M109 Howitzer

Thats a big boomstick you got there, son.

"Big guns never tire."

– Lugft Huron

The M109 is one of the finest self-propelled guns this world has ever seen. Mounting the massive M185 155mm Howitzer, the M109 is capable of firing a huge variety of shells, from standard HE, to bomblets, to mines, to laser-guided projectiles, to freaking NUKES.

The Turret allows the M109 to bombard multiple targets without repositioning the hull and possess excellent off-road capabilities allowing it to "Shoot and Scoot" to avoid enemy Counter-Battery Fire.

Paladin crews (like most other artillery crews) also have a party trick where, by firing multiple times at slightly different angles, they can make about a dozen shells hit a target all at the same time. Now imagine an entire battery of Paladins doing that.

If the Paladin starts shooting at your general vicinity, bend over, grab your ankles, and kiss your sorry ass goodbye.

In Team Yankee

The Stat Card

Sadly, the M109 does not get access to its nuclear round, as game breaking as that would be, what with such weapons being designed for preventing the exact situation that Team Yankee portrays.

Despite this deficiency, the M109 Paladin is an awesome artillery piece capable of hitting targets up to 8 feet away with its M185 155mm Howitzer (not that you'll ever truly need that range but it's nice to have). Using it's standard ammunition the Paladin can absolutely brutalize infantry, even if it is within bulletproof cover with its firepower rating of 2+, and stands a decent chance of damaging tanks as the AT Value of 4 is resolved with their top armor rather than the front or sides. If you fuck up and the enemy gets to close (or those Afgansty Bastards airdrop in on top of you) you can switch to direct fire. I direct fire mode, the M185 has an AT Value of 15 and a Firepower rating of 1+, that's right 1+. You also gain the Brutal special rule (Re-roll successful saves) as well as the Slow Firing special rule (+1 hit if you moved).

If you are using mines, once you have ranged in, you can place a minefield for every 3 guns that fired, not much else to say about that.

If you are using bomblets, the AT value drops down 3 and the Firepower falls off to 6+, but you get to use the SALVO template. Use this against communist infantry spam.

You can also deploy smokescreens to shield friendly units. If you wish, you may have 1 or more M109s fire smoke while the rest fire standard bombardments.

If you are using the Laser Guided Projectiles, you lose access to the template, but the AT Value shoots through the roof to a staggering 21 and your firepower remains at its spectacular 2+. Since its laser-guided, your Paladins don't need to have line of sight to the target, drawing line of sight to the observing team instead. However, range drops to 40 inches from the M109s. Keep this in mind if you decide to use your projectiles for counter-battery fire.

You get three M109s for 7 points and can double the squad size for a further 7. Mines, bomblets, and laser-guided projectiles all cost 1 point to equip. The Paladin can be taken in US, British and West German Armies.

Do note that the German and British M109s lack any of the special ammunition types apart from smoke, ridding them of the M109's best feature: its versatility. For the Germans, it translates to 7 points for a unit limited to artillery bombardments (as if that was a bad thing).

British Variant

Fire Mission, HE, on the way!

Largely identical to the US version, the British only deploy their batteries of 2, 4 or 8 adjusting the price. For 5, 10 or 20 points, you gain access to a 4AT gun with 2+ firepower, a mediocre improvement over the Abbot considering how the price is almost double. The M109 is a divisional asset, and only one unit can be brought afield.

Unlike the American version, Brits do not have access to fancy ammunition types or laser-guided projectiles and must instead rely on the raw firepower of such monsters. And monsters they are indeed. For 21 points, you gain access to a template which hits NATO units on a 2+ (after ranging in on a 2+) with a 33% chance to destroy tanks and 18.5% chance to bail thanks to its 2+ firepower. However, the inflexible template means that this investment is rendered mute if your opponent spaces out their units against your artillery.

Ironically, the M109 can be fielded as a frontline battle tank through the direct fire profile's respectable 36". Insane troll logic aside, their low cost (2.5 per vehicle) makes them comparable to a substitute AVRE: incapable of engaging tanks but utterly pulverizing infantry while comfortably engaging armored vehicles. 2 shots with slow-firing are statistically superior to a single shot after all!

Due to this incredibly niche role which is performed better by the Harrier or as FRONTLINE COMBAT UNITS, consider the M109 suitable for larger games and games where you'd like to give your opponent a nice, big surprise! Do not consider the M109 if you are a grizzled power gamer (or build sensible lists with efficient units).

IRL

Here Comes the BOOM!

The M109 is used by militaries all over the globe. The current model in use with the United States armed forces is the M109A6 which features improved targeting systems and communications equipment. The newest M109 A7 is a massive upgrade that may as well be a new vehicle entirely. The A7 unit has an autoloader and can fire one round a minute continuously. A huge speed increase compared to the M109A6 which can crank out 6rnds a minute, but eventually slow as the loader team tires.