U.S. Zombie Tactical Squad

In the defense against a zombie invasion, nothing works better than a good strong wall.  Zombies of all types have a difficult time climbing, and will typically wander around a barrier rather than attempt to scale it.

For that reason, there is little better defense for your shelter (either temporary or permanent) than a well built, tall wall.  But there are some tips and trick we suggest in order to make a wall more defensible than simply laying row upon row of brick.

Materials

While brick will be plentiful immediately after a zombie outbreak, either laying on open palettes at your local hardware store, or from abandoned nearby structures, it is not our first choice for building a defensive wall against the undead.  Rather, we suggest you choose cinder block where available.

The reasons for cinder block over brick are twofold.  First, most cinder blocks are hollow.  Now at first this would seem to make a breach in your wall more likely, but this is not the case.  Fill the hollow areas with concrete and rebar for reinforcement, and you will not only add to the strength of your wall, the individual blocks will be interlinked making the whole of the structure more solid and less susceptible to penetration.

Second, due to the hollow option, you can leave some of your rebar standing out over the top of the wall, giving you both easy handholds for those times when you have to defend, and an easy place to attach razor wire, barbed wire, or other additions to your defensive front.

Remember, in the weeks and months after a zombie outbreak you will not only be defending yourself from zombies, but other humans as well.  Rogue groups will likely spring up and any additional defensive measures you can set up are strongly recommended.  Razor and barbed wire are two options we recommend using atop any wall or defensive structure (more on this later.)

If you are unable to procure enough cinder block to fully surround your position, then our second recommendation would be the afore mentioned brick.  As we mentioned it is easy to come by, making it a go-to choice merely for convenience and speeds sake.

On top of convenience, a multi-layered brick wall is strong, sturdy, and anybody with an elbow and a hand can lay brick.  That’s not to say that proper masonry isn’t an art in itself, but for a defense against a zombie onslaught professionalism can be foregone for speed and easy.

After brick the best material for a wall is, surprisingly, wood.  We’re not talking about a bunch of 2x4s from the local Home Depot though.  We’re talking full grown trees, felled, cut, and fit together to make as high a wall as possible.  Think a log cabin without the roof.  The interlocking nature of the trunks lead to a strong design, and if properly done, the wall can even be sloped outward (more on this later as well.)

Regardless of what material you use to build your walls, whether it be cinder block, or a pile of crushed cars, there are some additional tips in making that wall stronger, and more importantly more defensible against any number of zombies trying to get in.

Additional Fortifications

A tiered or multi-layered defense is preferred so after your wall is up and depending on the proximity of any zombies there are additions that should be considered.  Now whenever you are building, including the erection of the wall itself, you have to take the terrain and available materials into account.  If you are in an urban area, you’ll want to do your best to procure rebar, razor wire, barbed wire, any lengths of precut wood, and any digging or entrenching tools you can get your hands on.

First, work outside your wall.  dig a trench around the entire structure and as deep as you have time to make it.  Since zombies are not known to jump (and in fact may not be capable of jumping) this gives you another defensive line.  When digging, pile the excavated material in towards your wall, and make the outside edge shallower.

Most zombies will simply fall into the pit on one side and attempt to climb out the other, depending on depth.  If they are able to climb out, you will have more time to line up your shots and take them out.  If they aren’t they will wander around the pit until it is full, they leave the pit by the lower edge on the far side of the wall, or until the trench is full.

If and when the moat is full, and if you have available materials, fill it with flammables and light it on fire.*  Burning the zombies in the trench is a double bonus.  You clear your pit, and if any more zombies wander in at that time, you’ll get them too.**

Now, assuming you’ve had time to dig your trench and have yet to see or hear an approaching group of zombies, don’t stop working.  Remember, tiered defense is better, so start cutting down trees or remove other structures in your line of sight.  The better your field of vision, the sooner you’ll be able to see your attackers and make preparations for when they reach you.  Additionally a good sniper will be able to take out individual zombies before they are in reach of your camp, and possibly before they alert other zombies.

At this point, and again time willing, take some of the wood you’ve cut or support beams from the structures you’ve removed and create an interlinked barrier out beyond your trench.  If you have been able to acquire any, string razor wire or barbed wire along the top of and over any holes and breaches to this barrier.

Razor or barbed wire act as snags and can slow down any invading force be they zombies or human attackers.  This wire will not protect you completely, but can give you the extra few seconds you need to make the necessary head shot, or to clear out in the face of overwhelming forces.

These three tiers should be enough to begin with, though if you have more time, by all means build more.  But before you create a larger defensive barrier move back and look at what you have built already.  If you’ve done it correctly you should have multiple rings of defense, and very likely it is quite obvious.  So start to think about what to do about that.  You do not want to draw attention to yourself in any way, so start thinking camouflage.

Camouflage

In urban areas you want to make your structure look like it’s a crumbling abandoned hulk.  Other than ensuring that no one is visible during either day or night you should do what you can to make your structure look like it’s been burnt out and abandoned.  This is where the art of maskirovka comes into play.

Light torches and burn the facade.  Do not light fire to the building or your defenses, but make it look like they’ve been through a fire.  Build false fronts to parts of your wall and knock them down.  Make sure there isn’t a ramp created by the tumbled area, and have a team go out and review your work.  Does it look truly tumbledown?

Now, do the same with the other structures you’ve created as well.  Paint can work in lieu of actually burning in places and can encourage the rusted look to your fencing and wire barriers.  Additionally transplant trees and shrubs into the lower areas of your barriers giving it the look that it’s gone untended for weeks, months or years.

Continuously check your work, and adjust it where necessary.

Inside the Wall

Now that you have an outer defense built, start working on reinforcing that work inside.  Keeping up your maskirovka, build a few towers to increase the distance you can monitor.  Build up the inside of your walls as well.  Think of how castles were built during Medieval times.

If you have the material build that inner walkway just below the level of the wall.  This will give you a good area to monitor your surroundings, and allows you complete coverage on all sides of your structure.  Additionally, build an overhang to your wall.  This makes it harder for the undead to climb over each other and grab hold of the top of your wall (assuming they make it that far.)

Follow Up

So you have your structure built, and you’ve defended it with the best walls and barriers you can possibly create.  You’ve put a great deal of back breaking labor into your creation and you’re well defended from the undead.  But what happens if the outer barriers are breached and there is a horde of the undead climbing your walls.  It is only a matter of time before a breach occurs and there is nothing you can do about it.

At this point you should run.  Use your fallback plan, and take your prepared escape route and get out.  Yes, it’s sad that you’ll have to move to your secondary (or possibly tertiary) position and start over again, but it’s better that than becoming dinner.

No matter what you have built or accumulated you may have to give it all up in the face of a zombie horde.  Don’t become too attached to anything or any place.  In the face of a zombie attack your life is the most important thing, for if you do not survive, neither will the human race.

*If you have a wall of felled trees make sure your pit is far enough away from your wall to avoid any flame, fire-breaks are a necessity with this type of wall.

**Zombies are known to be attracted to flame, but are not wary of its danger.

Photo Credit:  Vizzzual

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