Battle

Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. Battles are most often fought during wars or military campaigns and can usually be well defined in time, space and action. Wars and campaigns are guided by strategy whereas battles are the stage on which tactics are employed. German strategist Carl von Clausewitz stated that "the employment of battles to gain the end of war" was the essence of strategy.

Types of battle

Battles can be fought on land, sea or in the air. Naval battles have occurred since at least the 5th century BC. Air battles are few, the most prominent being the Battle of Britain in 1940, but since the Second World War few land or sea battles are fought without air support. Indeed during the Battle of Midway, five aircraft carriers were sunk without the opposing fleets coming in to direct contact.

Related Topics:
Naval battle - 5th century BC - Battle of Britain - 1940 - Second World War - Battle of Midway - Aircraft carrier

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There are numerous types of battle. A "battle of encounter" is a meeting engagement where the opposing sides collide in the field without one or the other having prepared their attack or defence. The goal of a "battle of attrition" is to inflict greater loss on the enemy than you suffer yourself; many battles of the First World War were intentionally (Verdun) or unintentionally (Somme) attrition battles. A "battle of breakthrough" aims to pierce the enemy's defences, thereby exposing the vulnerable flanks which can be turned. A "battle of encirclement" — the Kesselschlacht of the German Blitzkrieg — surrounds the enemy in a pocket. A "battle of envelopment" involves an attack on one or both flanks; the classic example being the double-envelopment of the Battle of Cannae. A "battle of annihilation" is one in which the defeated party is destroyed in the field, such as the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile.

Related Topics:
Verdun - Somme - Blitzkrieg - Pocket - Flank - Battle of Cannae - French - Battle of the Nile

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A "decisive battle" is one of particular importance; by bringing hostilities to an end, such as the Battle of Hastings, or as a turning point in the fortunes of the belligerents, such as the Battle of Stalingrad. A decisive battle can have political as well as military impact, changing the balance of power or boundaries between countries. The concept of the "decisive battle" became popular with the publication in 1851 of Edward Creasy's The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World. British military historians J.F.C. Fuller (The Decisive Battles of the Western World) and B.H. Liddell Hart (Decisive Wars of History), among many others, have written books in the style of Creasy's work.

Related Topics:
Battle of Hastings - Belligerent - Battle of Stalingrad - Political - 1851 - Edward Creasy - The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World - Military historian - J.F.C. Fuller - B.H. Liddell Hart

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