466 
ATTACK OP A MODERN LAND FORTRESS. 
cupolas, turrets or armoured casemates) and placed in batteries in the 
intervals (“ exterior batteries”); the reason being that the forts, as a 
rule, must occupy commanding situations and offer easy marks for the 
attacking Artillery, and any guns in them unprotected with armour 
would be quickly disabled ; by removing them, also, the fire of the attack 
is drawn off from the forts. 
BattSs ^ these exterior batteries are placed too far from the deta-ched forts 
they run the risk of capture by a coup-de-main. We may expect to find 
them, therefore, more or less grouped round the Key-forts of the section 
of the defence to which they belong, and flanked and protected by their 
fire of Infantry, quick-firing and machine guns, supported also by that 
from the field-works in the intervals. 
Detached Of the types of detached forts to be met with, suffice it to say that 
they will vary between the simple earthen redoubt with parapet sloping 
into the ditch (which will be provided with an iron fence or other ob¬ 
stacle) and the more elaborate work with masonry escarp (or detached 
wall) and counterscarp, the ditch being flanked by caponiers or counter¬ 
scarp galleries. All will have bomb-proof casemates for the defenders 
when not required to man the parapets, and guns may or may not be 
mounted on the ramparts. The more modern works are provided with 
a few guns in cupolas, turrets, or armoured casemates, but, with this 
exception, the tendency is for the detached fort to be merely an in¬ 
fantry keep ; but as has been previously stated this is far from being 
universally the case. 
As these forts will be at least 7000 yards from the town, in general 
the perimeter of the fortress will be about 25 miles, that of Paris being 
as much as 90 miles. 
the d D a efenoe f question of the positions chosen for, and the use and employment 
' of, the various natures of ordnance of the defence requires the most 
careful consideration, in order that we may arrive at a clear understand¬ 
ing of the problems presented for solution by the attack. 
The ordnance may be classified as follows 
(1.) The heavy natures of guns mounted in cupolas or turrets, on 
disappearing mountings or high-parapet carriages. 
(2.) Heavy howitzers. 
(3.) Movable armament of Medium, Field, Quick-Firing and 
Machine-guns. 
(4.) Movable armament of light howitzers. 
(The heavy howitzers in our service are included in the movable 
armament : they are not so classified here for convenience, as when 
movable armament is alluded to hereafter the more mobile pieces are 
meant). 
Class (1.) Heavy Guns. —Now, with reference to guns, the first 
point that must most carefully be borne in mind is that they are man- 
hilling weapons and that their role is shrapnel fire against troops or 
gun-detachments exposed, and that owing to the flatness of their 
trajectory they are in no case able to obtain the same amount of cover 
as howitzers. 
