Getting some Zs
Posted: 19 January 2008 23:04
I've been playing with Google Sketchup again and recreated the Z1 anti-tank scaffolding that was erected along hundreds of miles of beach in 1940-41.
Z1 was basically a standard steel tubing framework designed to impede tanks and at first glance, the idea seems to be idiotic. However, Z1 was actually deemed to be the most efficient anti-tank barrier as long as tanks could not charge it at speed.
The soft sand on a beach made it hard for a tank to gain enough momentum to break through, and Z1 was also used inland, the manuals recommending it be erected behind anti-tank ditches, again preventing it being rammed. It appears from the documents that there was also an anti-boat variant of the scaffolding.
The scaffolding was about 9-10 feet high, with about 5 feet between each vertical upright; it seems that 4 or 5 of these sections were bolted together and then carried down onto the beach and fixed to the end of the line with extra crosspieces.
Below is the 3-bay section I constructed as seen from behind (the defenders' side); the tube protruding at left would be bolted to the neighbouring section.
The image below shows an extended line placed in Google Earth.
It was acknowledged that Z1 used an enormous amount of steel, but I didn't really consider just how much until I constructed a section and began extending it. The image below shows a section of about 50m in length! When you consider that a double row of Z1 was erected along some stretches of the coast, you have an idea of the effort and material that went into it.
My reconstruction is actually too uniform and neat because I constructed one short length and copied it numerous times to produce a long line. Photographs of Z1 being constructed show all sorts of irregularities and extra members employed to reinforce a joint or to negotiate bends in the coastline.
The images below show the Z1 from different angles.
- Pete
Email:
Blog Latest
Bishopstone reveals its pillbox secrets
18 October 2021
Pillbox or Observation Post?
10 June 2020
Uncovering the hidden secrets of a pillbox
8 June 2019
Review of 2018
31 December 2018
Wartime Christmas in East Sussex (2)
24 December 2018
Jargon-buster
Anti-tank ditch
Ditch designed to hinder movement of tanks and AFVs. Ditches could be entirely artificial or existing ditches or natural features such as rivers, might be dredged, shaped and revetted to improve their effectiveness.
Scaffolding
Two designs of obstacle were constructed from scaffolding; Z0 anti-boat and Z1 anti-tank scaffolding. The framework was deemed the best anti-tank obstacle for beaches, providing a tank didn't have a good run up. Erected from about 1941, scaffolding was very labour-intensive and used an enormous amount of steel.
This site is copyright © Peter Hibbs 2006 - 2024. All rights reserved.
Hibbs, Peter Getting some Zs (2024) Available at: http://www.pillbox.org.uk/blog/216539/ Accessed: 20 April 2024
The information on this website is intended solely to describe the ongoing research activity of The Defence of East Sussex Project; it is not comprehensive or properly presented. It is therefore NOT suitable as a basis for producing derivative works or surveys!