Deep battle

Deep battle encompasses a family of military doctrines, belonging to the operational level of war. They share the assumption that the decisive battle will be fought in the rear areas of the enemy. The term maneuver warfare is also used.

Several theoreticians addressed the concepts between the world wars, with German blitzkrieg being the best-known implementation by Germany. Blitzkrieg was intended for offensive war, while Soviet gluboky boi was focused on the strategic defensive counterattack. Blitzkrieg was the breakthrough technique in the German invasion of Poland and the 1940 Battle of France, while gluboky boi had a decisive role against overextended German forces in the Battle of Kursk.

The doctrines continued to evolve after WWII, especially with improvements in aircraft and communications. The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command was a major laboratory for new ideas, culminating in the AirLand Battle doctrine used in the Gulf War.

In deep battle, the role of aircraft can be controversial. Ground commanders want close air support, but air commanders often believe they can be more effective in battlefield air interdiction of the rear of the front line.