Civil engineer guide to fighting positions, shelters, obstacles

AFH 10-222 Volume 14 1 August 2008 50
2.5.7.2. Materials. Civil engineer planners must work closely with the servicing
logistics function to ensure the required materials are ordered and will be
available when needed. In addition, heavy equipment, such as bulldozers and
front-end loaders, and hand tools (i.e., shovels, rakes, pliers, wire cutters,
etc.) will be needed. As an example, the next few paragraphs describe how to
construct an aboveground single-bay fighting position. NOTE: Always refer
to the manufacturer’s instructions for proper construction procedures.
2.5.7.3. Single-Bay Fighting Position. To construct an aboveground singlebay
fighting position using earth-filled containers, begin expanding the bays
of the containers and laying out the framework (Figure 2.5) and connecting
the joining pins. Make sure the flaps at the bottom of the units are folded out.
Once these actions are completed, begin placing fill material in the center of
the bays uniformly throughout the first layer. Generally, the bays are filled in
lifts no greater than 9 inches and lightly compacted using manual hand tampers
or by foot – do not use compacting equipment for this purpose. The bays
should bulge along the sides while filling. This allows them to deform to their
maximum state. Do not attempt to use restraints to prevent this deformation
process. To accommodate deformation, pull the coil hinges located at the
bottom of the bays out approximately 4 inches during initial filling. If the
containers being used do not have coil hinges at the bottom of the bays, just
pull the sides of each bay outwards. Since the example being used here involves
constructing an aboveground single-bay fighting position, a second
layer will be constructed on top of the first layer. When a second layer is to
be constructed, halt filling approximately 4 inches from the top of each bay.
Figure 2.25. First Layer – Single-Bay Fighting Position.