Howitzer

Germany and its puppet allies (Romanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Finnish)- are based on 15 cm sFH 18. The **15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18** or **sFH 18** (German: "heavy field howitzer, model 18"), nicknamed *Immergrün* ("Evergreen"), was the basic German division-level heavy howitzer during the Second World War, serving alongside the smaller but more numerous 10.5 cm leFH 18. Its mobility and firing range and the effectiveness of its 44-kilogram shell made it the most important weapon of all German infantry divisions. A total of 6,756 examples were produced.

The U.K. and Commonwealth (Canada, India, Australia) - is based on the Ordnance Q.F. 25-pounder. The **Ordnance Q.F. 25-pounder**, or more simply **25-pounder** or **25-pdr**, was the primary British field gun and howitzer during the Second World War, possessing a 3.45-inch (87.6 mm) calibre. It was introduced into service just before the war started, combining high-angle and direct-fire abilities, a relatively high rate of fire, and a reasonably lethal shell in a highly mobile piece. It remained the British Army's primary artillery field piece well into the 1960s, with smaller numbers serving in training units until the 1980s. Many Commonwealth of Nations countries used theirs in active or reserve service until about the 1970s, and Pakistan Ordnance Factories are currently producing ammunition for the weapon. Initial production was slow, but by 1945, over 12,000 had been manufactured. The 25-pounder was probably the most outstanding field artillery piece used by British and Commonwealth forces in the Second World War, being durable, easy to operate, and versatile.

The USA (ROC, ROK) - Uses the 155 mm gun M1, the **155 mm gun M1** was a 155 millimetre155-millimetre calibre field gun developed and used by the United States military. Nicknamed **"Long Tom"** (an appellation with a long and storied history in U.S. field and naval artillery), it was produced in **M1** and **M2** variants, later known as the **M59**. Developed to replace the Canon de 155mm GPF, the gun was deployed as a heavy field weapon during World War II and the Korean War and classed as secondary armament for seacoast defence. The gun could fire a 100 lb (45 kg) shell to a maximum range of 14 mi (23 km), with an estimated accuracy life of 1,500 rounds.

The USSR (PRC, Mongolia, Yugoslavia, DPRK) is based on the 152 mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20) The **152 mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20)** (**Russian: 152-мм гаубица-пушка обр. 1937 г. (МЛ-20)**), is a Soviet heavy gun-howitzer. The gun was developed by the design bureau of plant no 172, headed by F. F. Petrov, as a serious upgrade of the 152-mm gun M1910/34, in turn, based on the 152-mm siege gun M1910, a pre-World War I design by Schneider. It was in production from 1937 to 1946. The ML-20 saw action in World War II, mainly as a corps/army level artillery piece of the Soviet Army. Wehrmacht and the Finnish Army employed captured guns. Post World War II, the ML-20 saw combat in numerous conflicts during the mid to late twentieth century.

The French- Uses the Canon de 155mm GPF, The **Canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux (GPF) mle.1917** was a WWI-era French-designed 155 mm gun used by the French Army and the United States Army during the first half of the 20th century in towed and self-propelled mountings.

The Italian- is based Cannone da 149/40 Modello 35, the **Cannone da 149/40** was a heavy gun that served with Italy during World War II. It was intended to replace the obsolete Cannone da 149/35 A, but the small numbers produced prevented that. By 1940 orders had been placed for 590, but only 51 were in service at the end of September 1941. Weapons captured by the Germans after the Italian surrender in 1943 were put into service as the 15 cm K 408(i). Ansaldo produced a batch of twelve for the Germans in April 1944.
The Japanese - Uses the - Type 89 15 cm cannon, the **Type 89 15 cm cannon** was the main gun of the Imperial Japanese Army's heavy artillery units. The *Type 89* designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in 2589 of the Japanese calendar (1929). It was widely used from the Manchurian Incident to the end of World War II, for example, Nomonhan, Bataan, and Corregidor Island, Okinawa. The Type 89 15 cm gun was comparable to the U.S. M1918 155 mm GPF cannon, but Type 89 had a shorter range. In addition, Type 89 was less efficient than similar heavy-calibre guns of other nations in World War II.

### Uses

The Howitzer is a balanced and efficient unit at taking out pretty much any unit. It can be used to bombard cities, nibble on infantry while tanks clear them out, take out some weaker tanks while taking off some of the health of stronger tank units. It isn't too expensive, meaning you can stack it up for your artillery generals and bombard fortifications. Remember the rule for all Artillery: Keep it behind the frontlines while your armoured and infantry units make up the frontlines.