What is the meaning of "and if he flees from the battlefield" in one of the Prophetic Hadiths?

"He who says, 'I seek forgiveness from Allah, the Almighty, Whom there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence, and I repent to Him,' will be forgiven his sins, even if he had fled from the battlefield," which is escaping from jihad and encountering the enemy in war, and is considered one of the major sins.