Factory (fortress construction)
The term work was used in fortress construction from the 16th century onwards as an umbrella term for a single isolated fortification , built to defend strategically important points such as B. passes , port entrances and railway lines or as part of a fortress . At the end of the 19th century, the term is still used for entrenchments and small forts , especially for systems that developed from the forts and, depending on the state , were built in different designs. In order to increase the strategic value of the plants, armored components such as armored domes or armor plates were built into newly built factories towards the end of the 19th century . In the course of the expansion of the German state fortifications in the 1930s, new concepts in fortress construction came into play and from 1937 onwards, a plant was defined as an independently defendable fortress with mechanical equipment for air and energy supply .
Plants consist of several combat stalls with various types of weapons (e.g. machine guns and artillery pieces ) that are subject to uniform command. A distinction is made between closed works , here all weapons are combined in one block, and dissolved works , here the fighting stalls are arranged at some distance from the main object and connected to it via hollow passages . The enclosure with an all-round obstacle (e.g. wall, ditch or wire obstacle) and the possibility of defense on all sides (all-round defense) must be given. Plants are equipped with technical facilities for water supply and disposal, ventilation and lighting.
Examples of floor plans for works after 1871
- Flesche (smallest form)
- Half redoute (medium shape)
- Bezel (largest shape)
Armor factory
The name Panzerwerk goes back to an order from 1939 and was intended to emphasize the strength of the German fortifications. Accordingly, all factories, small factories and stands that were equipped with armored towers and had a wall thickness of at least 1.0 m were to be designated as armored factories . The structures on the Oder-Warthe-Bogen fortress front were an exception , here all structures, including those without armored towers and with wall thicknesses of less than 1.0 m, were referred to as armored works.