Mountain Troops (ETW Unit)
These lightly-equipped men are hardy enough to operate effectively on a snow-bound battlefield.
Overview
Though they fight on foot, the skis with which these men are equipped allow them a greater range of operation in winter than ordinary troops. Their knowledge of their snowbound environment is a valuable asset which can be used to great advantage.
The mountainous terrain of Scandinavia, shrouded in wintry conditions for much of each year, serves to severely restrict the mobility of conventional troops. The local populace have adapted to these challenges in a number of ways, perhaps the most significant of which is their use of skis. With skis, a man can travel for many miles in the time, while a walking man would exhaust himself blundering a few hundred yards through the snow.
Lightly-equipped mountain or winter specialists give a commander many more options about where to attack in this kind of terrain. Ski troopers excel at a hit-and-run style of warfare, ideal for harassing and isolating an enemy. Able to travel surprising distances in a short space of time, they will attack an enemy from an unexpected quarter, fading away before an effective pursuit can be organised.
Details
Mountain Troops are a cancelled unit available only to Norway. They are skirmishers and would be one of the two unique units available to the Scandinavian nations. They have a longer range than Line Infantry and as a result should be used to harass them, whilst looking out for enemy skirmishers. However they have low melee statistics and as a result they will likely be defeated in melee against better equipped units.