A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force commitment. An engagement with only limited commitment between the forces and without decisive results is sometimes called a skirmish.
Finnish soldiers on the Raate Road during the Winter War
The Battle of Poltava between Russia and Sweden, by Denis Martens the Younger
Battle Scene-Detail from Deccan miniature painting, c. 19th century
The Battle of Scheveningen of 1653: episode from the First Anglo-Dutch War.
Combat is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed or unarmed. Combat is resorted to either as a method of self-defense or to impose one's will upon others. An instance of combat can be a standalone confrontation or part of a wider conflict, and its scale can range from a fight between individuals to a war between organized groups. Combat may also be benign and recreational, as in the cases of combat sports and mock combat.
Ground combat: The Battle of Gettysburg by Thure de Thulstrup, depicting the Union Army and Confederate Army clashing during the American Civil War, 1863
Naval combat: Sinking of the Esmeralda during the Battle of Iquique by Thomas Somerscales, depicting the Peruvian Navy ironclad Huáscar sinking the Chilean Navy corvette Esmeralda during the War of the Pacific, 1879
Aerial combat: An Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi G4M on fire after being shot down by a United States Navy Consolidated PB2Y Coronado during World War II, 1944
Combat sports: Two Irish Defence Forces members hitting each other during a military-sanctioned boxing championship, 2014
