Fortifications

[Admiral Scott]

Does increasing fortifications help protect land units from air, land and sea bombardments?

[Platoonist]

Alfred once stated that fortifications provide three major benefits generally.

(a) they shield troops from suffering casualties
(b) they improve the adjusted assault value modifier
(c) attackers need their adjusted combat odds to exceed or equal the fortification level +2 to capture the hex

I'm assuming (a) applies to bombardment of all types. I'm also assuming the higher the fortification level the deeper the bunkers and the thicker the pillboxes. A lot of assumptions I know.

[BBfanboy]

Years of experience with bombardments confirms that forts do reduce the losses. It's still a die roll thing so there will be times when the losses are higher than expected but on average they are lower with higher forts.

[btd64]

So in conclusion yes, but there is a die roll of course....GP

[Kull]

Alfred once stated that fortifications provide three major benefits generally.

(a) they shield troops from suffering casualties
(b) they improve the adjusted assault value modifier
(c) attackers need their adjusted combat odds to exceed or equal the fortification level +2 to capture the hex

I'm assuming (a) applies to bombardment of all types. I'm also assuming the higher the fortification level the deeper the bunkers and the thicker the pillboxes. A lot of assumptions I know.

I found a post once where Alfred was asked if forts shield troops during air attack and he answered, "Yes". His "Fortifications 101" (4 posts from the bottom in the link below) has the three benefits you cite, but doesn't answer this question directly. However, it seems likely that "shield from casualties" means they help against all attacks, not just Ground.

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 6#p2621046

[Platoonist]

I've always figured the really high fortifications numbers represented something akin to the Japanese practice of using the earth's crust as a shield between them and massive US firepower by tunneling, excavating and connecting caves. Since fighting from underground seemed to go a long way towards nullifying all types of bombardment it seems logical it would be reflected in the game even at lower fort levels.

[RangerJoe]

Don't forget that at some point, fortification levels at a base include barrage balloons. So DBs beware on your pullouts as well as 4Es flying low at night . . .

[Sardaukar]

One of my minor amusements is that units without engineers cannot fortify a base (or of course build), but AFAIK they can fortify outside base.

Would be logical that any unit could fortify at base too, they do have shovels... And digging trenches and foxholes is pretty basic stuff. Thus I'd like any unit being able to fortify anything lets say to fort level 2 (maybe 3, but that'd probably be too much without engineers).