The Western front was based on the old scool urban defense.
In early times ramparts and moats was very much the same. Shaped as the blade of a saw with its teeth pointing towards the enemy. (In french Trassé creamillet)
This made it possible to fire in an angle of maximum 90 degrees, and prevented blind angles.
The overall purpose was to to be able to fire at the enemy from maximum range, moving the fire at he moved forward, even when he started to pass the moat and climb the ramparts.
The Profile of the Western Front
The Western front, or the Western Enceinte, startes at the coast og ôresund south of the city. It then stretched in a slight semicircle west of the city up north, to the Utterslev Moor.
One moat with ramparts in a distance og 14,3 kilometres.
On the ramparts there were 13 permanet batteries with concrete ammunition storages. Beside them a lot of batteries were prepared, but not armed.
On the southern part of the enceinte, there was primarily 12 cm. guns and on the Northern part 15 cm. guns. Also some 9 cm. field guns were mounted on the ramparts.
The Defense of the Moat
The defense of the moat was speciel.
The constructor, lieutenant colonel Sommerfeldt from the the engineering corps, had in cooperation with general Brialmont from Belgium developed an, for the time, unique defense system.
In the moat, every 600 meters, a bunker (caponiere) was placed that could shoot along the moat and the ramparts in direction of the next bunker. Flanking fire with one 75 mm. gun and two machine guns in direction of the next bunker.
The main idea
The main ide was based on the fact, that the enemy first had to advance trough the open terrain under fire of the heavy 9, 12 and 15 cm artillery.
The most critical point for the enemy would be, when he should pass the 8 feet deep moat. At this point he was taken under flanking fire from a 75 mm. rapid firing cannon and two 8 mm machine guns (2 barrel mitralleuse) from the bunkers (caponieres) in the moat.
These Bunkers were supported from the ramparts by infantry and machineguns.
Known blind angles and crossing points in the moat, was covered by small bunkers with 2 machine guns at the ramparts.