Fortress Artillery

Fortress Artillery 

permanent artillery weapons of fortresses. Fortress artillery included stationary guns (usually large caliber) and movable artillery (medium and small caliber). In Russia fortress artillery included (by caliber) 24-, 18-, 12-, 6-, and 3-pound cast iron cannon; 5-, 2-, and ½-pood (16.38 kg) mortars; and 2-, 1-, and l/i-pood howitzers. For guns of larger caliber stationary mountings were used, and the guns were shielded from enemy fire in casemates, double caponiers, turrets, and armored cupolas. In World War I (1914-18), Russian for-tress artillery had 6-inch cannon and howitzers, 42-line cannon, 8-inch mortars, and medium-caliber guns. With the diminished role of fortresses after World War I, fortress artillery became unimportant.