24-lber Howitzer Foot Artillery (ETW Unit)

24-lber Howitzer Foot Artillery (ETW Unit)
Class	Artillery
Unit Size
Weaponry	24 pdr howitzer
Morale
Melee Attack
Ranged Attack
Defence
Charge Bonus
Accuracy
Range
Ammunition
Region	Worldwide
Recruitment Cost	650
Upkeep Cost	160
Turns to Build
Unit Limit
Building Requirements
Technology Requirements
Attributes

Howitzers send shells plunging into enemy formations and over defences, making cover irrelevent.

Overview

Howitzers fall somewhere between guns and mortars, the other main artillery types. They have a limited mobility, like guns. Like mortars, they do not fire straight at the target, but send shots high into the air to plunge down on a target (and over anything in the way). By angling the barrel and changing the propellant charge used, howitzers have an impressive flexibility in shell trajectories. Experienced crews can lob explosive shells and incendiary rounds with great accuracy into a “beaten zone”, making life utterly miserable and very short for anyone within it. In close action, they can fire canister rounds directly into enemy formations, like giant sawed-off shotguns.

The term foot artillery applies because the gunners walk into battle alongside the draft animals. Like all artillery, the rating of these howitzers refers to the nominal weight of shot fired; loading the heavier pieces made for strong gunners!

Historically, howitzers – like many other artillery pieces – were far from standardized weapons in the 18th Century. Shells and spare parts made in one foundry did not always fit another foundry’s pieces, even if the caliber was nominally identical and the two guns were part of the same battery in the field. It took a good deal of effort and argument to get foundries to standardize barrels and ancillary equipment, even in a single country.

Tactics

24-pounder howitzers are an upgrade from 12-pounders, carrying more firepower. They are the heaviest howitzers available to a generic army and are available to all European factions. However, certain nations (such as the French and the Ottomans) have access to even better artillery.Like 12-pounders, 24-pounders have access to carcass shot, and explosive shot in addition to the regular round shot. These two ammunition types are later replaced by quicklime and percussive shells.