Order of battle
The order of battle (Latin instructura , also acies , French ordre de bataille , eng. Order of battle or battle formation , also battle plan ) is a theory of the spatial structure of troops and fleets and their reserves for march and battle , which has been further developed from the ancient art of war tactical battle formation. The order of battle conditions the timing and the use of the resources available with respect to the engagement formation and the engagement guideand decides in the long term on the outcome of the event through increasingly unfolding installation advantages. In this respect, the starting position of a chess game can be compared with the order of the battle.
If the opposing order of battle is poor, a good order of battle of your own can to a certain extent offset a disadvantage in terms of contingents.
Classic examples are the lopsided order of battle of the Battle of Leuktra and the Battle of Leuthen as well as the order of battle of the Kesselschlacht von Cannae , or Napoleon's multi-part marching order of his main contingents to the battle of Jena and Auerstädt , which allowed the enemy to flank in all directions.
A rich source for the graphic representation of the military history of the battle order are the history maps .
In French, the "ordre de bataille" is also used to describe the breakdown of the troops involved in the battle (→ List of French troops in the Battle of Leipzig )
