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.