Battle line

"You say he is in Armstrong's rear, do you? Damn him! That's just where I have been trying to get him all day, and I'll be in his rear directly. Face your battle lines about! Armstrong, push your skirmishers forward -- crowd 'em both ways! I'm going to Starnes. You'll hear from me in about five minutes!"

We did not catch them napping, but found a well-entrenched battle line confronting us.

That is the reason why I have asked you to take out and spread before you a map of the whole earth, and to follow with me the references which I shall make to the world-encircling battle lines of this war.

1965, Hugh M. Cole, The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge, Chapter XX: The XII Corps Attacks the Southern Shoulder, The German intelligence staffs again agreed that there was no immediate threat to the Seventh Army, and that the westward advance by the Fifth Panzer Army would necessarily force the Americans to strengthen the battle line there and prohibit any thrust into the deep southern flank.

There's battle lines being drawn / And nobody's right if everybody's wrong

Mancini's side only showed enough ambition when it was too late and by then battle lines were drawn as James Collins and former City captain Richard Dunne fought a magnificent rearguard action at the heart of Villa's defence.

Especially that absolute territory peeking out from between her socks and skirt, like a battle line between innocence and temptation...