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This is a quick and dirty "Paint Drawing" of how to fortify a structure for Urban Warfare/Combat called officially MOUT (or Military Operations in Urbanized Terrain)... This is not a set or fixed SOP and it doesn't have to be done this way...
The above image is merely a collection of conceptual principles based on the urban warfare docturine and training of the U.S. Army. So I am going to address the above image because this is where you want to start.
Now I don't know what the event or scenario will be. I don't know what you are preparing for. I am simply describing basic principles and letting you decide wherr they fit in at for you...
1. Look out/radio man... This is a very important job which allows for communications with those outside the home stead. Small holes can be cut into the roof to allow one to observe the grounds, sky lights on the sides of pitched roofs can do the same and video cameras can be used as well or in addition to.
2. The attic marksmen can fire from the small gap under the roof. And it can be a secondary position for the radio man to fulfill.
3. Second floor look out, this is basically a bench rest style shooting platform that uses a small desk or table and sand bags stacked against the wall, on the table and undwr it to provide cover. Since the shooter is in the back of the room behind a thin curtain and with other sheets, blanks or curtains hung behind them the window will appear "dark" from the outside. This offers concealment and maintains the non-threatening appearance of the "gray man's home" with the fire power of a small dug in fire team or squad.
4. 4a & 4b are both "right and wrong" so let me explain.
What's right is making a sand bag barrier under to the sides of the windows to stop bullets...
What's wrong os leaning out the windows with guns aimed. This highlights the fact you have people armed, dug in and capable of defending your home stead.
5. The door way needs a Sandbag barricade to stop and limit the view inside the home. This allows the door to only part way and allows anyone behind the barricade to fire at any threats trying to force their way in.
6. The basement firing position. Furniture and sand bags can be used to build a firing platform and here is the logic, the ground provides a small position for the attacking force to ain at and it allows the basement shooter to use what is called grazing fire. Grazing fire is fire fired with the express point of traveling anywhere from a few inches to a foot off the ground, grazing the grass as it were. This means enemy forces attacking and trying to low crawl (belly crawl) under the fire from the windows or first story will get hit, even if not fatally.
7. Blast Shelter: If you have kids or elderly who cannot fight, this is were they need to go if something does happen. The blast shelter is made by using a desk or table and reinforcing the legs with sandbags, as well as, stacking sand bags on top of the desk or table. Even of some nut-job throws a "pipe bomb" in the house they are safer in the basement under the sand bags.
8. Fences: If you don't have a fence on your property before something goes wrong, you need one after. Even it is a simple barbwire fence on one inch by one inch pickets. This is a clear boundary that provides a "Do Not Cross" Line. And, you can tie fishing line and bells to fence, so that anyone moving the fence to gain entry trips a kind of primitive alarm system.
9. "Toe Poper" a cheap landmine made by the Viet Cong. Simply a nail in the bottom of a small hole with a rifle shell, over the nail. Step on the shell, the primer pushes against the nail and sets of the shell which blows off part of your foot.
Note: This is illegal but, effective and, you should not make this or anyother booby traps.
10. Puji Stake Trap: Another Vietnamese booby trap, known as a Dead Fall or Bear Trap in the West. Basic odea is to dig a hole, 1 to 5 feet deep and place sharpened stakes in the ground, with a camouflaged lid. If an attacker steps on the lid, they fall onto the stakes.
Note: This is illegal but, effective and, you should not make this or anyother booby traps.
11. Inverted Spike trap: Another VIetnamese Booby Trap, this one is made by digging a hole roughly 1 foot by 1 foot and 1 to 3 feet deep. Boards with nails driven down at a 45 degree angle could then be used to support the sides of the hole. When someone steps on the camouflaged lib or simply into the hole they suffer only minor scratches. It is upon removing the leg that the nails dig in and lacerates the leg. Forcing an attacker to remove caught in the trap meaning that any allies would have to come into one's field of fire to be a casualty or suffer the morale loss of having watch a fellow member of their little band suffer in place.
Note: This is illegal but, effective and, you should not make this or any other booby traps.
All the described hazards to an attacking force would be secired behind one's fence. Also protecting the general public from where one has built a defensive barrier to protect one's family.
12. Scouts: Now Scouts are the most important element here. They are the "gray men" of the group. They look and act like the "zombies" (unprepared masses). They also report back to the people in the house and alert to possible threats...
Hell these Scouts can be or even remote controlled drones to collect information without directly putting anyone in danger. If the Scouts need to fight, they should have a rally point with combat style gear being stored there and work in teams no smaller then 2 people. Scouts can harass an entrenching force that is dug in outside said home stead.
Though it is important to keep in mind, no matter how well prepared you are. A large enough force can over power any position. So scouts means you can be aware of the threat, before ot becomes a danger and abandon the shelter rather then be over powered.
13. Guard Dog(s): A trained guard dog is an asset. Its senses are more highly attuned then your own. It will sense danger before you do and it will get between you and a threat. An untrained dog will many times react much the same way. The different is with a trained animal they sit when told to sit, stay when told to stay and come here when told to cone here. And attack when told to attack.
You want to keep them in to protect them from your hazards set up to keep others out. Now if you are concerned with why you might need to do all this... Allow me to address that.
Scenarios for a Secured Home:
1. Civil Unrest and Violence in the Home: That's right a riot or out of control protest could not just involve looting stores but, breaking into homes to rob the occupants... Racism, politics, the assumption of racism, religion or culture can all be a situation where others think attacking a group of people for whatever excuse is a good idea...
Know whats a better idea? Having sandbags in the basement ready to go, having pickets and barbwire strings in the basement and having food and water stocked up to keep your family fed and safe.
2. Natural Disasters: In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there were roving gangs of looters and young people assaulting other people in broad daylight. It wasn't the hurricane or the flooding that was the worst part, it was the human response aftwrward.
3. Economic Collapse: This is a case where there is no major disaster or end of world scenario. There is a lost of assets and people have to pool resources to get by. In these cases many people will become desperate and turn to crime, criminals will become bolder and emergency services like police, EMTs and Fire Department might be able to help you and if you are dependent on a central location to grow and raise food, shared use of a vehicle and protecting your loved ones from a criminal threat...
Well you do what you gotta do. Americans living on the frontier used to build homes that were defendable against small forces of raiders and bandits. This is just a more scientific and planned means of doing so.
Final Note: Don't Forget BOB.
Even with a harden and dug in position, you can get over ran. If some criminal threat figures out a potato gun can launch a pipe bomb or fire bomb, if 300 mutant biker zombies or cannibal marauders come your way or God forbid your very own government comes knocking. You might need to give ground and bug out. Just cause you have food, safety and security today, doesn't mean you will tomorrow.
More to come in our new up coming amd soon to be released book Which will be an expansion of the American Homeguard Anti-Terrorist Handbook... Official name not yet finally decided.
