Howitzer groups called batteries. The English word ""howitzer"" comes from the Czech word ""houfnice"", from "houf", "crowd", and "houf" is in turn a borrowing from the Middle High German word "Hūfe" or "Houfe" (modern German "Haufen"), meaning "heap". "Haufen", sometimes in the compound "Gewalthaufen", also designated a pike square formation in German. In the Hussite Wars of the 1420s and 1430s, the Czechs used short barreled ""houfnice"" cannons to fire at short distances into crowds of infantry, or into charging heavy cavalry, to make horses shy away. The word was rendered into German as "aufeniz" in the earliest attested use in
Type 96 AA Gun Prime Mover to the tail". The engine utilized to power the Type 96 was produced in a gasoline version (Ko engine) and a diesel version (Otsu engine). The rear platform was "modified to carry crews and equipment" for the Type 88 75 mm AA Gun. During World War II, the Type 88 75 mm AA gun was deployed to virtually every anti-aircraft field artillery unit as protection against medium level aircraft attacks. Type 96 AA Gun Prime Mover The Type 96 AA Gun Prime Mover is a Japanese 6-wheeled prime mover used during the Second World War. In entered service in 1937.