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A glacis ( or ) in military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 engineering
Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying Technology and science knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and process that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria....
 is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment. On natural, level ground, troops attacking any high work have a degree of shelter from its fire when close up to it; the glacis consists of a slope with a low grade inclined towards the top of the wall.






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A glacis ( or ) in military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
 engineering
Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying Technology and science knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and process that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria....
 is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment. On natural, level ground, troops attacking any high work have a degree of shelter from its fire when close up to it; the glacis consists of a slope with a low grade inclined towards the top of the wall. This gave defenders a direct line of sight into the assaulting force, allowing them to efficiently sweep the field with fire from the parapet
Parapet

A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof or architectural structure. It may serve to prevent unwanted falls over the edge or it may be a defensive, constructional or stylistic feature....
.

The attackers are further frustrated by a deep ditch situated between the glacis and the wall itself, bounded on either side by the smooth, masoned scarp and counterscarp
Counterscarp

A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides of a ditch used in fortifications. In permanent fortifications the scarp and counterscarp may be encased in stone....
.

More generally, the term glacis can denote any slope, natural or artificial, which fulfils the above requirements. The etymology of this French word suggests a slope made dangerous with ice, hence the relationship with glacier
Glacier

A glacier is a large, slow-moving mass of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow, that slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity and high pressure....
.

Armored vehicles

The term glacis plate describes the sloped front-most section of the hull of a tank
Tank

A tank is a Continuous track, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and Military tactics Offensive and defence capabilities....
 or other armored fighting vehicle. In a head-on-head armored engagement, the glacis plate is the largest and most obvious target available to an enemy gunner. Anti-tank mine
Anti-tank mine

An anti-tank mine, , is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles.Compared to anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines typically have a much larger explosive charge, and a Fuse #Munition fuzes designed only to be triggered by vehicles or, in some cases, tampering with the mine....
s which employ a tilt-rod
Tilt-rod fuze

A tilt-rod fuze is device used to trigger anti-vehicle landmines. Typically it consists of a vertical pole, normally around a meter high, which is connected to the top of a landmine....
 mechanism are also designed to detonate directly underneath the glacis plate. As a result, the glacis plate is generally the thickest, most robust armored section of a tank, followed by the turret face and mantlet
Gun mantlet

A gun mantlet on an armoured fighting vehicle is an vehicle armour plate or shield attached to the vehicle's main gun or machine gun, protecting the opening through which the weapon barrel projects from the hull or gun turret armour and, in many cases, ensuring the vulnerable warhead of a loaded Shell does not protrude past the vehicle's a...
.

Geology

An erosional or depositional pediment, with little slope. Erosional glacis occur mostly in arid regions, and result from intense meteorization (weathering) and surface transport via laminar, episodic water flow.

See also

  • Fortification
    Fortification

    Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defense in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs....
  • Siege
    Siege

    A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by Battle of attrition and/or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit." A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender ....
  • Sloped armour
    Sloped armour

    Sloped armour is armour that is neither vertical direction nor horizontal plane and is typically mounted on tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles ....