Landwehr are a type of militia in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
Landwehr soldiers are armed with muskets and bayonets, and are quite capable of defending their homes.
They are also equal to the job of quelling troublesome civilians, but their lack of training means that they should not be expected to fight as well as regular soldiers. These are the people-in-arms, not a hardened force of veterans. Against well-handled and disciplined soldiers, they will suffer heavy losses. They are, however, a useful force of garrison troops, and can help keep order at relatively low cost.
In 1812 Prussia had been compelled to aid Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. General Yorck, the officer in charge of the Prussian Auxiliary Corps, was a well-respected patriot, and an experienced soldier. It was obvious to him that the French were going to be defeated, so he declared his corps neutral and aided the Russians in taking East Prussia. As East Prussia, if not the whole country, was at war with France, an army was needed to defend it and the result was the recruitment of a large body of Landwehr militia. Yorck’s decision to defy the French produced the Russo-Prussian alliance of 1813, a significant bloc against Napoleon’s France.
General Information[]
Landwehr are militia units for most German factions, including Austria and Prussia. They are the standard (and only) militia type unit recruited by all German factions that exist at the start of the Europe Campaign. Emergent German factions, however (Hannover and Westphalia) recruit militia instead. With the exception of generals, landwehr are the cheapest units in the factions that can recruit them. This, combined with their quick training time and their bonus to garrison policing bonus, make them the best troops for improving public order in regions by a considerable margin. Standard landwehr are statistically identical to militia, though Prussian and Austrian landwehr have unique statistics.
Prussian Landwehr are generally superior to Austrian Landwehr, boasting superior accuracy and considerably better reloading skill at the cost of slightly weaker defense. They are more or less on par with the French National Guard, which have slightly worse accuracy, slightly better charging bonus, morale, and defense, but are more expensive to train and maintain. British Fencibles have slightly superior reloading skill and charging bonus, but are about 30% more expensive to train and maintain. Finally, Russian Opelchenie have better defense, morale, and a far superior charging bonus, but pay for this with abysmal reloading and accuracy.
The fairly good statistics on Prussian Landwehr allow them to act as cheap substitutes for their musketeers (who themselves are only average as line infantry). This is particularly true if Conscript Infantry Tactics is researched, improving their morale, and a general is nearby to rally them should they waver.
Austrian Landwehr are much less able to fulfill this role due to their very poor shooting statistics--they fare more poorly in this regard than generic landwehr fielded by other German factions. Their slightly superior defence does not really make up for this.
Landwehr's statistics are different among the factions; differences are listed below (traits that to not differ are not listed).
| Faction | Defense | Accuracy | Reloading | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 5 | 30 | 10 | 330 SP/380 MP |
| Prussia | 4 | 35 | 15 | 350 SP/400 MP |
| Minor factions | 4 | 30 | 20 | 330 |
Gallery[]
