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Barrage Fire
(300 words)

Barrage Fire

A “curtain of fire” created by the artillery, that is the intense, concentrated shelling of a section of terrain to prevent attacking infantry from approaching a defensive position, or to isolate an enemy position from its rear area.

The barrage was not aimed at identified, visible targets, but instead sought to deny the enemy movement through a specific area by employing a maximum amount of firepower. Fire distribution and adjustment of the firing batteries had to be completed on schedule as part of the artillery prepara…

Cite this page
Storz, Dieter, “Barrage Fire”, in: Brill’s Digital Library of World War I. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-3786_dlws1_beww1_en_0053>
First published online: 2015



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