Since ancient times, such structures and buildings were erected that made it possible to protect the city, the fortress from enemy attacks. Scientifically, this type of structure is called a fortification. From the lessons of history, we remember that ancient settlements were specially built in hard-to-reach places, for example, on hills or at the confluence of rivers. Later, it became popular to erect artificially created barriers around fortresses and settlements in the form of ramparts, ditches, and walls made of raw stones.
Wartime requirements
As the armies were formed, the military art became powerful and actively developed. Since that time, military fortifications have become known, when entire field fortifications were erected. Thanks to such engineering buildings, weapons and military equipment have become more efficient, it has become easier to manage troops, and defense against enemy attacks has become more reliable. Modern fortifications can be of the following types:
- trenches, trenches that are built for firing;
- observation and command posts are needed in order to observe our own and enemy positions and managearmy;
- crevices, shelters, dugouts, shelters are designed to protect both personnel and military equipment;
- message passages, posterns are galleries that are created underground or inside some kind of structure in order to hide the message.
A fortification is thus a reliable way to protect your army, people and equipment from enemy attacks. And earlier their number was supplemented by various artificial obstacles in the form of ditches, scarps, counterscarps, gouges, which were considered important components of castles, fortresses and forts. But during the Second World War, artificially erected buildings began to be considered independent fortified positions called non-explosive barriers. All this can be combined with the concept of "the simplest fortifications", since they are built simply and quickly enough.
Open or closed designs?
From the point of view of design features, such structures can be open and closed. For example, cracks, trenches, trenches are open, their peculiarity is that protective structures are installed in separate places, while the entrance to them remains unprotected. In such a protective place, you can hide from bullets, shell fragments and mines. A closed-type fortification is being built around the entire perimeter, and provides better protection from both conventional weapons and larger-scale ones, such as nuclear weapons.
From the point of view of construction conditions and operational features, protective structures can be long-term and field. The first ones are made most often in peacetime and for a long time: durable materials are used to create them, water and electricity are supplied here, since sometimes the army stays in such a place for a long time. In wartime, a field fortification is most often erected, which is made from materials at hand (stones, brushwood, woods).
Today, more and more advanced structures are appearing, for the manufacture of which reinforced concrete, corrugated steel, and synthetic materials are used, which have unique protective properties. Moreover, such structures can be easily transported along with the army.
