Military fire directed against enemy artillery positions to neutralize or destroy their weapons.
From counter- + battery (a group of guns, from French batterie, from battre meaning to beat). Became standard military terminology in the 19th-20th centuries.
During modern warfare, counterbattery radar can pinpoint enemy guns within seconds of their first shot and return fire faster than soldiers can reload—it's become such a crucial technology that controlling the 'counterbattery game' often determines who wins battles.
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