German Field Fortifications 1939-45 by Gordon Rottman

Author:Gordon Rottman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: German Field Fortifications 1939–45
ISBN: 9781782004646
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

A light machine-gun position with a small firing platform and no parapet. A communications trench at the top connects this position to other ones. The boards lying forward of the position prevented dust from giving away its location.

A light machine-gun position with a large firing platform and a niche for the ammunition bearer. The parapet is low in order to reduce the profile of the position. This practice was first adopted in the featureless landscape of North Africa and was later used in other open areas.

2cm flak guns, single and quad, were increasingly employed in forward positions in the ground fire role, especially on the Eastern Front. When deployed so, they were positioned on their own in the frontline. The firing position for 2cm flak (Feuerstellung für 2cm Flak) was circular, 5.5m in diameter and 45cm deep, and was lined with ammunition niches and compartments for gun equipment. 2cm and 3.7cm guns were set on a slightly elevated triangular platform.

Flak positions

The Germans categorised flak gun positions according to their conditions of employment (Feldmäßig). (1) Feldmäßig: the gun was simply set up in the open and remained on the carriage. (2) Feldmäßiger Ausbau: the gun was dismounted from the carriage and positioned behind a hastily erected parapet (made of earth, sand, rocks, logs, sandbags, or packed snow). (3) Verstärkter Feldmäßiger Ausbau: a purpose-built position of planks and timber, brick, or light concrete. (4) Ständiger Ausbau: a solid, permanent, concrete position that included flak towers.

While the parapet’s exterior shape and thickness could vary, the interior dimensions of a six-sided position are given below. Square-shaped positions with approximately the same cross-section measurements were also common.

Calibre Cross-section A Sidewall B

2–2.5cm 5m 2m

2cm (quad)–4cm 6m 2.5m

5cm–10.5cm 7m 3m

12.8cm 8m 4m

2cm and 3.7cm flak platoons were positioned with the three guns in a triangle, with the point facing the expected direction of air attack. The interval between the guns was 50–75m, reduced to 30m in 1944. From that time, rather than having the guns under the control of individual gun commanders, a single command post was situated in the position’s centre.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.