Free to follow every thread. No paywall, no dead ends.
Battle: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Battle
A British soldier stands on the muddy field of Waterloo in 1815, watching Prussian forces arrive from the northeast. This moment marks a specific engagement between opposing military units that defines what historians call a battle. A war usually consists of multiple battles, but each one remains well defined by its duration, area, and force commitment. An engagement with only limited commitment between the forces and without decisive results is sometimes called a skirmish instead. The word battle can also be used infrequently to refer to an entire operational campaign, although this usage greatly diverges from its conventional or customary meaning. Generally, the word battle is used for such campaigns if referring to a protracted combat encounter in which either one or both of the combatants had the same methods, resources, and strategic objectives throughout the encounter. Some prominent examples of this would be the Battle of the Atlantic, Battle of Britain, and the Battle of France, all in World War II. Wars and military campaigns are guided by military strategy, whereas battles take place on a level of planning and execution known as operational mobility. German strategist Carl von Clausewitz stated that the employment of battles to achieve the object of war was the essence of strategy.
Etymology And Linguistic Roots
The English language borrowed the word battle from Old French around 1297. It traces back through Late Latin to mean exercise of soldiers and gladiators in fighting and fencing. The root comes from a Germanic term meaning beat, from which the English word battery is also derived via Middle English. This linguistic journey reflects how human conflict has been categorized across centuries. The defining characteristic of the fight as a concept in military science has changed with the variations in the organisation, employment and technology of military forces. English military historian John Keegan suggested an ideal definition of battle as something which happens between two armies leading to the moral then physical disintegration of one or the other of them. But the origins and outcomes of battles can rarely be summarized so neatly. Battle in the 20th and 21st centuries is defined as the combat between large components of the forces in a military campaign, used to achieve military objectives. Where the duration of the battle is longer than a week, it is often for reasons of planning called an operation. Battles can be planned, encountered or forced by one side when the other is unable to withdraw from combat.
What is the definition of a battle in military science?
A battle is defined as combat between large components of forces in a military campaign used to achieve military objectives. English historian John Keegan suggested an ideal definition as something happening between two armies leading to the moral and physical disintegration of one or both sides.
When did the word battle enter the English language from Old French?
The English language borrowed the word battle from Old French around 1297. It traces back through Late Latin to mean exercise of soldiers and gladiators in fighting and fencing.
Which naval battles occurred before the 5th century BC?
Naval battles have occurred since before the 5th century BC using fast ships with battering rams to sink opposing fleets. Ancient navies also steered close enough for boarding in hand-to-hand combat where troops stormed enemy ships.
Who defeated the French army on the 25th of October 1415 at Agincourt?
Henry V of England defeated a French army on the 25th of October 1415 during the Battle of Agincourt. He met with the senior French herald who agreed to name the battle after the nearby castle.
What are the psychological effects experienced by survivors of battle?
Personal effects of battle range from mild psychological issues to permanent and crippling injuries including nightmares, flashbacks, and abnormal reactions to certain sights or sounds. Physical effects can include scars, amputations, lesions, loss of bodily functions, blindness, paralysis and death.
A large army of Sudanese Mahdists armed in a traditional manner were destroyed by an Anglo-Egyptian force equipped with Maxim machine guns and artillery at Omdurman. Weapons and armour can be decisive; on many occasions armies have achieved victory through more advanced weapons than those of their opponents. Swiss pikemen gained many victories through their ability to transform a traditionally defensive weapon into an offensive one. Zulus in the early 19th century were victorious in battles against their rivals in part because they adopted a new kind of spear, the iklwa. Forces with inferior weapons have still emerged victorious at times, for example in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Disciplined troops are often of greater importance; at the Battle of Alesia, the Romans were greatly outnumbered but won because of superior training. Capturing high ground has been the main tactic in innumerable battles. An army that holds the high ground forces the enemy to climb and thus wear themselves down. Areas of jungle and forest, with dense vegetation act as force-multipliers, of benefit to inferior armies. Terrain may have lost importance in modern warfare, due to the advent of aircraft, though the terrain is still vital for camouflage, especially for guerrilla warfare. Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Khalid ibn Walid, Subutai and Napoleon Bonaparte were all skilled generals and their armies were extremely successful at times.
Evolution Of Combat Types
Naval battles have occurred since before the 5th century BC. Air battles have been far less common, due to their late conception, the most prominent being the Battle of Britain in 1940. Since the Second World War, land or sea battles have come to rely on air support. During the Battle of Midway, five aircraft carriers were sunk without either fleet coming into direct contact. Ancient naval battles were fought by fast ships using the battering ram to sink opposing fleets or steer close enough for boarding in hand-to-hand combat. Troops were often used to storm enemy ships as used by Romans and pirates. This tactic was usually used by civilizations that could not beat the enemy with ranged weaponry. Another invention in the late Middle Ages was the use of Greek fire by the Byzantines, which was used to set enemy fleets on fire. Empty demolition ships utilized the tactic to crash into opposing ships and set it afire with an explosion. After the invention of cannons, naval warfare became useful as support units for land warfare. During the 19th century, the development of mines led to a new type of naval warfare. The ironclad, first used in the American Civil War, resistant to cannons, soon made the wooden ship obsolete.
Naming Conventions And History
Henry V of England defeated a French army on the 25th of October 1415, he met with the senior French herald and they agreed to name the battle after the nearby castle and so it was called the Battle of Agincourt. In other cases, the sides adopted different names for the same battle, such as the Battle of Gallipoli which is known in Turkey as the Battle of Çanakkale. During the American Civil War, the Union tended to name the battles after the nearest watercourse, such as the Battle of Wilsons Creek and the Battle of Stones River, whereas the Confederates favoured the nearby towns, as in the Battles of Chancellorsville and Murfreesboro. Occasionally both names for the same battle entered the popular culture, such as the First Battle of Bull Run and the Second Battle of Bull Run, which are also referred to as the First and Second Battles of Manassas. Sometimes in desert warfare, there is no nearby town name to use; map coordinates gave the name to the Battle of 73 Easting in the First Gulf War. Some place names have become synonymous with battles, such as the Passchendaele, Pearl Harbor, the Alamo, Thermopylae and Waterloo. Military operations, many of which result in battle, are given codenames, which are not necessarily meaningful or indicative of the type or the location of the battle.
Human And Political Effects
A soldier fighting at Beaumont Hamel on the 13th of November 1916, was probably unaware he was taking part in what the committee named the Battle of the Ancre. Personal effects of battle range from mild psychological issues to permanent and crippling injuries. Some battle-survivors have nightmares about the conditions they encountered or abnormal reactions to certain sights or sounds and some experience flashbacks. Physical effects of battle can include scars, amputations, lesions, loss of bodily functions, blindness, paralysis and death. Battles affect politics; a decisive battle can cause the losing side to surrender, while a Pyrrhic victory such as the Battle of Asculum can cause the winning side to reconsider its goals. Battles in civil wars have often decided the fate of monarchs or political factions. Famous examples include the Wars of the Roses, as well as the Jacobite risings. Battles affect the commitment of one side or the other to the continuance of a war, for example the Battle of Inchon and the Battle of Huế during the Tet Offensive. In the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo, some British officers were in doubt as to whether the day's events merited the title of battle or would be called an action.