In
warfare, a meeting engagement, or encounter battle, is a
combat
Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, o ...
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
unit
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (a ...
operations, typically when two moving forces collide unexpectedly. Engagements involving larger units may occur when
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as the ...
,
surveillance, or
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...
operations have been ineffective. Meeting engagements can also occur when opposing forces are aware of the general presence but not the exact location of each other and both decide to attack immediately.
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
maneuver is always advantageous; however, commanders may choose to establish a hasty
defense if the enemy force is larger or the
terrain offers a significant benefit. In general, the force that gains and retains the initiative in a meeting engagement wins.
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
The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of th ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
and the
Battle of Mars-la-Tour during the
Franco-Prussian War.
References
US Department of Defense Dictionary* {{cite book , author=Headquarters, Department of the Army , authorlink=United States Department of the Army#Headquarters, Department of the Army , title=FM 3–0, Operations , date=14 June 2001 , place=Washington, DC , publisher=
GPO , oclc=50597897 , url=http://155.217.58.58/cgi–bin/atdl.dll/fm/3-0/fm3-0.exe , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020219134603/http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/fm/3-0/fm3-0.exe , archivedate=19 February 2002 , url-status=dead , format=PDF inside
ZIP
Zip, Zips or ZIP may refer to:
Common uses
* ZIP Code, USPS postal code
* Zipper or zip, clothing fastener
Science and technology Computing
* ZIP (file format), a compressed archive file format
** zip, a command-line program from Info-ZIP
* Zi ...
–
SFX
SFX may refer to:
Entertainment
* Special effects (usually visual), illusions used in film, television, and entertainment
* Sound effects, sounds that are artificially created or enhanced
* SFX (magazine), ''SFX'' (magazine), a British magazine c ...
, accessdate=19 August 2013
Warfare by type