artillery duel
Guns trading fire
An artillery duel is an exchange of fire between opposing artillery units, each trying to destroy or suppress the other's guns.
The term extends to any prolonged back-and-forth bombardment between heavy weapons: The artillery duel lasted three days before either side gained advantage.
Figuratively, it describes any sustained exchange of powerful attacks or arguments.
- fire missionCommand to engage target
- cannonLarge mounted gun
- howitzerShort-barreled artillery piece
- heavy gunsLarge-caliber military weapons
- big gunsInfluential, powerful people
bombardment · suppression · psychological impact · mortar · rocket launcher · Battle of Gettysburg · target acquisition · Napoleonic Wars · Crimean War · indirect fire · Battle of Stalingrad · attrition · no man's land · killing field · enemy lines · forward observer · gun carriage · smoke screens
- South Asian Conflictssurgical strikes, militancy, insurgency, border disputes, infiltration
- Mexican-American WarZachary Taylor, Santa Anna, James K. Polk, Polk, Buena Vista
- Civil War Navalgunboat, Union blockade, blockade runners, naval battle, blockade running
- artillerycannons, cannon, howitzers, howitzer, mortars
- Peninsula CampaignMcClellan, Robert E. Lee, Lee, James River, Army of the Potomac
artillery duelhand-to-hand combat
Fighting without distance weapons
melee · close-quarters combat · bayonet charge · trench warfare · street fighting
artillery duelceasefire
Agreed halt to fighting
peace talks · armistice · truce · diplomatic negotiation · peace treaty
artillery, duel, artillerist, artilleryman, dueling, duelist, duelled, duelling, duels