Modlin Fortress - Russian Fortress Novogeorgievsk

Russian Fortress Novogeorgievsk

After the uprising the Russian rule over Congress Poland became more severe. The Modlin fortress was renamed Novogeorgievsk in 1834 and during the years 1832-1841 underwent a huge expansion, to host garrison troops who were tasked with preventing another Polish uprising, as well as defense of Russia's western frontiers. It was part of the chain of fortresses which included Warsaw, Ivangorod, and Brest-Litovsk. The most notable new work built was a huge, 2200 m long fortified barracks building, which was to serve as the last line of defense for the fortress. For the next 40 years after 1841 construction work largely ceased, and the fortress gradually became obsolete.

When relations between Germany and Russia deteriorated in the 1880s, with Germany entering the Triple Alliance potentially aimed against Russia, the decision was made to expand the fortress and upgrade it to modern standards. In years 1883-1888 eight modern forts were added, each located from 2 to 4 km from the old fortress and forming a ring. In the following years these forts were modernized. At the same time, additional defensive works were built to integrate the fortress into the larger fortified region around Warsaw.

The defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War caused a rethinking of Russian strategy. In particular the idea of concentrating forces in the interior away from the borders before hostilities began to gain popularity. This approach would eliminate the need for a chain of border fortresses to screen the mobilizing units. In 1909 when General Vladimir Sukhomlinov became the War Minister for the Russian Empire, one proposal he made was to scrap the bulk of the Russian fortress system, and Novogeorgievsk was a prime example of why they should be scrapped. The outer forts were built about eight kilometers from the citadel to protect it from artillery; by 1900, even field guns could fire past that distance.

Suhkomlinov was overruled. Instead of being razed, the fort system was slated for a 800 million ruble upgrade. A new belt of forts was to be added. The fortress was also to receive a large number of heavy artillery pieces. The intensive new construction work started in 1912 and continued almost until the German army approached the fortress in 1915 during World War I. The fortress was now designed to serve as a center of resistance deep behind enemy lines if the Russian army was forced to retreat from Poland. The works were carried out in great haste, not all equipment was fitted, and some construction materials were improvised and hence of lower quality. Even with these defects, the fortress with its 19 forts was one of the major fortifications in existence in Europe at the outbreak of World War I. The Russian high command expected that if surrounded by the German armies it would hold out for many months, serving as a major thorn in the German rear.