a defensive structure for the protection of personnel from machine gun, artillery, and mortar fire and from napalm and weapons of mass destruction. Blindages are built of reinforced concrete, wood, stone, sandbags, or industrial structures (corrugated steel and others). Blindages were first used in the Sevastopol’ Defense of 1854–55 and were widely used in World War I (1914–18) and World War II (1939–45).