A Global History of Modern Field Fortifications

A sweeping global history of field fortifications, tracing the evolution of defensive tactics, terrain usage, and military innovation from World War I to today.

A global history of field fortifications, tracing the evolution of defensive tactics, terrain usage, and military innovation from World War I to today.

Military historian Earl J. Hess fills major gap in military history by exploring how defensive structures have shaped battlefield tactics from World War I through the modern age. Hess traces how mobility, mechanization, and combined-arms warfare in World War II transformed the role of fieldworks, how Cold War conflicts in Korea and Vietnam revived entrenched defensive tactics, and how 21st-century wars, like Iraq and Ukraine, continue to rely on earthworks, bunkers, and obstacles. This book shows that by the end of the 20th-century, field fortification is still a durable, adaptive, and universal feature of modern warfare

This work is essential for historians, military professionals, and readers interested in understanding the deeper mechanics of warfare. It reframes how we view battlefield preparation, tactical innovation, and the legacy of military engineering.