Melee

Melee aboard ships at the Battle of Sluys 1340 (BNF Fr. 2643, 15th century)
Battle of Lützen by Carl Wahlbom depicting a melee in which King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden was killed on 6 November 1632

A melee (/ˈml/ or /ˈmɛl/, French: mêlée, (French: [mɛle])) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts.[1] In military aviation, a melee has been defined as "an air battle in which several aircraft, both friend and foe, are confusingly intermingled".[2]