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Melee (/ˈmeɪleɪ/ or /ˈmɛleɪ/, French: mêlée Template:IPA-fr; the French spelling is also quite frequent in English writing), generally refers to disorganized close combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts.

Such an engagement can be between individuals, groups, or combat units such as aircraft or ships.

The French term was first used in English in c. 1640 (a re-borrowing of a lost Middle English melle, but the Old French borrowing survives in medley and meddle).

In military aviation, a melee has been described as "n air battle in which several aircraft, both friend and foe, are confusingly intermingled". In other words a dogfight.

In naval warfare, a melee can refer to where a vessel attempts to ram or otherwise physically immobilise another vessel in other to sink or board it for the purposes of either capturing the enemy vessel or personnel and/or material on board, or else with the intention of scuttling it outright. A boarding operation can also be considered a melee in it's own right, as well as part of the overall battle.

Lord Nelson described his tactics for the Battle of Trafalgar as inducing a "pell mell battle", or a melee between the fleets, which he was sure would lead to a decisive victory, given the superiority of the Royal Navy.

See also

• Close quarters combat
• Combat
• Melee weapon
• Galley tactics

Notes

1. ^ OED 2015.
2. Kumar, DeRemer & Marshall 2004, p. 462.
3. Fremont-Barnes 2005, p. 38.

References

• Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (2005), Trafalgar 1805: Nelson's Crowning Victory, Osprey Publishing, p. 3838, ISBN 978-1-84176-892-2
• Kumar, Bharat; DeRemer, Dale; Marshall, Douglas (2004), An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation, McGraw Hill Professional, p. 462, ISBN 978-0-07-178260-9
• "mêlée n.", Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.), Oxford University Press, March 2015 {{citation}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)

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