pillbox

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 during the early 20th cent. in the Belgian and French fortresses that were built before World War I. They were first used extensively by the Japanese in World War II. The Germans employed pillboxes in the defense of Normandy and the Siegfried Line and developed a portable steel pillbox that was used in Italy.

pillbox n. a small, low-built defensive fortification with thick walls and a roof, often of concrete, steel, or sandbags, that houses machine guns, antitank weapons, etc., with room for the soldiers firing them.

pill·box / ˈpilˌbäks/ • n. a small shallow cylindrical box for holding pills. ∎  (usu. pillbox hat) a hat of a similar shape. ∎  a small, enclosed, partly underground concrete fort used as an outpost.