this study, as is the planning, design and construction of the lines themselves. Their operational history in wartime, in particular during the Second World War, is a key element of the account.
"1119627656"
The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia
An authoritative history of the defensive lines built in Central Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

After the Napoleonic Wars the borders of Central Europe were redrawn and relative peace endured across the region, but the volatile politics of the late nineteenth century generated an atmosphere of fear and distrust, and it gave rise to a new era of fortress building, and this is the subject of this highly illustrated new study. The authors describe how defensive lines and structures on a massive scale were constructed along national frontiers to deter aggression. The Germans, Austro-Hungarians and Czechs all embarked on ambitious building programs. Artillery positions, barbed-wire networks, casemates, concrete bunkers, trench lines, observation posts all sprang up in a vain attempt to keep the peace and to delay the invader. The strategic thinking that gave rise to these defensive schemes is described in detail in this study, as is the planning, design and construction of the lines themselves. Their operational history in wartime, in particular during the Second World War, is a key element of the account.
39.95 In Stock
The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia

The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia

The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia

The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia

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Overview

An authoritative history of the defensive lines built in Central Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

After the Napoleonic Wars the borders of Central Europe were redrawn and relative peace endured across the region, but the volatile politics of the late nineteenth century generated an atmosphere of fear and distrust, and it gave rise to a new era of fortress building, and this is the subject of this highly illustrated new study. The authors describe how defensive lines and structures on a massive scale were constructed along national frontiers to deter aggression. The Germans, Austro-Hungarians and Czechs all embarked on ambitious building programs. Artillery positions, barbed-wire networks, casemates, concrete bunkers, trench lines, observation posts all sprang up in a vain attempt to keep the peace and to delay the invader. The strategic thinking that gave rise to these defensive schemes is described in detail in this study, as is the planning, design and construction of the lines themselves. Their operational history in wartime, in particular during the Second World War, is a key element of the account.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781526796936
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication date: 06/13/2024
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.70(w) x 9.30(h) x (d)

About the Author

H W Kaufmann, PhD, is a retired professor, and they live in the United States. Their most recent books on fortifications are The Maginot Line, The Atlantic Wall, The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States and The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Neutral States.

J.E. Kaufmann is a retired teacher and presently an adjunct professor at Palo Alto Jr. College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Glossary of Terms ix

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

The Central Position 1

The Changing Face of Fortifications 5

Chapter 2 Defending the Second Reich 7

From the Ruins of Empire 7

Other Fortifications of the Confederation 13

The German Confederation 14

The Winds of War Bring Change 15

Armour 19

Building for the Next War 22

Military Theorists and Fortifications 28

How Secret were the New German Forts? 31

On the Eve of the Great War 33

German Fortifications of the Great War 36

German Fortifications from 1890-1918 40

German Fortification Terms 45

Chapter 3 The Monster in the Middle 48

Peace with Revenge 48

Rebuilding the Military and the Defences of the Reich 49

Guide to German Bunkers and Fortification Components 56

The East Wall 58

East Wall Statistics 69

Cost v. Production and Tank v. Cloche 70

East Prussia 71

To the West Wall 72

The Backbone of the West Wall 86

Regelbau 88

Chapter 4 The Third Reich at War 92

The War 92

Hitler's View 95

Sectors of the West Wall and Defence in Depth 102

Regelhau Charts 104

Regelbau of the West Wall 105

Preparing for the Last Stand 110

The German National Redoubt/Alpine Festung 116

The Vallo Alpino 120

The Kugelbunker 131

Chapter 5 The Feeble Giant 133

From the Austrian to the Austro-Hungarian Empire 133

Austrian Military Engineers 143

Przemysl, Austria's Bulwark in the East 145

The Southern Fronts Since the 1880s 151

Austrian Artillery and Armour 156

Fortifications of Austria-Hungary during the War 161

Chapter 6 The Cockpit of Europe 173

In the Middle 173

Defensive Lines 175

Czech Weapons and Armour for Fortifications 186

The Beneš Line: The Czech Maginot Line 191

Ready for War 203

Czech Army on Mobilization - September 1938 208

Chapter 7 Conclusion 211

Appendix I Vallo Alpmo 215

Appendix II Hungary, Economic Bastion of the Reich 220

Appendix III Selected Sites Open Today 224

Appendix IV What Makes an Effective Fortification? 229

Notes 231

Bibliography 243

Index 247

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