Gorge (fortification)


A gorge in fortification construction is the rear part of an independent fieldwork or detached outwork in front of the main fortress or defensive position.
Towards the end of the 18th century, when the Vauban style of fortification was no longer desirable or able to be used, military construction engineers began instead to build self-contained outworks in front of fortresses. These outworks were, as a rule, in the shape of a bow facing the likely enemy approach and designed primarily to defend attacks from that direction. The "chord" of the bow was only weakly fortified and consequently the most vulnerable side of an outwork or fieldwork – hence the name "gorge". The design of an outwork or fieldwork was such that its gorge could still be reached from the fortress or main defensive position by artillery or rifle fire and could therefore still be covered by fire.

Literature