Blockhouse

Model of the Fort Pitt blockhouse

In military science, a blockhouse is a small fortification. It usually has one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire rifles or handguns in various directions.[1] It usually refers to an isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery. A fortification intended to resist these weapons is more likely to qualify as a fortress or a redoubt.

In modern times, it may be a pillbox, a small underground bunker. However, a blockhouse may also refer to a room within a larger fortification, usually a battery or redoubt. The term "blockhouse" is of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Middle Dutch blokhus and 18th-century French blocus (blockade).[2]

Blockhouse Media

References

  1. Stephen C. Spiteri (2010). "Illustrated Glossary of Terms used in Military Architecture". ARX Supplement. MilitaryArchitecture.com: 637. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  2. "blockhouse (n.), blockade (n.)", Online Etymology Dictionary