Meeting engagement
In warfare, a meeting engagement, or encounter battle, is a combat action that occurs when a moving force, incompletely deployed for battle, engages an enemy at an unexpected time and place.
Description
Such encounters normally occur by chance in small
On contact, commanders quickly act to gain the advantage. Speed of action and movement, coupled with both direct and indirect fire, are essential. To maintain momentum, lead elements quickly bypass or fight through light resistance. Freedom to
If both sides choose to reinforce their position instead of disengaging, then what started out as a skirmish may turn into a pitched battle, as happened at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War and the Battle of Mars-la-Tour during the Franco-Prussian War.
References
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2020) ) |
- US Department of Defense Dictionary
- ZIP–SFX) on 19 February 2002. Retrieved 19 August 2013.