Battle

Lore & Background

The word 'battle' is a loanword from Old French 'bataille', first attested in 1297, from Late Latin 'battualia' meaning 'exercise of soldiers and gladiators in fighting and fencing'. The defining characteristic of battle as a concept in military science has changed with variations in 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 origins and outcomes can rarely be summarized so neatly.

Reader's Guide

Battles are decided by various factors, including the number and quality of combatants and equipment, the skill of commanders, and terrain. Weapons and armour can be decisive, as seen at the Battle of Omdurman where a large army of Sudanese Mahdists armed traditionally were destroyed by an Anglo-Egyptian force equipped with Maxim machine guns and artillery. Disciplined troops are often of greater importance; at the Battle of Alesia, the Romans were greatly outnumbered but won because of superior training.

Terrain also plays a role: capturing high ground has been a main tactic in innumerable battles, and areas of jungle and forest act as force-multipliers for inferior armies. Generals such as Hannibal, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte were skilled commanders whose armies were extremely successful at times. A battle may end in a Pyrrhic victory, which ultimately favors the defeated party, or in a stalemate if no resolution is reached.

Did You Know?

• The Battle of the Atlantic, Battle of Britain, and Battle of France are examples where 'battle' refers to an entire operational campaign.
• A conflict in which one side is unwilling to reach a decision by a direct battle using conventional warfare often becomes an insurgency.