Caponier

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Caponiers in Mainz on Feldbergplatz
Citadel Cyriaksburg in Erfurt with several capons

As caponier ( French derivation from Italian capone = Big Head ) or Caponnière referred to in Fortifikationswesen ( fortress ) a fixed covered or solid brick passage or space from which the defenders with guns or even guns attacker on the sole of fixing trench could shoot. A caponier protrudes above or on the outside of the fortification wall, in contrast to a throat trunk , which protrudes from the back ("throat wall") of an outer bastion, or the trenches , which are let into the contrescarpe , i.e. the enemy side of the fortress trench , and through a tunnel under the moat is connected to the interior of the fortress.

Two-storey, horseshoe-shaped capons were of particular importance at the "New German" fortress . They were used to bombard enemies who had already advanced beyond the glacis and into the trench. In addition, a parapet made of earth was often built on the roof , which protruded over the glacis. This enabled the apron to be caught fire.

With the further development of heavy artillery , especially the development of the heaviest mortars and the specification of indirect fire in the run-up to the First World War , capons only had a theoretical defense value. The fortresses of the New German manner could for the most part no longer serve their purpose and had been replaced by significantly smaller structures for which the extensive caponiers no longer made any sense. Fortresses only consisted of a number of detached works distributed around the site, which were equipped with a throat case at best. Fortifications were seldom stormed by infantry , but mostly abandoned after heavy artillery fire.

Today you can see such capons in Germany for example at the federal fortress Ulm , the state fortress Ingolstadt , the fortress Minden , Citadel Petersberg , Citadel Cyriaksburg , Fort de la Colle de Noire or the Munot in Schaffhausen .

See also

literature

  • Volkmar Ulrich Meinhardt: The Minden fortress. Shape, structure and history of a city fortress . Bruns, Minden 1958, ( Mindener contributions to the history, regional and folklore of the former Principality of Minden 7, ZDB -ID 503480-2 ).
  • Christiane Hoffmann, Martin Beutelspacher: When Minden was a fortress (1500–1873) . Homilius, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-931121-81-X , ( The historical place - Fortresses 82).

Web links

Commons : Caponniere  - collection of images, videos and audio files