British Fortifications, 1485-1945
An Illustrated History

By (author) Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage

ISBN13: 9781476689715

Imprint: McFarland & Co Inc

Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc

Format:

Published: 31/03/2024

Availability: Available

Description
This book details British fortifications used from the Tudor period beginning in 1485 through the end of World War II in 1945. With the advent of firearms, the Tudor period indeed opened a new chapter in the histories of Britain, fortification and warfare. By 1500 AD, Britain and Europe at large entered a new phase, marked by the foundation of colonial empires and a broadened sphere of influence and rule. During the following centuries, British sailors, ruthless adventurers, fighting men, and greedy merchants laid foundations to fortify the most widespread and most prosperous colonial Empire the world had ever seen. This text focuses on British coastal fortifications and on combinations of fortresses used for more general strategic purposes. Featured structures have protected points of vital importance, such as capital cities, military depots, ports, harbors and dockyards at essential locations in Britain and throughout the British Empire.
Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Tudor Fortifications Historical Background, 1485–1603 Residential Palaces Henry VIII's Coastal Forts The Elizabethan Era (1558–1603) Bastion Fortifications Early Bastioned Fortifications in England Part 2: Bastioned Fortifications in the 17th and 18th Centuries The English Civil War Fortifications During the English Civil Wars Anglo-Dutch Wars Wars Against Louis XIV's France Jacobite Rebellion British Fortifications in North America American War of Independence British Fortifications in the West Indies British Fortifications in India and Asia Part 3: British Fortifications During the Napoleonic Era Napoleonic Wars Martello Towers Coastal Forts Dover Western Heights Chatham Dockyard Defenses The Royal Military Canal The Lines of Torres Vedras Part 4: Fortifications in Britain in the 19th Century Britain in the 19th Century Polygonal Fortification Palmerston Forts Sea Forts Defense of Dover ­Ferro-Concrete Fortification Defense of London Part 5: Fortifications in the British Empire in the 19th Century Colonialism The British Empire Colonial Fortifications British Fortifications in Canada British Fortifications in Gibraltar British Fortifications in Malta British Fortifications in India British Fortifications in New Zealand and Australia British Fortifications in South Africa British Fortifications in the Boer Wars Part 6: British Fortifications in World War I The First Phase of the War Trench Warfare Tactics and Weapons Allied Victory Part 7: British Fortifications in World War II Evolution of Fortifications in the Interwar Operation Sea Lion Anti–Invasion Preparations Coastal Defenses Inland Fortifications FW3 Pillboxes Obstacles Sea Forts Churchill's Command Bunker Evaluation German Fortifications in the Channel Islands Other Theaters of Operation Conclusion British Fortifications Today Appendices 1. British Kings and Queens, 1485–2022 2. British Prime Ministers, 1721–1945 Bibliography Index
  • Architecture
  • Military history
  • Castles & fortifications
  • Professional & Vocational
Height:254
Width:177
Spine:6
Weight:0.00
List Price: £49.95