PRECIS 
AND 
WEIR 2A, INS Thy ay PTE ©) INT 
FROM THE 
“REVISTA DI ARTIGLIERA E GENIO.” 
Ottobre e Novembre, 1894. 
FORTRESS WARFARE. 
TRANSLATED BY 
MAJOR R. M. B. F. KELLY, R.A. 
La Guerra di Fortezza (L’azione dell Artiglieria) E Rocehé maggiore, del Genio. 
1.—ORGANIZATION, 
The defences of an important fortress should be organized in concentric lines 
each one within artillery range of and under the fire of the guns of the next inner line. 
The lines would be (1) the enceinte of the central nucleus or town or position to 
be defended; (2) the main line; (3) the advanced line. In addition there would 
be a second or retired line forming a chord between two points in the main line. 
These external lines should follow wherever possible the crest line of a ridge or 
series of ridges, and an interior line should if possible have command over an 
exterior one—vide Fig 1. 
Functions and defences of the various lines.—The external line should virtually 
be a carefully selected site or sites on which a defensive battle would be fought 
before the mobile portion of the garrison withdrew behind the main defences, and 
before the place could be regularly invested. The defences of this line would be 
obtained by placing the existing features of the country between the 2000 to 3000 
yards zone from the main line, woods, farm-houses, villages, streams, and the like, 
ina state of defence; and by constructing such trenches and field-works as might be 
necessary. 
The function of this line is to force the enemy to fight a pitched battle and to 
win a carefully prepared defensive position before he can invest the fortress or 
commence his siege operations. 
The main line of defence should consist of a chain of permanent forts, capable of 
giving each other mutual support and connected by lines of trenches, with gaps 
for the withdrawal of the mobile army when forced to fall back. The great bulk 
of the defensive artillery would be placed in these intervals in guasi siege batteries. 
The position and character of the defences for the advanced line and for the inter- 
vals in the main line having been carefully decided on in time of peace the works 
10, Vou, XXII, ' 
