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In This Section:

• Introduction to Fortification
• Early Artillery Fortification
• Bastion Fortification
• Perpendicular and Polygonal Fortification
• 20th Century Fortification
• Artillery
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Home Page Photos

Members are invited to send any interesting fortification photos they have taken to webmaster@fsgfort.com for use on the home page gallery.  The top banner image is of Fort Ronce on the French-Italian border and was taken by FSG member Mike Brock.

Forte Stella (Charles Blackwood)

Located above Porte' Ercole in Tuscany, Forte Stella was built by the Spanish following their successful attack in 1555 of a series of earlier fortifications protecting the port.  The inner part of the fort has a tenaille trace and is designed for musketry defense.  This is surrounded by an outer encente with four bastions.

 

The Fahrpanzer was a mobile turreted 5.3cm Gruson quick-firing gun introduced in 1890 and intended to be part of the armament of a permanent fortification. It would be served by a two man crew in action and could be moved into position either on a narrow gauge rail track or on a horse drawn road carriage. Used by Germany during World War One, many had also been exported prior to the war and were used by other nations.

 

Fortezza Spagnola (Charles Blackwood)

The Fortezza Spagnola, Porto Santo Stefano Tuscany is a large 16th century coastal gun tower built buy the Spanish. The land front (pictured) protects the coastal battery on the far side from the high to the rear resulting in a stepped profile. The stairs leading up to the entrance were probably added at a later date.

 

Porte' Ercole (Charles Blackwood)

Porte' Ercole is situated on the eastern shore of Monte Argentario, a volcanic island in southern Tuscany. A chain of fortifications was built by the French along the ridgeline (pictured) which were later either demolished or replaced by the Spanish. Fortezza di Santa Barbara is now located on the left most high ground with Forte Stella on the right hand peak.

 

Needles Searchlight Position (Alastair Fyfe)

Looking out over the Needles to the western approach to Portsmouth, the searchlight position is on the most westerly point on the Isle of Wight. It is reached via a spiral staircase descending from the parade ground of the Old Needles Battery and a brick lined tunnel 150 feet in length. Built in 1895 as a submarine mining cell, it was converted to a searchlight position in 1899 following the early experiments with searchlights in 1890 to 1892 below the northern face of the battery.

 

N-S 82 Brezinka Infantry Casemate (Mike Osborne)

Built in 1937 as part of the Czech Maginot Line fortifications protecting the border with Germany, N-S-82 Brezinka was armed with a 4.7cm anti-tank gun and five 7.92mm heavy machine guns. Exposed frontal walls are 2.25m thick, the roof slab 2m thick and other walls 1m thick. Since 1989 the blockhouse has been in the process of restoration.