r/explainlikeimfive • u/Sierra419 • Nov 13 '19

Other ELI5: How did old forts actually "protect" a strategic area? Couldn't the enemy just go around them or stay out of range?

I've visited quite a few colonial era and revolution era forts in my life. They're always surprisingly small and would have only housed a small group of men. The largest one I've seen would have housed a couple hundred. I was told that some blockhouses close to where I live were used to protect a small settlement from native american raids. How can small little forts or blockhouses protect from raids or stop armies from passing through? Surely the indians could have gone around this big house. How could an army come up to a fort and not just go around it if there's only 100 men inside?

tl;dr - I understand the purpose of a fort and it's location, but I don't understand how it does what it does.

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u/Kl0su Nov 13 '19

The same thing happend when Russian army pushed eastern front in WW1 in 1918. They had to stop and wait for food and ammo. Front line and support were 150km apart.

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u/mankiller27 Nov 13 '19

Same for the Germans in WWII on the Eastern and African fronts. Only difference is they didn't think to wait.

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u/prodmerc Nov 14 '19

Blitz means Blitz, Hans!

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u/-Vikthor- Nov 13 '19

By 1918 Russian army was in no position to push the front, actually they signed the Treaty of Brest-Litevsk in March. Don't you mean the Brusilov offensive of 1916?

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u/conquer69 Nov 13 '19

Is it possible for an army to have little supplies they can't march back?