A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the French caponnière, meaning "chicken coop" (a capon is a castrated male chicken[1]).[2]
In some types of bastioned fortifications, the caponier served as a means of access to the outworks, protecting troops from direct fire; they were often roofless. Although they could be used for firing along the ditch, the flanks of the bastions were the main defence of the ditch by fire. In later polygonal forts, caponiers were often roofed and were not intended as a type of covered way, but as the main way of keeping the ditch clear of a besieger.
^'Capon' in Cambridge Dictionary (online). Retrieved 4 January 2018
^Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Caponier" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 286.
A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt...
main body of the fort by a tunnel which passed under the ditch, or by a caponier, a gallery built across the floor of the ditch. Counterscarp: European...
approaches. The Caponier building in the ditch served as barrack accommodation for 24 men. With its iron window-shutters and rifle slots the Caponier also provided...
long south-east facing loop-holed wall for musketry fire, together with a caponier projecting northwards to flank the fort's northern face (see plan). Although...
facilities. Some of them played independent historical roles. The Kosyi Caponier ("Skew Caponier") became a prison for the political inmates in the 1900s–1920s...
the fort. The north caponier is a full caponier because it points in two directions. The other five caponiers are demi-caponiers because they face in...
fort became very low indeed, surrounded outside the ditch covered by caponiers by a gently sloping open area so as to eliminate possible cover for enemy...
batteries and close range armament, mounted in one full and two demi-caponiers. Barracks accommodation was also provided for both officers and other...
for example in the mutually supporting bastions of star forts, and the caponiers of later fortifications. Fire is delivered so that the long axis of the...
House (Delaware) British hardened field defences of World War II - Pillbox Caponier Casemate Chartaque Chardak Fort King George in Darien, Georgia Fort Pitt...
entrance with a caponier, one of only three surviving in Scotland (the others being at Craignethan and Stirling Castle). The caponier, a passage within...
removed gun QF 12-pounder gun at the fort The caponier at the foot of the cliffs The stairs leading to the caponier Eastbourne Redoubt Pevensey Castle Newhaven...
necessary at the Heights, and the Drop Redoubt had its defences improved. Caponiers were added to four of the corners of the existing fort (each with a stone...
these three sides. A caponier, a rare feature in US forts, projected into the ditch to defend it against attack. Two smaller caponiers enclosed the ends...
Bernardine Gate Kościuszko monument Arms Gate Vasa Gate S. Borek House caponiercaponier Wawel Cathedral St George's Chapel St Michael's Chapel Royal Kitchens...
fronted by ditches defended by covered firing galleries known as caponiers. One of the caponiers survives and is accessible from Guardhouse Square by a narrow...
position; also commonly used as command centres for high-level officers. Caponier: a defensive firing position either projecting into, or traversing the...
remained dry. The ditch is ably protected by a grand caponier to the west with smaller demi-caponiers at the north, southwest and south salient angles. A...
reinforced stone and concrete structure situated within a ditch, with caponiers at the corners for close range defence. Its symmetrical layout, with two...
systems on the casemate gun carriages were installed on the fort's caponiers and semi-caponier. More than 15,000 different caliber shells and 300,000 rounds...
block. Its north projection has one full caponier to defend the dry ditch, and has two smaller demi-caponiers at the corners. A small musketry gallery...