Attrition warfare is a military tactic in which a belligerent attempts to win a war by wearing down its enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and materiel. The war will usually be won by the side with greater such resources. The Vietnam War is typically used as a prime example of a war of attrition: American strategy was to wear down the enemy until it lost its "will to fight". Another example is World War I when Russia, France, Britain, and eventually the U.S. all wore down Germany to the point of capitulation. Reference Wikipedia