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The 7-lber Howitzer is a type of howitzer artillery in Napoleon: Total War.

Description[]

Howitzers send shells high into the air to plunge onto enemies, making defences and cover less effective.

Howitzers fall somewhere between guns and mortars, the other main artillery types. Like guns, they have limited mobility and are slow moving, but are they not as accurate as cannons. They do not fire straight at the target, but lob shots high into the air to plunge down on a target. The charge of powder and the barrel angle can be varied, which means a howitzer can send an almost-vertical shot over a wall. Given such an ability, they are best employed to bombard areas where enemies are concentrated. In close action, they can fire canister rounds directly into enemy formations, blasting them with hundreds of musket balls.

Historically, howitzers were not easy to use. Ballistics was not a perfectly understood science and, apart from inaccurate targeting, a shell did not necessarily do any damage when it arrived. Erratic winds could send shells flying off course. Shell fuses had to be lit while still in the barrel, and the length of fuse judged to match the flight time. If the fuse was too short, the shell could explode in mid air; too long and the enemy might be able to put it out before the shell exploded!

General Information[]

7-lber Howitzers are the standard (and usually only) type of howitzer artillery for Austria, Prussia, and most non-playable factions. All the other playable factions have a similar equivalent: France has the 6-In Howitzer, Great Britain has the 5-In Howitzer, and Russia has 10-lber and 20-lber Unicorns. One advantage 7-lber howitzers have over their rivals is their lower building requirements: they only need third-tier great arsenals while the others require fourth-tier ordnance boards.

Howitzers can bombard distant enemies with explosive shot, an arcing projectile that allows them to fire from behind other units without fear of friendly fire or of unfavorable terrain. Unlike cannons, which have access to the barrage ability, howitzers can use the increased accuracy ability to deliver their shots with deadly precision. This is particularly useful for damaging high-value targets such as generals or elite troops.

At close range, howitzers may use canister shot, allowing them to function much as cannons would in the same situation. They are inferior in this regard, however, due to their shorter range, poorer innate reloading skills, and the lack of the barrage ability.

Austrian howitzers are more accurate and have better reloading than their generic counterparts. They have poorer melee defense, though this is hardly an issue since all artillery crews fare abysmally in melee combat anyway. 

Statistics for this unit vary depending on faction; differences are posted below (identical statistics are not listed).

Faction Accuracy Reload Morale Cost Upkeep
Austria 40/80 (targeted) 25 3 670 SP/820 MP 160
General 35/75 20 3 640 SP/780 MP 160

Gallery[]

Napoleon: Total War Artillery
Cannons 12-lber Foot Artillery18-lber Foot Artillery6-lber Foot Artillery6-lber Horse Artillery8-lber Foot Artillery9-lber Foot ArtilleryArtillerie à ChevalArtillerie à PiedGrand Battery of the ConventionGuard Foot ArtilleryGuard Horse Artillery
Howitzers and Mortars 10-lber Unicorn20-lber Unicorn5-In Howitzer6-In Howitzer7-lber HowitzerBombardment MortarsExperimental HowitzerHowitzers
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