THE MILITARY IMPORTANCE OF DENVER AS A STRATEGIC DEFENSIVE POSITION!

THE MILITARY IMPORTANCE OF DENVER
as a
STRATEGIC DEFENSIVE POSITION!
by CliffMickelson
cmicke1065@aol.com



Greetings, Armchair Generals and Brevet Couch Colonels! We often hear these days of strange goings-on in and around the city of Denver, Colorado. These alleged "goings-on" are often imputed to governmental actions that are often cloaked in mystery or semi-secrecy. One such "mystery" that has long lost it's shield of secrecy is the old NORAD base at Cheyenne Mountain.

Many years have passed since that operation became public knowledge. Since that time, an endless stream of rumors of similar massive operations continue to surface on what seems like a monthly basis. Why is that? What is it about "Denver" that would attract any government attention at all? Why was Cheyenne Mountain located in such a region? The answers are readily apparent from the classical point of view of a military strategist.....
Denver is THE ideal and central location from which to run the nation! In fact north of Mexico City, it is likely the best defensive location on the continent

Nature must have been reading her copy of Von Clausewitz on the day she created the spot where the city of Denver now lies.

The immediate area is blessed with practically every geographical feature that a military strategist could wish for.

Far removed from the uncertainties of ocean and sitting at five thousand feet or more elevation, the Denver region offers immunity from the threat of ocean inundation, (due to Earth changes) that is often lacking in many low lying areas.

The geology of the surrounding area is such that it runs a low risk of volcanic activity ever becoming a serious threat.

The super cauldera at Yellowstone is far to the Northwest. It lies over 350 miles to the northwest and is shielded by several high mountain ranges. Again, due to geography, the jet stream would rarely, if ever, carry any primary volcanic emission in the direction of Denver. From a practical viewpoint of a strategic military planner, Denver has a great deal to offer. There is no other more defendable city in the continental United States or in North America. Due to the unforgiving nature of the terrain, Denver can only be approached with great difficulty from the West. Similiar environmental trials await hostile forces wishing to approach from the Southwest.
Denver's location, hard against the spine of the Rockies gives it the advantage of an absolute commanding view of any approach from other directions. Therefore, the establishment of an effective defensive perimeter is greatly facilitated for any competent general.

Such a perimeter offers the premier advantage of commanding the high ground. It offers numerous geographical opportunities for fighting retreat and retrenchment. Internal lines of communication offer defenders the best imaginable conditions for defensive logistics and maneuvers.

In the theory of war, what is good for the goose is not especially good for the gander. Any offensive land forces wishing to approach the Denver region from the East will have no choice but to cross hundreds of miles of wide open terrain under the eyes and the guns of the city. As previously stated, Denver is nearly unapproachable from the West. Any large force wishing to do so must overcome a Hob's variety of obstacles; among which, are many hundreds of extreme and formidable miles of waterless, hostile and unforgiving terrain. Additionally, Wolf creek pass, directly behind Denver, is a narrow 10,000 feet high defile.

Emigrant gap remains the most accessible gateway through the Rockies from the West. It is the only flanking location that offers enough open terrain for bulk transfers of offensive armor and heavy equipment. But this pass too, is positioned so that geography forces a wide diversion to the North; one that must advance 300 miles into the teeth of a well defined and highly defendable field of fire.

It must be kept in mind that for most of the year, well over one thousand miles of any western approach to Denver is subject to cruel excesses of both great heat and/or killing cold.

There exists little vegetation and even less natural cover. There are virtually no sustainable local resources on hand for a large armed force to appropriate. An industrial base in this region is next to nonexistent. Main highway arteries are few and far between and long distance rail lines that span the distance number less than a half dozen.Imagine if you will the North Africa operations of World War II. The Great American Desert offers all the worst of North Africa without the leavening effect of the nearby ocean for logistics and reinforcement.

As a result of such an environment, supply must be constantly provided in any offensive external operation. The resultant opportunity for logistics interdiction by defensive counter-operations is surfeit.

Thus, the hostile western geography multiplies by a factor of ten the normal military maxim concerning the ten to one advantage that is the requisite relationship of offensive force needed to effectively dislodge a determined defense.
Combine Denver's stated geographical advantage with the apparent labyrinth of underground nuclear blast proof warrens found in the region and one is at least guaranteed above average odds of survival in a worst case "bunker" scenario. All of Denver's disadvantages for an attacking land force work in a reverse proportion for the defenders.

From the East; the first line of true defense for the city is at the Mississippi River. From behind that formidable barrier, retreating divisions are able to requisition any and all foodstuffs and military/industrial supplies. They are able to then destroy what may be left in order to deny it's beneficial use by offensive forces. This is the classic concept of "scorched earth" as used so effectively by the Russians during the invasion of Le Grand Armee' of Napoleon in 1812 and against the Germans during WWII. Also, not unlike the Russians during their strategic retreat before the Wehrmacht, it is possible to disassemble factories wholesale, taking armament and other production facilities with you as needs dictate. It is here where the vital logistical advantage of internal lines of defense; as opposed to the weakness of extended lines of offense; come into important play. It's importance can tip the balance. This was a lesson the German high command learned the hard way in the eastern offensives of 1942 and 1943. From a tactical point of view, the location of Denver, (and it's airport) offers excellent operational and logistical advantages. The Midwestern plains and prairies can be stripped of their bounty, and left unusable for those who would occupy it. The bulk of the rural population, (as was often done in antiquity) can and most likely will be, barred from the city gates and left to their fate. The rational for this is the need to reduce stress on supplies. Additionally, a great many of those citizens of the city itself may be thrown to the wolves. Case in point, during the siege of Alicea, in 52 BC, Vercingetorix turned all the inhabitants of the city out. The miserable refugees found themselves trapped in a no man's land between the city wall and Caesar's lines of entrenchment's. They soon starved to death, en masse!In summery, facility of operations from Denver are obvious and should be considered as a natural given; again, due to internal lines of command and a host of other advantages. Difficulty of operations will be the domain of any one wishing to approach the city. The extensive underground works at Denver International, are in fact, a corollary to the ancient citadels of another age. These exclusive insurance policies for the secretive elite were often as not, well-prepared redoubts. In them, the core oligarchic powers, the elect of the select commanders, and the select of the elect of the faithful, would gather in hopes of surviving any breach in the city walls

. Sometimes Fortune smiled upon them and other times she would turn her face. There was then, as is now, only one common and consistent truth. The common citizen, who's hard labor and who's confiscated monies have always been the materials with which these citadels are built, are invariably the first against whom the castle doors are barred. The more things change, the more they remain the same. -CliffMickelson