Killing field

Killing field

A killing field, in military science, is a field of fire, usually covered by machine guns in modern warfare. It may also be a region in which artillery, cannon, or mortars have been registered or deployed. Such a term may be used to describe the approaches to an "ideal" defensive fortification.

The term originated in medieval warfare to describe areas within castles specially designed to bunch attackers, who had breached the outer defences, into an area where the defenders could kill them easily through arrow loops and murder holes. Often these were small courtyards surrounded by high walls.


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  • Killing field (disambiguation) — A killing field, in military science, is a field of fire or a region in which artillery, cannon, or mortars have been registered or deployed.Killing Field may refer to:* The Killing Fields, a number of sites in Cambodia where millions of people… …   Wikipedia

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  • killing field — noun Date: 1983 a scene of mass killing (as from a battle or massacre) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • killing field — noun a place where many people have been massacred or killed …   English new terms dictionary

  • killing field — noun (usually plural) an area where many people have died (usually by massacre or genocide during war or violent civil disturbance) • Hypernyms: ↑geographical area, ↑geographic area, ↑geographical region, ↑geographic region …   Useful english dictionary

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