Definitions of Operation and Battle

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Der Alte Fritz
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Definitions of Operation and Battle

#1

Post by Der Alte Fritz » 05 Oct 2021, 10:07

Soviet military historians have quite strict criteria as to the definition of:
Strategic Operations
Operations
Battles

Issues arising from this are discussed in Gerasimova, Svetlana. The Rzhev Slaughterhouse. The Red Army’s Forgotten 15-Month Campaign against Army Group Center, 1942-1943. Solihull, West Midlands: Helion & Company, 2013. pp.149

What are the official definitions of these terms?

GregSingh
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Re: Definitions of Operation and Battle

#2

Post by GregSingh » 05 Oct 2021, 11:46

The difference between a Strategic Operation and an Operation seems to be only a scale.
Стратегическая операция

Операция
https://military_terms.academic.ru/1545


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Re: Definitions of Operation and Battle

#3

Post by Art » 05 Oct 2021, 12:04

GregSingh wrote:
05 Oct 2021, 11:46
The difference between a Strategic Operation and an Operation seems to be only a scale.
Стратегическая операция
From this definition "strategic operation" is (briefly) an operation which pursues strategic goals within a theater of operations or a war as a whole.
Yet by another definition "strategic operation" is an operation encompassing a "strategic direction" i.e. large and important part of the theater of operations:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1 ... 0%B8%D1%8F

I suppose, "battle" would be defined as a series of operation within the same geographical area. e.g. Battle of Kursk.

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Re: Definitions of Operation and Battle

#4

Post by Der Alte Fritz » 05 Oct 2021, 12:31

Битва
In the military history of the 20th century, the concept of "battle" describes the totality of battles within the framework of a common large operation or several operations, for example, the Battle of the Kursk Bulge . The total duration of such battles could reach several months , and the geographical extent could be tens or hundreds of kilometers .
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0 ... 0%B2%D0%B0

GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR 1941-1945: ENCYCLOPEDIA does not give this sort of definitions
https://www.rulit.me/tag/military/velik ... 75543.html

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia
During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the Battle meant the struggle of large strategic groupings in an important strategic direction. The decisive force in these battles was the front-line formations (the enemy had army groups). The largest battles of the Great Patriotic War: the Battle of Moscow 1941-42 , the Battle of Stalingrad 1942-43 , the Battle of Kursk 1943 , the Battle of Leningrad 1941-44, the Battle of the Caucasus 1942-43, the Battle of the Dnieper 1943. Each of these battles consisted of a number of defensive and offensive operations. The duration of the Battle ranged from 1.5 months (KurskBattle ) up to 6 months ( Battle of Stalingrad) and even up to 3 years ( Battle of Leningrad).
N.G. Pavlenko.
http://bse.sci-lib.com/article119811.html

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