"Best Fort for Defense": French Military Use 17th Century Structures in Mali

The French military has recently suffered a string of casualties in Mali, a Central African country that Paris uses as one of its bases for regional influence.

French troops are concentrated here in a number of fortified strongholds. As noted by the publication Defensionem, during the construction of fortifications, structures of fortresses of the 17th century are used. Aerial photographs of two military bases are cited as evidence.

The camps, built by the parachute engineering regiment, are designed to keep large territories under control. They are designed in the form of pentagons with redans - fortified protrusions towards the enemy. In addition, at least one of the strong points is surrounded by a moat. This design allows defenders to fire at the enemy from multiple directions, without allowing the attackers to take cover.

As indicated, it was first developed four centuries ago by the famous French military engineer Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban. Then this fortification showed high efficiency, allowing it to withstand long sieges. Given the lack of Malian rebels and jihadists drones, mortars, tanks и aviation, the storming of the 17th century fort will be too tough for them in modern conditions, the publication believes:

What better defense than the good old Vauban fortifications.

Base opérationnelle avancée temporaire vers Ménéka, style Vauban, reality en 2018 par le 17e régiment de Génie parachutiste (qui a signé son ouvrage en haut à droite)
En attendant (peut être un jour) une vue aérienne du camp en étoile de Labbézanga (le long du fleuve Niger) ... pic.twitter.com/DDCl06pdiR

- FdeStV (@Marsattaqueblog) August 19

Comments

[Free wind]

It seems like the Romans, the Greeks and the Egyptians used similar fortifications. I wonder if they knew about this valiant guardian Vauban.

[Uncle lee]

17th century constructions

And even earlier .... The system has been worked out for centuries!

[Andrey Yuryevich]

Quote from Uncle Lee

"Best Fort for Defense": French Military Use 17th Century Structures in Mali

the enclosed space is ideal for "vacuum bombs" -ag. the French are romantics.

[Alexfly]

Where do black fundamental people get vacuum bombs? Have you already delivered or are you just about to? Do not forget the airplane with the airfield, otherwise it will not fly ...

[oleg-gr]

"Given the lack of drones, mortars, tanks and aircraft among the Malian rebels and jihadists, the storming of the 17th century fort will be too tough for them in modern conditions." Lots of ifs. Given the appearance of kamikaze drones, this tactic will not justify itself. The manufacture of such drones in a handicraft way can be organized. An example of Syria is just.

[raw174]

The manufacture of such drones in a handicraft way can be organized. An example of Syria is just.

It is impossible, without the support of a technologically advanced side, the militants themselves will not build anything. We need engineers and material resources.

[Flashpoint]

Quote: raw174

The manufacture of such drones in a handicraft way can be organized. An example of Syria is just.

It is impossible, without the support of a technologically advanced side, the militants themselves will not build anything. We need engineers and material resources.

Or one good sponsor ...

[vladcub]

"one good sponsor", and such a dime a dozen. Always and everywhere have their own: "Rockefellers". What will prevent the local "Rockefeller" from stirring up a little war against the neighbors, and at the same time nagging the frogs?

[Free wind]

A petrol braid motor, an aliexpress cheap airplane, a roll of scotch tape, a couple of grenades, and what kind of engineers are needed there? Yes, and the militants are not quite good, there are also education.

[raw174]

Quote: Free Wind

A petrol braid motor, an aliexpress cheap airplane, a roll of scotch tape, a couple of grenades, and what kind of engineers are needed there? Yes, and the militants are not quite good, there are also education.

Well, try to personally build something more or less suitable for bombardment, with control and an acceptable payload, since it's so simple ... "Yes, I can let the aircraft carrier go to the bottom if I'm lucky ..." (from movie "Features national fishing "). Easier said than done.

[Runway]

VIP inside LDPE and reciprocal RPM (including with the use of UAVs).

[Maki Avellevich]

in vain they.
schyas Carthaginians will roll up with catapults and end the fort.

[tralflot1832]

And from the Maidan the catapult will not work, did the "possessed" also have it?

[Catfish]

This is unlikely, since "Carthage must be destroyed" (c), and destroyed, and this is so ... attempts from weakness.

[Simargl]

Quote from Uncle Lee

And even earlier ....

Unlikely: this form became the most popular with the advent of guns. At the same time, the walls became not high, but very thick. Revelines must provide crossfire along the walls.

[certero]

No. the stars appeared just in the 17th century, after the spread of guns.

[Bar1]

and in Russia too, Smolensk

Krasny Yar Samara region

[nnm]

It seems that there are not so many direct analogies, but in this case, the French themselves remind me of themselves under Dien Bien Phu ...
Although, what else can you think of in such a flat and open area - either such a concentration, or, conversely, dispersal.

[Crimean partisan 1974]

either a similar concentration, or, on the contrary, dispersal .......... yes, there is no need to invent anything ... the main thing is what is the goal of a foreign army in the region ... if a punitive goal, then there is nothing to such forts, ... just a carpet-cleaning ... if the total external influence nadot then put a monkey, give the monkey a penny for the quasi-army and let them kill each other more. and then come in and take that hosh ... and about this fort-misunderstanding ... one installation of the Grad is quite enough, even with an excess of it ... and what has this wealth spread throughout the world in abundance ... barefoot Houthis in Yemen won't let you lie

[alexmach]

It seems like the Romans, the Greeks and the Egyptians used similar fortifications

It seems as if not. This configuration of fortifications is typical of the era of firearms. And the development of artillery in the first place led to its appearance.

[Undecim]

You are absolutely right. This is called the bastion system of fortifications, sometimes called the "Italian bypass" (trace italienne), as it arose at the end of the XNUMXth century in Italy, as a response to the development of artillery. Classic medieval walls with cannonballs did poorly. By the way, one of the creators of this system was the famous Michelangelo. And it was Vauban who brought it to perfection.

[vladcub]

It is natural that Vauban took into account the experience of his predecessors in his projects. I'm interested in something else: Greeks or Romans: whose experience did they use?

[Stas1973]

None of the above were used.

[tralflot1832]

Therefore, they are sitting in this fort, no matter where they poke around. No one has canceled the SVU, they only drove away from the fort, only the wheels remain from the vehicles. Everyone is "happy"!

[Runway]

My comrade-Red Army soldier, across the river, quite successfully with his "MSV" (a little more than a dozen fighters-times .... s, group and T-55 in a trench on a cut-off hilltop) in a mini-"fort" quite successfully "With spirit dehkans.
And movement outside the full track in the steppe / desert, as well as returning to the LDPE in a different way, adds health.
If the aborigines do not have a group from 30mm and above, then the Franks may not jump.

[tralflot1832]

In the photo, the road from the fort is too rolling, they are lazy. They don't want to arrange Paris Dakar.

[Runway]

There, the approaches to the sighting of a personal rifleman are like a table (they were built by mechanization, I would drive a bulldozer / grader through ravines / lowlands, if I could not - I shot / mined).
So departures in the visual control area are not critical.

[faiver]

I need to tell the Malians about 82mm and 120mm mortars, cheap and cheerful ...

[Tavrik]

Well, there were "mortars" under Vauban. Mortars were called.

[Captain45]

was first developed four centuries ago by the famous French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. Then this fortification showed high efficiency, allowing it to withstand long sieges.(C)
Well, it's not for nothing that they say that everything new is well forgotten old.
And in order to judge the effectiveness of this structure, it would be good to have statistics of attacks, what weapons were used in the attacks of the fort, the number of killed / wounded among the attackers and defenders. Our peacekeepers in Karabakh are also building strong points, as in the defense of the Sevastopol batteries, only instead of gabions (wicker baskets with earth) they put metal containers with sand and gravel filler.

[pyc.arpeccop tornado 150]

Trump has decided to announce his election victory and is suspending the withdrawal of the aircraft carrier. The next move, the declaration of a state of emergency and the start of the war with Iran. With the pretext for the anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani, it will be much easier than even with the "discovery" of weapons of mass destruction for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 or with the "capture" of the German radio station in Gleiwitz for the beginning by Germany WWII.

[pyc.arpeccop tornado 150]

Sorry, I stuck it in the wrong branch.

[Eldorado]

The cause of the great Vauban lives on!

[pyc.arpeccop tornado 150]

"Best Fort for Defense": French Military Use 17th Century Structures in Mali

With whom you lead, from that you will gain.
Today's militia fighters Mali.

[Catfish]

Wow, the Vauban Forts are still in favor, that's what it means - the genius of his craft.

[Pandiurin]

First of all, attention is paid to the curved road around the base. Apparently there are minefields. Those. the main thing is that it would not be possible to drive directly to the base on a jihad mobile. Fortification trenches and most likely a thorn. What kind of a 17th century it is, it is rather a WWI, the beginning of the 20th century.

[Konnick]

Quote: faiver

I need to tell the Malians about 82mm and 120mm mortars, cheap and cheerful ...

Do you think the French are sitting outside the walls and see nothing? Surely they also have a loitering UAV for viewing the terrain and other bells and whistles sufficient to destroy these mortars already during installation in position.

[yfast]

The mortar will add some fun to this fortress. And you can't run away.

[alexwolf63]

The presence of water is the main fortress. Isolate from the flow of water into a given camp and how long they will last. Thirst takes any fortress. For a sip of water, they themselves will leave from there.