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> It kinda advertises the defender position. Which can be a point. What do you do if you're a foot soldier and such a bunker is on your way? First, you stop. M

> It kinda advertises the defender position. Which can be a point. What do you do if you're a foot soldier and such a bunker is on your way? First, you stop. Maybe your platoon tries to find a way around it, maybe you call reinforcements (direct fire) to take it out, maybe you set up a heavy machine gun to suppress it while you cross it. But all of this takes time, which is one of the main purposes of such defensive structures - to slow the enemy down. Interestingly, such a bunker will partially work in this role even if it's unoccupied, since making sure it is in fact empty will still take time. Now consider that there's almost a million of such bunkers slowing you down. You also have to consider the era, today they'd be an easier target than in the 1970s.

bruce511 2y ago
If it's just a random box you move left or right and keep going. Sure there might be a conversation, but frankly it's not gonna slow the army down more than a smoke break will.
- phil21 2y ago
  The density of these things needs to be seen to truly grasp the scale. Assuming they were actually all manned and able to provide interlocking fire as designed (a large assumption) - there would be no moving left or right. There would simply be another bunker or three in your next chosen path.
  - The_Colonel 2y ago
    I've visited Albania and their placement seemed quite random to me. Possibly there was some system in place which I didn't notice (I didn't go to study them specifically). They made up their deficiencies in numbers, but it's a question of how many would be manned and supplied in case of war. I've also visited one interwar Czechoslovak fortification complex, and these were completely different beasts with an elaborate design (network of connected fortifications, vast underground spaces/infrastructure...). But they were also much more expensive to build than the rudimentary Albanian designs.
    - euroderf 2y ago
      > interwar Czechoslovak fortification complex Got a pointer/URL ? Sounds interesting. Czech design always stands out.
      - pcvpcvpcv 2y ago
        Here it is https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_border_fortifications https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_border_fortific... Sadly it was never used. Czechoslovak politians just decided to give up to Hitler
        GJim 2y ago
        > Czechoslovak politians *just decided* to give up to Hitler "I think you will find it's a bit more complicated than that". Sir is falling into the trap (alarmingly common in the USA) of simplifying history to the point of meaninglessness. Indeed, you would do well to understand why the UK and France ceased their support for Bohemia in an act of appeasement; an act that certainly wasn't taken lightly and was itself done for complex reasons, partly arising from the trauma of the Great War that was still fresh in many minds.
        GJim 2y ago
        The clueless downvoters are out again!
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- singleshot_ 2y ago
  If you bypass a fortification, you just earned yourself an attack behind the front on your supply lines. The seems unwise. This is the secondary point of a fortification (unless something has drastically changed since I was taught these matters).

bruce511 2y ago

If it's just a random box you move left or right and keep going. Sure there might be a conversation, but frankly it's not gonna slow the army down more than a smoke break will.

phil21 2y ago
The density of these things needs to be seen to truly grasp the scale. Assuming they were actually all manned and able to provide interlocking fire as designed (a large assumption) - there would be no moving left or right. There would simply be another bunker or three in your next chosen path.
- The_Colonel 2y ago
  I've visited Albania and their placement seemed quite random to me. Possibly there was some system in place which I didn't notice (I didn't go to study them specifically). They made up their deficiencies in numbers, but it's a question of how many would be manned and supplied in case of war. I've also visited one interwar Czechoslovak fortification complex, and these were completely different beasts with an elaborate design (network of connected fortifications, vast underground spaces/infrastructure...). But they were also much more expensive to build than the rudimentary Albanian designs.
  - euroderf 2y ago
    > interwar Czechoslovak fortification complex Got a pointer/URL ? Sounds interesting. Czech design always stands out.
    - pcvpcvpcv 2y ago
      Here it is https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_border_fortifications https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_border_fortific... Sadly it was never used. Czechoslovak politians just decided to give up to Hitler
      - GJim 2y ago
        > Czechoslovak politians *just decided* to give up to Hitler "I think you will find it's a bit more complicated than that". Sir is falling into the trap (alarmingly common in the USA) of simplifying history to the point of meaninglessness. Indeed, you would do well to understand why the UK and France ceased their support for Bohemia in an act of appeasement; an act that certainly wasn't taken lightly and was itself done for complex reasons, partly arising from the trauma of the Great War that was still fresh in many minds.
        GJim 2y ago
        The clueless downvoters are out again!
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
singleshot_ 2y ago
If you bypass a fortification, you just earned yourself an attack behind the front on your supply lines. The seems unwise. This is the secondary point of a fortification (unless something has drastically changed since I was taught these matters).