BOMBARDMENT, the concentration of artillery fire against fortifications, troops in position or towns and buildings. In its strict sense the term was formerly applied only to the bombard ment of defenceless or undefended objects, houses, public build ings, etc., the object of the assailant being to dishearten his op ponent, and specially to force the civil population and author ities of a besieged place to persuade the military commandant to capitulate before the actual defences of the place have been re duced to impotence. The term was loosely employed to describe artillery attacks upon forts or fortified positions in preparation for assaults by infantry, and this use has now become customary and authoritative. The object of such a bombardment, prelim inary to the assault, is to destroy the defences. to destroy or neu tralize the weapons of the defence and to demoralize the