War is a state of organized, armed and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. In addition to the existence of this organized behavior pattern amongst human primates, very similar organized warlike behavior patterns are also found in many other primate species such as chimpanzees, as well as in many ant species. The set of techniques used by a group to carry out war is known as warfare. An absence of war is usually called peace.
Source wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign. Battles generally are well defined in duration, area and force commitment.
Wars and military campaigns are guided by strategy, whereas battles take place on a level of planning and execution known as operational mobility. German strategist Carl von Clausewitz stated that “the employment of battles … to achieve the object of war” was the essence of strategy.
Source Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle
Other useful resources:
- http://www.mystical-sites.stevenredhead.com
- http://www.imperialtometric.com/Edition/greatbattles.html
- http://military.discovery.com/history/battles-war-history/
The greatest battles in Mankind History:
- Antiquity
- Middle-Age
- Renaissance
- Napoleonian era
- Late 19th century
- World War 1
- World War 2
- Modern conflicts
- Tolkien’s Middle Earth
- George Lucas’ Star Wars
The Australian Wargamer 