Quote:
Originally Posted by _1SMV_Gitano
You are probably right about revetments in the Western Desert (Lybia and Egypt).
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That does seem to be the case, even for airfields like Tobruk. My guess is that the war there was so fluid, and building materials so scarce, that they got used for infantry and gun positions.
Where there was more time to plan and better supply lines, there were more fortifications.
Also, there were 4 major powers fighting in the area - UK/Commonwealth, Germany, Italy & France. All of them probably had different engineering designs and specifications, as well as whatever field-expedient fortifications local commanders dreamed up.
Looking at the photos you provided, I'm seeing 7 different blast pen designs:
V-shaped, C-shaped, S-shaped, N-shape, a "crab claw" extended C-shape (Ariana airfield), an "anchor" or "arrow"-shape (|->, Protville West) and truncated V-shaped (like you showed originally), as well as the ]-shape or E-shape that we've already got in the game.
For the V-shaped designs, some are closed at the base of the V, while others have a narrow "S"-shaped passage through the walls for ease of access and, perhaps, shelter. Still others have "double V" design (<<), which might be a wall within a wall, or might be a structure faced with stone or sandbags and filled with dirt.
For the C-shaped designs, some are clearly structures made using stone or sandbag facings and filled with dirt. They'd probably have flat or rounded tops, as opposed to the pyramidal, or truncated pyramidal cross section that a rammed earth revetment would have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by _1SMV_Gitano
All major Axis airfields had tens of shelters of different size, as shown by Allied recce and later by Engineering Command surveys.
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Are the Engineering Command Surveys available online?
Are there field fortification manuals available?