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pillbox

(Encyclopedia)pillbox, small, low fortification that houses machine guns and antitank weapons. Similar to a blockhouse, it is usually made of concrete, steel, logs, or filled sandbags. Pillboxes came into use durin...

Rundstedt, Karl Rudolf Gerd von

(Encyclopedia)Rundstedt, Karl Rudolf Gerd von kärl ro͞oˈdôlf gĕrt fən ro͝ontˈshtĕt [key], 1875–1953, German field marshal. He proved his exceptional abilities in World War I. In World War II he commanded...

Ismay, Hastings Lionel Ismay, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Ismay, Hastings Lionel Ismay, 1st Baron ĭzˈmā [key], 1887–1965, British general, known as “Pug” Ismay. He served in India and, during World War I, in Africa. During World War II he held simul...

Angell, Sir Norman

(Encyclopedia)Angell, Sir Norman, 1872?–1967, British internationalist and economist, whose name originally was Ralph Norman Angell Lane. He came to fame with The Great Illusion (1910, rev. ed. 1933), in which he...

Knudsen, William Signius

(Encyclopedia)Knudsen, William Signius no͞odˈsən [key], 1879–1948, American industrialist and U.S. government official, b. Copenhagen, Denmark. He emigrated to the United States at age 20, worked in various fa...

capital levy

(Encyclopedia)capital levy, form of taxation by which the government takes part of the capital of any person or business, as distinguished from a tax on personal or business income. It is usually applied to all cap...

aircraft carrier

(Encyclopedia)aircraft carrier, ship designed to carry aircraft and to permit takeoff and landing of planes. The carrier's distinctive features are a upper deck (flight deck) that is flat and sometimes sloped to fu...

battleship

(Encyclopedia)battleship, large, armored warship equipped with the heaviest naval guns. The evolution of the battleship, from the ironclad warship of the mid-19th cent., received great impetus from the Civil War. B...

ultimatum

(Encyclopedia)ultimatum ŭlˌtĭmāˈtəm [key], in international law, final, definitive terms submitted by one disputant nation to the other for immediate acceptance or rejection. Since refusal to accept the terms...

Crerar, Henry Duncan Graham

(Encyclopedia)Crerar, Henry Duncan Graham krērˈär [key], 1888–1965, Canadian general in World War II. He fought in World War I and later headed the Royal Military College. In 1940 he was made chief of the Cana...