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 95 75 mm field gun gun. The Model 95 was much lighter than its Schneider prototype, and had a sliding-wedge rather than an interrupted thread breechblock. It incorporated all features of modern Japanese design. The appearance of the Type 95 75 mm field gun caused considerable confusion with both Allied military intelligence and with Japanese troops. The Type 95 was inferior in technology and performance to its predecessor, with less range and lower muzzle velocity. Although cheaper to build and to maintain, and less in weight, it was not well received by field commanders. It was primarily assigned to units in China. Type 95 75