You Heard The Captain! - US Forces Guide

Hello Company of Heroes 2 fans! Do you feel a little bored using the same common USA build order which is Riflemen Squads to M15A1 AA Half-Track for early game? Well, this is the perfect guide to show you that there are other build options for the US Forces just in case the M15AA Half-Track experiences more changes in the future. This Guide also shows you guys how to counter particular German strategies by using the support of the vanilla commander, Airborne Company. This build order is created based on balancing Anti-Infantry and Anti-Tank capabilities so you can modify them a little depending on what your opponent does. For example, if your opponent focuses more on heavy infantry, you can produce a more versatile and stronger Anti-Infantry army.

The Riflemen is the core infantry of the USA and they are versatile at most ranges vs. Infantry. The BAR provides the Riflemen with much better firepower and effectiveness against Infantry. You should use them to agressively capture territory and provide support for each other when coming in contact with the enemy. Like all infantry they are best when used behind cover. Riflemen are versatile, effective at most ranges, and have enough close range damage to be an effective flank squad.

!You can abandon your medic truck and receive a squad of 3 medics. Take the medic truck with your rear echelon troops and use it as a mobile reinforcement/healing station while having a free medic squad in base to heal your retreated troops.Tips from COH2.ORG

You can choose to not purchase the BAR if you suspect your opponent is rushing for early vehicles and does not produce much infantry. Possible signs for early vehicles: Very early fuel caches (within 5 minutes) or when you spot an OKW player setting up a Mechanized HQ Truck as his first HQ. You can purchase BARS if the opponent goes a heavier T1 build or if the OKW player makes Battlegroup HQ as his first HQ. You can also purchase the BAR later on when you manage to hold off your opponent's early vehicles.

If your opponent is Wehrmacht, they might rush an early T2 to produce a 222 Scout Car. Keep track of how many infantry units your opponent has, and evaluate the situation. The Captain is sufficient to counter a 222 Scout Car.





If your opponent is OKW, they might build a Mechanized HQ truck to rush out a Flak Half-Track or Puma. In this case you may choose to grab the Captain and AT Gun as early as you can.

Your opponent will likely expect a US Forces player to rush out a M15A1 AA Half-Track and some OKW opponents will try to rush out a puma to counter. By using this Tier 3 build, the Puma may not pose a huge threat in the early and mid game. Simply produce a captain to counter these early German vehicles. The Captain and his crew holds 2 Bazookas and they are perfect soft counters to early German light vehicles. You can choose to produce a Stuart light tank if you do not encounter any pumas. The Stuart light tank is a good support unit capable of dealing with infantry and destroying lighter vehicles like the German 222 Scout Car and the OKW Flak Half-Track. The Stuart can also be used to support your tanks in assaults by stunning enemy vehicles with its stun shot. The Stuart is immune to infantry rifles but is vulnerable to AT guns and a couple of Panzershrecks.

Remember not to bunch up your infantry when facing the OKW Flak Half-track. Try distracting or luring it into your captain or AT Guns and neutralize it. The Flak Half-Track can easily suppress and force you to pull your infantry back. Suppressed troops can't do much against the enemy.

The 57mm Anti tank Gun is effective against the German medium tanks like the Panzer 4, Ostwind, or Jagdpanzer. Best used in conjunction with the support of your Riflemen AT rifle nades and Stuart stun shot. However, this anti tank gun has a hard time penetrating the armor of the heavier German tanks like the Tiger, Panther, and King Tiger. Use the HVAP ability to temporarily increase penetration for use against Heavy Tanks.

From here, try to make use of your 3CP Paratroopers and 1CP Pathfinders. Use Paratroopers to flank, capture sectors, and sneak around in enemy territory by dropping in behind the lines. Pathfinders are excellent at long range against infantry but are fragile. Use Pathfinders as a support unit while keeping your riflemen at the frontlines. These units are optional in my opinion but I'm sure they could be effective at times.

If you want to call in some Paratroopers, you can upgrade them with Thompson SMGs or Browning M1919A6 LMGs. If you are the more aggressive type, upgrade your paratroopers with the Thompsons. Thompsons are excellent at short range against infantry. If your play style is the more defensive type, the Browning LMGs will be useful to fight attacking infantry. I suggest that Browning LMGs are better against Obersoldatens as you risk taking casualties while charging to the Obersoldatens with Thompsons. Overall, in my opinion, the Browning LMGs are a better choice than the Thompsons, but it is a little more expensive.

If your opponent makes a lot of Infantry or an early Schwerer Panzer Headquarters, its time to air drop some .50cal M2HB Heavy Machine Guns. Expect the enemy to produce Obersoldatens from the early Schwerer Panzer HQ. The .50cal Heavy Machine Gun can easily suppress groups of infantry while at the same time fending off Obersoldatens and killing units with ease. If the enemy makes a Panzer 2 ''Luchs'' light tank, you can deal with it using your AT guns and captain.

If the enemy still focuses a lot on infantry and you feel that the Sherman is not necessary, you can produce the M8 Scott to deal with them while keeping more resources for Jacksons and other units. However if your opponent has a Panzer 4 or some other tanks on the field, it is recommended to build a Sherman for better Anti-Armor capabilities.

The M8 Scott is amazing at killing infantry at long ranges. This vehicle can fire over low structures and bushes. It is fragile so use it as a support vehicle to target enemy infantry from a distance.

Once you encounter or suspect heavy tanks to arrive, its time to use the M36 Jackson. The M36 Jackson has very weak armor and can be taken out easily by AT guns in 3 shots. However, the Jackson has a very long range, packs a good punch against the heavier German tanks and has great mobility. Keep the Jackson behind your frontline units and make use of its range (same as using an SU 85). It can counter German heavy tanks involving the Tiger, Panther and King tiger.



Lastly, once you reach 12 CPs, time to make use of your super tank killer, the P47 Thunderbolt Strike. It assaults enemy tanks for 2 waves before the ability is over. However, this airstrike only targets tanks and not infantry or buildings(does not target OKW Base buildings too) and it is vulnerable to enemy anti aircraft weapons. Use this call-in as a support to help your attacks and pushes to crush your opponent.

Before we finish, let's recap the build order for fighting against the most likely enemy strategies. You can modify these builds a little depending on the situation and what's comfortable for you.

• Riflemen, Riflemen, Riflemen, Riflemen, Medic Truck, BARs
  
• Captain, 57mm AT Gun, Air drop .50cal HMG/Paratroopers/Pathfinders(If Necessary)
  
• Major, Jackson/Sherman/M8 Scott (Depends on situation)
  
• Free style!
  

• Riflemen, Riflemen, Riflemen, Riflemen, Medic Truck, (BARs later on if needed)
  
• Captain, 57mm AT Gun, Stuart, Air drop .50cal HMG/Paratroopers/Pathfinders(If Necessary)
  
• Major, Jackson/Sherman/M8 Scott(Depends on situation)
  
• Free style!
  

Thank you for reading my guide! Hope this guide works well for you. Feel free to contact me on COH2.org or on steam! (RtN.Milk Please!) Use the links below to check out more from COH2.ORG!