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32 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR
was bounded by the lower part of Shuishi valley,
which, in the shape of a triangle, stretched down
to the harbour, with its apex, forming an acute
angle, on the water’s edge, and was provided
with a series of minor defence-works and strong
battery positions. The strongest and best armed
of these was Paijushan hill, under which the old
town of Port Arthur nestled.
Although most of these works carried guns, the
enceinte fortifications in the eastern section, with
the exception of East Kikuan, were essentially
infantry positions, only armed with machine guns
and small cannon. The heavy ordnance was
mostly placed in separate positions on the inner,
higher hills, in order to draw the enemy’s fire
from the enceinte forts. The highest of these
batteries was the Wantai “ fort,” which occupied
a dominating position on the high, steep hill
behind the centre of the northern front, and which,
in connection with the “ H ” fort close by, formed
a kind of citadel or reduite for this section of the
defences. On both sides other batteries were
erected. To the east, “ M,” “ N,” Haktosan,
and others; to the west, “ H,” New Panlung,
Eboshi, and the so-called Sungshuh supporting
fort.
Behind the battery positions, again, circling
closer round the town, there was an inner line of
fortifications ;
but as these works were weakly
constructed and had been hurriedly thrown up,
besides being completely dominated by the high
battery positions, they were of little value for
purposes of defence. As a matter of fact, when
the battery positions had been stormed and
taken on January ist, 1905, no attempt was
made by the Russians to make a stand in their
secondary line of defence, and it is therefore
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