

The defining characteristic of the fight as a concept in Military science has been a dynamic one through the course of military history, changing with theĬhanges in the organisation, employment and technology of military forces. Staged battles in theColosseum in Rome that may have numbered 10,000 individuals. The word battle is a loanword inĮnglish from the Old French bataille, first attested in 1297, from Late Latin battualia, meaning "exercise of soldiers and gladiators in fighting and fencing",įrom Late Latin(taken from Germanic) battuere "beat", from which the English word battery is also derived via Middle English batri, The definition of a battle cannot be arrived at solely through the names of historical battles, many of which are misnomers. to achieve the object of war" was the essence of strategy. German strategist Carl von Clausewitz stated that "theĮmployment of battles.

Whereas battles take place on a level of planning and execution known as operational mobility. Wars and military campaigns are guided by strategy, Battles generally are well defined in duration, area, and force commitment.

Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants.
