Pickett-Hamilton Fort – British Disappearing Pillbox

In 1939, with the looming threat of German invasion, the British Isles became what could be called a veritable porcupine (hedgehog may be a better term). The beaches were adorned with Dragon’s Teeth and Czech Hedgehogs as the land beyond was festooned with pillboxes and bunkers of varying types. One more innovative design which came about late that year was the Pickett-Hamilton Fort.

The Pickett-Hamilton Fort was a small pillbox, sized to fit a Bren team, which was halfway underground while in use. The fort had a single hatch on its roof, though depending on the location a larger entrance to the pillbox would be in a nearby hill. The concrete pillbox itself was on a set of pistons in a cylindrical hole in the ground, allowing the pillbox to be lowered flush with the ground or street. Once adopted early in 1940, these small bunkers were placed on strategic roads, beachheads, and in the countryside, though their most prominent use was at airfields. A primary role for these forts was to be little devils for Fallschirmjagers, springing up as gliders landed or attacking paratroopers who had not yet found their weapons. An extended pillbox could also serve as an impromptu obstacle for a landing glider… though the Bren team would likely be mentioned posthumously from then on.

This file was designed for and printed in FDM, though I see no reason why it wouldn’t work fine in resin. This was one of my first files, so please don’t judge too harshly. The pack includes an extended pillbox, a lowered pillbox, an unlucky lad’s destroyed pillbox, and two bases—one dirt and one street or concrete. Happy defending!