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The carbon steel casemate was intended
for hosting a
heavy MG (generally a FIAT 14/35 model) where a front action was required
and the terrain flatness advised against the choice of too visible solutions
(concrete casemate with a minimum thickness armour). The HMG steel casemate was made
in two models: the first model was made up by assembling two parts, while the other one
was made up by four steel
parts. The double parts model was intended for flat land defensive works where some suitable roads would have allowed
heavy trucks to separately carry the
steel components. On the other hand, 4 parts models should have been used in highest sectors so as to be each
part transportable by cableways. Some slight differences can be observed between steel
casemates of eastern sectors in former Jugoslavia, but all seem to be models made up by two
parts.
The upper part was a cupola making up
the whole firing chamber (typical trapezoidal plan, inside dimensions: 1560 x
900mm), while the second part was a steel cylinder the
cupola would be inserted into. The two parts were impressively heavy and not
comfortable (for 1930's standards) either to carry or to set on place: infact
the cupola weight was about 20000kgs, while the lower cylinder weight was
about 10000kgs. The cupola armour had variable thickness
depending on the side: the front armour (it had the embrasure and the
HMG carriage) was about 300 mm thick, while the armour thickness of side
parts of the cupola, its roof and its rear part varied within 220-250 mm
range. The cylinder also has the trapezoidal plan of the cupola keeping the same inner dimensions. As of
the cylinder armour, its thickness is 150 mm on the front side, while it's 80 mm on sides and rear base.
The steel cylinder (2.4m
high) was vertically set
into a ground pit and sealed in it being the space between
the cylinder and the nake rock filled by concrete (the typical terrain on Carso country consists of a
deep continuum of more or less compact limestone seldomly hidden by a poor 5-10 cm surface layer of earth). After being tightly inserted into the lower
cylinder, the cupola was additionaly bolted on two huge oblique steel screws
deeply thrusted into the rock. The casemate cupola also would be then buried into
the concrete to make up a circular concrete structure having an over all diameter
of almost 6 m. Everything would be finally covered by earth and debris so as to be
even more flush with
the terrain line.
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