In 1830, in Austria, the archduke Maximilian made an entirely fresh
departure with the defences of Linz. The idea was to provide an
entrenched camp at the least possible cost, whose works should require
the smallest possible garrison. With this object Linz was surrounded
with a belt of circular towers spaced about 600 yds. apart. The towers,
25 metres in diameter, were enclosed by a ditch and glacis, and
contained 3 tiers of casemates. The masonry was concealed from view by
the ditch and glacis. On the top of the tower was an earth parapet, over
which a battery of 13 guns fired _en barbette_. In order to find room
for so many guns in the restricted space, the whole 13 were placed
parallel and close together on a single specially designed mounting.
This new departure was received with a certain amount of approval at the
time, which is somewhat difficult to account for, as a more faulty
system could hardly be devised; but the experiment was never repeated.
The credit for much of the clear views and real progress made in Germany
during this period is due to General von Brese-Winiari,
inspector-general of the Prussian engineers.
France, for a few years after 1815, could spare little money for
fortifications, and nothing was done but repairs and minor improvements
on the old lines. Belgium, having some money in hand, rebuilt and
improved in detail a number of bastioned fortresses which had fallen
into disrepair.
[Illustration: FIG. 38. The Fortress of Antwerp.]
In 1830 France began to follow the lead of Germany with entrenched
camps. The enceinte of Paris was reconstructed, and detached forts were
added at a cost, according to von Zastrow, of L8,000,000. The Belgian
and German frontiers of France being considered fairly protected by the
existing fortresses, they turned their attention to the Swiss and
Italian frontiers, and constructed three fortresses with detached forts
at Belfort, Besancon and Grenoble. The cost of the new works at Lyons
was, according to the same writer, L1,000,000 without the armament. Here
and elsewhere the enceinte was simplified on account of the advanced
defences. That of Paris, which was influenced by political
considerations, was a simple bastioned trace with rather long fronts and
without ravelins or other outworks; the escarp was high and therefore
exposed, and the counterscarp was not revetted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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