"Historical fortresses against alien invaders" Topic

It dawned on me that of all the Major European Powers the British are the least well provided with fortifications defending the landward approaches to their capital city and other major urban areas during the later Victorian/Edwardian. In either the Anglo-Hive War or the Martian Invasion London has almost no functional landward defenses whatsoever. The cities of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, The Austrian Empire and the German Empire are generally protected by fortress rings or at the least older city walls. London has pretty much nothing. Now in the Hive War the aliens get stopped at the edge of Somerset. In War of the Worlds the aliens march right into London and straight on through. Although the heat rays are deadly they are line of sight weapons and most period fortresses mounted high angle howitzers and mortars. Tripods versus Brailmont fortifications would make an interesting fight.

There was a ring of land forts around Portsmouth built in the 1860s but they were not as up to date as the Brailmont style.

There were the London Defence Positions. A couple of them aren't far from where I live.

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Tripod beta to Tripod leader: Sarge, why ain't we advancing on the 'uman dugouts?

Tripod leader: We're waiting for the bloody wind to change. Be a shame to waste the green and black killing the dead bodies behind us, you git!

Doug

Yes, I suspect that Martian 'gas warfare' would be just the ticket for dealing with human fortifications.

-Will

Ironically, reinforced concrete will be the perfect defense against Martian heat rays. Just make the walls tall and steep enough that they can't climb over them.

The major ports of the Royal navy had landward defenses, often called Palmerston's Follies since he was the PM that funded them. Built in the 1850s-1860s they certainly were not up to the standard of continental fortifications built 10-30 years later, especially after the invention of high explosives changed everything and brought about a revolution in design and construction. The London Defense Positions are a bit later and are interesting as they were never intended to form a defensive line, but were more to support he mobilization of the Volunteers.

In HQC the fortifications of Plymouth (built at the same time as the defenses of Portsmouth and other locations like Chatham) play a critical role in defeating the Hive.

Any forts would have initially been vulnerable to chemical warfare but they could have been protected from gas fairly easily.A lot would depend upon how quickly the Martians could move compared to how rapidly effective gas countermeasures could be put into place.

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Here is a great site on the period British fortification

.A lot would depend upon how quickly the Martians could move…

I'm figuring the real question would be how quickly the Martians could bring in real weapons of war instead of the obvious simple pest control of the first wave.

Doug

I would think the Royal Navy would be a tad bit cross about building fortresses around the capital. After all, the paramount function of the RN is to keep invaders from making landfall in the first place.

Yes, but as steam engines were introduced there was a MAJOR crisis of confidence in government circles about the ability of the RN to prevent a landing by an enemy army. The basic thinking was that with sail-powered ships the RN had a very good handle on how to prevent an enemy force getting out and then to a suitable anchorage, but with steam powered ships the potential enemy options expanded immensely. Even folks like the Duke of Wellington advocated fortification of the coast and further inland. The RN *did* disagree with this assessment, but it took a couple of decades before their opinion became the dominant one again.

-Will

Doug
That is a good question and there are several ways to answer it. If the heat ray is a Martian fly swatter what do they use for big game?

Fair dinkum, but I was talking about other that line-of-sight.

I was thinking strictly of the Martian 'fumigation'.

Doug

No, the Martian Heat Ray is a brush-clearing tool, just like a flamethrower today.

So your typical Wellsian tripod has an engineering tool and a chemical sprayer.