German Unit Guide

Unit Overview

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Although in-game unit descriptions are helpful, few provide enough information to understand how best to use each unit. This list contains brief descriptions of each German unit currently in Company of Heroes 2 separated by building, and each description covers basic strengths, potential weaknesses, and their most effective uses.

Kampfgruppe Headquarters (Tier 0)

The HQ is your most important building. If you lose it, you will lose the ability to call in doctrinal units.

Essential Upgrades

• Escalate to Battle Phase 1
100 manpower, 40 fuel

• Escalate to Battle Phase 2
100 manpower, 45 fuel

• Escalate to Battle Phase 3
100 manpower, 45 fuel

Pioneer

Builder unit, weaker than normal infantry but can be upgraded with Flamethrowers making them a powerful anti-infantry and anti-emplacement unit. Can alternatively be upgraded with combo wirecutter/mine defusal package.

Production/reinforce cost: 200/25 manpower
Population cap: 5

Abilities:

Repair - free

Cut wire - free, requires Hazard Removal Package upgrade

Build bunker - 150 manpower

Build barbed wire - free

Teller Mines - 50 munitions; triggered by vehicles only

S-mine Field - 60 munitions

Use first aid kit - 15 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; heal a different squad or the Pioneers themselves

Fuel Cache - 200 manpower; +3 fuel per minute

Munitions Cache - 200 manpower; +5 munitions per minute

Hull Down - free, doctrinal; immobilize armor units while granting improved accuracy and defense, and reducing reload time

Upgrades:

Flammenwerfer 35 flamethrower - 60 munitions

Hazard Removal Package - 30 munitions; allows pioneer to detect and remove mines and to cut barbed wire

Tips: Do not leave your pioneers in your base for the entire game! Pioneers are excellent for capturing points peripheral to the main fighting and can augment your main fighting force when upgraded.
If pioneers are interrupted when planting an S-Mine field, the cost of the unplanted squares will be refunded.

MG42 Heavy Machine Gun Team

Weapon team that lays down suppressive fire over a long range, good for defending positions and chokepoints against enemy infantry. Has a wider fire arc than the Soviet HMG yet suffers from a smaller team size and a slower pack-up time.

Production/reinforce cost: 260/22 manpower
Population cap: 6

Abilities:

Upgrades:

Tips: Suppression is a powerful ability that slows units and reduces their offensive capabilities. Pinned units are completely unable to attack or to use abilities. To get the most out of your machine gun teams, after the weapon has set up, manually select targets within the MG42's arc of fire to attack and suppress more than one squad.

Bunker

Defensive structure. Built by pioneers or grenadiers. Can be garrisoned by infantry and machine gun crews.

Production cost: 150 manpower

Upgrades:

MG42 Heavy Machine Gun - 60 munitions

Medic Station - 60 munitions; bunker will spawn medics to heal nearby units

Command Post - 60 munitions; allows reinforcement at bunker

Tips: By placing a medic station near your headquarters, you can heal your infantry while they reinforce.

Infanterie Kompanie (Tier 1)

Building cost: 80 manpower, 10 fuel

Grenadier

Core German infantry, effective at long range. Useful for taking territory and crippling enemy vehicles with their Panzerfaust ability.

Production/reinforce cost: 240/30 manpower
Population cap: 7

Abilities:

Fire rifle grenade - 30 munitions, requires Battle Phase 1 researched (Tier 2)

Fire Panzerfaust - 25 munitions

Build bunker - 150 manpower

Use first aid kit - 15 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; heal a different squad or the Grenadiers themselves

Model 24 Stun Grenade - 20 munitions, doctrinal; stuns and deals light damage to infantry in the area of effect

Casualty Interrogation - free, requires Jaeger Infantry Package upgrade (doctrinal); use on enemy casualty to reveal all enemy units temporarily on the minimap

Hull Down - free, doctrinal; immobilize armor units while granting improved accuracy and defense, and reducing reload time

Upgrades:

MG42 light machine-gun - 60 munitions; does not fire while unit is moving

Ambush Camouflage - 30 munitions, doctrinal; allows cloaking and Hold Fire in cover and heavy snow

Jaeger Infantry Package - 45 munitions, doctrinal; equips squad with two G43 rifles

Tips: Panzerfausts can inflict an enginge critical on vehicles. It is possible to upgrade a grenadier squad with an MG42 LMG and two G43s (if allowed by the doctrine) for maximum infantry-killing power.

GrW 34 Mortar Team

Weapon team that provides incredibly long range indirect fire on positions and enemy units. Great for clearing out defended positions or stopping the enemy from capping a point. Has a quicker firing rate as compared to the Soviet Mortar Team but has a smaller team size.

Production/reinforce cost: 240/22 manpower
Population cap: 6

Abilities:

Fire barrage - free

Fire smoke barrage - free

Hold fire - free

Counter barrage - free, unlocked at vet 1; unit automatically barrages firing enemy artillery units

Tips: When a mortar squad has been reduced to one man, the last member will flee from the map. Use smoke barrages to block line of sight and hide units. Use shift-clicking after firing a barrage to have the mortar move to a new location immediately afterwards.

Sniper

Single sniper who kills in one shot from long range. Will camouflage while in cover. Useful for taking out weapon teams and supporting infantry. Fires faster and camouflages quicker than the Soviet sniper. Very fragile and must be kept safe.

Production cost: 360 manpower
Population cap: 9

Abilities:

Tips: Ordering the sniper to attack another unit while Hold Fire is active will cause the sniper to shoot once, without disabling Hold Fire. The Ostheer sniper will remain in cloak for a short while after leaving cover or heavy snow. Note that snipers have only a 50% chance to hit units garrisoned in buildings.

When engaging Soviet sniper teams, keep the Ostheer sniper in heavy (green) cover; the re-cloak time of the Ostheer sniper in heavy cover is faster than the aiming time of the Soviet sniper.

Leichte Mechanized Kompanie (Tier 2)

Building cost: 200 manpower, 20 fuel
Requires Battle Phase 1

Panzergrenadiers

Durable infantry squad strong at short range against enemy infantry. Useful for capturing territory, flanking enemy weapon teams, and causing burst damage to infantry. Can be upgraded with Panzershrecks for use against vehicles.

Production/reinforce cost: 340/42 (2 pop) manpower
Population cap: 9

Abilities:

Bundled Grenade - 45 munitions

Use first aid kit - 15 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; heal a different squad or the Panzergrenadiers themselves

Model 24 Stun Grenade - 20 munitions, doctrinal; stuns and deals light damage to infantry in the area of effect

Casualty Interrogation - free, requires Jaeger Infantry Package upgrade (doctrinal); use on enemy casualty to reveal all enemy units temporarily on the minimap

Hull Down - free, doctrinal; immobilize armor units while granting improved accuracy and defense, and reducing reload time

Upgrades:

Panzershrecks - 120 munitions; equips squad with two Panzershreck rocket launchers

Ambush Camouflage - 30 munitions, doctrinal; allows cloaking and Hold Fire in cover and heavy snow

Jaeger Infantry Package - 40 munitions, doctrinal; equips squad with two G43 rifles

Tips: Equipping Panzershrecks on a panzergrenadier squad will cause two of the squad members to lose their assault rifles, limiting the squad's anti-infantry power. Panzergrenadiers have good accuracy while moving, which makes them very powerful at chasing retreating squads.

SdKfz 251 Halftrack

Light vehicle that can hold up to two squads. Allows nearby squads to reinforce similarly to the HQ. More durable than the Soviet halftrack and can be upgraded with two flamethrowers, becoming an incredibly powerful anti-infantry and anti-emplacement vehicle at the cost of transporting infantry. Best in a support role.

Production cost: 200 manpower, 30 fuel
Population cap: 5

Abilities:

Infantry Awareness - 10 munitions, unlocks at vet 1; 20 seconds, reveals infantry on the minimap in a large radius

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Riegel 43 Anti-tank Mine - 60 munitions, doctrinal; triggered only by vehicles

Upgrades:

Flame Projectors - 90 munitions; removes infantry transport ability and reinforcement ability

Spotting Scopes - 30 munitions, doctrinal; increase line-of-sight when stationary

Tips: When upgraded with a flamethrower, the halftrack excels at flanking support weapons and finishing off retreating squads.

SdKfz 222 Scout Car

Light, mobile vehicle that is strong against enemy infantry and light vehicles at range. Counters Soviet scout cars, weapon teams, and snipers.

Production cost: 250 manpower, 30 fuel
Population cap: 5

Abilities:

Infantry Awareness - 10 munitions, unlocks at vet 1; 20 seconds, reveals infantry on the minimap in a large radius

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Spotting Scopes - 30 munitions, doctrinal; increased line-of-sight when stationary

Tips: The scout car is an inexpensive and very effective counter to sniper teams. When upgunned, the 222 can destroy M3A1 scout cars in a single burst. With veteran bonuses, the 222 can threaten even larger vehicles.

PaK40 75mm Anti-Tank Gun

Weapon team that shoots long range armor penetrating rounds. Strong against enemy vehicles but fires slowly, moves slowly, and cannot be retreated. Fires much quicker than its Soviet counterpart at the cost of squad size.

Production/reinforce cost: 320/22 (1 pop) manpower
Population cap: 9

Abilities:

Tips: The Target Weak Point ability is useful for stun-locking enemy vehicles and preventing them from escaping the kill-zone of your anti-tank weapons. Use this ability when you have other anti-tank options nearby to finish off stunned Soviet armor.

Support Armor Korps (Tier 3)

Building cost: 240 manpower, 60 fuel
Requires Battle Phase 2

StuG III Ausf. G Assault Gun

High damage and fast firing rate, although with subpar accuracy. Has decent health and armor with low mobility. Best used as a counter to enemy armor and vehicles.

Production cost: 280 manpower, 90 fuel
Population cap: 8

Abilities:

Target Weak Point - 35 munitions, unlocks at vet 1; disables main gun temporarily

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Upgrades:

Pintle-mounted MG42 machine gun - 50 munitions

Spotting Scopes - 30 munitions, doctrinal; increased line-of-sight when stationary

Tips: The StuG is strong against Soviet light and medium armor, but vulnerable to flanking and circle strafing due to its fixed gun. As a result, StuGs are best used in conjunction with other units that have anti-tank capabilities, such as Paks, panzergrenadiers armed with Panzershrecks, and, of course, more StuGs.

Flakpanzer IV Ostwind

Quick-firing anti-infantry tank with decent health and mobility. Has low armor and damage per shot, making it weak against enemy tanks yet strong against light vehicles.

Production cost: 280 manpower, 100 fuel
Population cap: 10

Abilities:

Blitzkrieg Tactics - 30 munitions, unlocked at vet 1; increase speed

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Upgrades:

Tips: The Ostwind rips all infantry and light vehicles to pieces. With vet 2 and vet 3, Ostwinds can face even T-34 medium tanks. Ostwinds are also one of the most effective units for shooting down enemy aircraft.

Panzer IV Medium Tank

An all-around useful tank with a powerful weapon and good accuracy. Great against infantry, vehicles, and tanks, with more mobility than the StuG although it does not have increased health or armor.

Production cost: 350 manpower, 125 fuel
Population cap: 12

Abilities:

Blitzkrieg Tactics - 30 munitions, unlocked at vet 1; increase speed

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Upgrades:

Pintle-mounted MG42 machine gun - 50 munitions

Spotting Scopes - 30 munitions, doctrinal; increased line-of-sight when stationary

Tips: The Panzer IV is a powerful, jack-of-all-trades tank.

Heavy Panzer Korps (Tier 4)

Building cost: 200 manpower, 50 fuel
Requires Battle Phase 3

Panzerwerfer 42 Multiple Rocket Launcher

Long-range artillery truck that causes decent damage across a large area. Not very accurate and easily destroyed yet acts as a great counter to a heavily defended position.

Production cost: 360 manpower, 85 fuel
Population cap: 12

Abilities:

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Counter barrage - free, unlocked at vet 1; unit automatically barrages firing enemy artillery units. Panzerwerfer cannot move while active and cannot fire normal barrage.

Upgrades:

Tips: The Panzerwerfer is a very delicate unit. To keep it alive, keep it behind the front lines and use shift-right-click to queue a move order after giving the order to fire a barrage. This will cause your Panzerwerfer to relocate to a new position and prevent it from being attacked or hit with counter-battery fire after it has fired its rockets.

Sturmpanzer IV "Brummbär"

Heavy anti-infantry tank that fires a powerful area-of-effect round at decent range. High health and armor with low mobility.

Production cost: 470 manpower, 160 fuel
Population cap: 14

Abilities:

Bunker Busting Barrage - free, unlocks at vet 1; fires 150mm High Explosive shells

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Upgrades:

Pintle-mounted MG42 machine gun - 50 munitions

Spotting Scopes - 30 munitions, doctrinal; increased line-of-sight when stationary

Tips: By using the Attack-Ground command on the Brummbär, the tank will fire exactly where you click on the map. Use this to fire shells directly into the center of blobbed infantry and cause maximum splash damage.

Panther PzKpfw V Medium Tank

An upgrade from the Panzer IV, the Panther has more health, much better armor, and similar mobility, making it an all-around strong tank.

Production cost: 490 manpower, 175 fuel
Population cap: 16

Abilities:

Blitzkrieg Tactics - 30 munitions, unlocked at vet 1; increase speed

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Upgrades:

Pintle-mounted MG42 machine gun - 50 munitions

Spotting Scopes - 30 munitions, doctrinal; increased line-of-sight when stationary

Tips: The Panther is a fast, agile tank destroyer. It has the speed to catch Soviet vehicles and the armor to resist instant critical hits from anti-tank grenades and T-34 ram maneuvers.

Doctrinal Units

Company of Heroes 2 wouldn't be the game it is without doctrinal call-in units. Here is a list of special units available to German commanders.

Artillery Field Officer

A tough short-range unit that can increase the accuracy of nearby units and order all nearby artillery to bombard an area. A decent support unit that is best used with a group of allied infantry.

Production/reinforce cost: 240/30 manpower
Population cap: 9

Abilities:

Artillery Smoke Barrage - 30 munitions; 8 rounds

Concentrated Fire - 25 munitions; 20 seconds. All units fire faster and more accurately

Coordinated Fire - 80 munitions; all artillery, mortars, and rockets in range will immediately fire on the target, regardless of cooldown

Use first aid kit - 15 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; heal a different squad or the Artillery Field Officer squad itself

Tips: A player may have only one Artillery Field Officer at a time. The squad consists of an officer and three grenadiers. If the officer is killed, the squad will be unable to use the special abilities until reinforced.

Opel Blitz Cargo Truck

This unit has no offensive or defensive capabilities, but will increase the amount of fuel and munitions that a sector provides.

Production cost: 200 manpower
Population cap: 0

No veteran bonuses

Tips: The Cargo Truck is completely defenseless and will light up a sector bright yellow when set up. Make sure to hide it or give it an easy escape route to safety so you do not lose your investment. Only one cargo truck may set up in a sector at a time.

Pak 43 Emplacement

Requires 8 Command Points. Static emplacement built by pioneers.

Production/reinforce cost: 500/25 (1 pop) manpower
Population cap: 10

Abilities:

Tips: The Pak 43 is capable of firing through all obstacles, including buildings and hedgerows. Position the Pak behind shot-blockers and use other units to provide line of sight.

leFH 18 Artillery

Static emplacement built by pioneers.

Production/reinforce cost: 600/30 (1 pop) manpower
Population cap: 15

Abilities:

10.5cm Howitzer Barrage - free; 10 rounds

Counter Barrage - free, unlocked at vet 1; unit automatically barrages firing enemy artillery units. Cannot fire normal barrage while Counter Barrage is active

Tips: Artillery rounds have guaranteed penetration against any vehicles they strike. Try to place your howitzer in a location where it will be difficult for the enemy to gain line of sight on it and destroy it with artillery or airstrikes.
If you are nearing pop-cap but have plenty of manpower, consider killing the crew of your artillery piece with a grenade and re-crewing the weapon with a squad that has lower pop-cap upkeep.

SdKfz 250/7 Mortar Halftrack

Mortar team stationed within a mobile halftrack. Great for quick barrages then moving to support other troops. Vulnerable to enemy anti-tank and mobile weaponry.

Production cost: 200 manpower, 40 fuel
Population cap: 6

Abilities:

Mortar Barrage - free; 6 rounds

Smoke Barrage - free; 3 rounds

Incendiary Mortar Barrage - 30 munitions

Counter barrage - free, unlocked at vet 1; unit automatically barrages firing enemy artillery units

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Tips: Incendiary mortar barrage is excellent for killing snipers and for forcing weapon teams to reposition. Use shift-right-click to issue commands after ordering a barrage. Your opponent can see your mortar through the fog-of-war when it fires; don't let him sneak up on your valuable unit!

Tiger PzKpfw VI

The most powerful of German tanks, the Tiger is a force to be reckoned with. High health, high armor, great mobility, and a devastating shot that can take out any unit. Vulnerable only to the strongest of Soviet anti-tank weaponry and can sustain many shots from the average tank.

Production cost: 640 manpower,230 fuel
Population cap: 19

Abilities:

Blitzkrieg Tactics - 30 munitions, unlocked at vet 1; increase speed

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Upgrades:

Tips: The Tiger is capable of soloing almost any unit in the Soviet arsenal. In situations where you are quickly gaining CPs, it is possible to save for a Tiger rather than to tech to tier 3 or 4.

Command Tank

A Panzer IV equipped with a short-barreled main gun that is effective against infantry and light vehicles. The Command Tank provides defensive bonuses to units in an aura around it.

Production cost: 360 manpower, 125 fuel
Population cap: 12

Abilities:

Blitzkrieg Tactics - 30 munitions, unlocked at vet 1; increase speed

Panzer Tactician - 30 munitions, doctrinal; smoke screen

Upgrades:

Tips: Only one allowed at a time. Note that the Command Tank's gun is not as effective against armor as the stock Panzer IV's main gun.

Elefant Heavy Tank Destroyer

A beast of a machine, the Elefant has incredible range and armor penetration with high health and armor, suffering only from an extreme lack of mobility. Best against enemy tanks but can do decent damage to infantry if it manages to hit them.

Production cost: 720 manpower, 245 fuel
Population cap: 21

Abilities:

Upgrades:

Tips: Keep the Elefant behind your lines so it is not flanked and use other units to provide line-of-sight. The Elefant has tremendous range, and can hit most units before they can reach - or even see - your tank.

Osttruppen

A weak, six-man infantry squad that replaces lost units when Relief Infantry ability is active. Can also be called in by the Osttruppen Doctrine commander. Osttruppen do more damage when in cover but capture territory at only half the speed of normal infantry.

Production/reinforce cost: 200/16 (0.5 pop) manpower
Population cap: 6

Abilities:

Fire panzerfaust - 25 munitions, requires Infanterie Kompanie (Tier 1)

Use first aid kit - 15 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; heal a different squad or the Osttruppen themselves

Build Trench - free, doctrinal; unit will dig a trench that can be garrisoned by any infantry and most weapon crews for a defensive bonus

Tips: Ostheer players can flood the field early with these cheap infantry squads to attempt to out-cap the Soviets. Osttruppen are excellent for re-crewing weapons and reinforce almost immediately. Note that they have a 0.5 accuracy modifier if not in cover and cannot fire on the move!

Assault Grenadiers

Assault grenadiers provide anti-infantry firepower in the earliest stages of the game. They are effective at close range and can cause serious damage to clusters of infantry or enemies garrisoned in buildings by using their grenade assault ability.

Production/reinforce cost: 280/26 manpower
Population cap: 5

Abilities:

Model 24 Stielgranate Grenade Assault - 30 munitions, requires Battle Phase 1; every squad member throws a grenade at the target location

Sprint - 10 munitions, squads sprints for 5 seconds

Build bunker - 150 manpower

Tips: Contrary to regular grenadiers, Assault grenadiers cannot fire a panzerfaust, which makes them very vulnerable to vehicles. In the early game, they will have difficulty dislodging enemies from buildings, so accompany them with a flamer pioneer.

250 Halftrack

This open-top halftrack is called in with the Mechanized Assault Group ability. It can garrison one squad that can fire out of the top. When called onto the field, the 250 halftrack contains a Panzergrenadier squad.

Production cost: 490 manpower, 30 fuel
Population cap: 7 (includes a Panzergrenadier squad; 14 population is required to call in the 250 halftrack)

Tips: Squads cannot reinforce from the 250 Halftrack. Garrison it with panzershreck-equipped panzergrenadiers to chase down wounded enemy vehicles, or with a flamer pioneer to roast retreating infantry.

StuG III Ausf. E Assault Gun

The StuG E packs the firepower to deal with infantry and light vehicles, but struggles against armor. It is inexpensive, does not require a production building, and is called onto the field instantly, allowing Ostheer players to quickly bring together a fleet of StuGs.

Production/reinforce cost: 260 manpower, 75 fuel
Population cap: 8

Abilities:

Tips: The StuG E's main gun is weak against armor, so vet it up by attacking infantry, light vehicles, and other soft targets. Use the Target Weak Point ability to stun Soviet tanks and let your real damage dealers deliver the killing blows.

Stormtroopers

Stormtroopers can be spawned from any unoccupied building on the map allowing you to surprise your opponent in engagements and reclaim territory behind enemy lines. These Stormtroopers have the ability to stealth in cover and hold fire, making them the perfect surprise weapon for infantry, shock troops etc. The Stormtroopers can be upgraded with 4x STG44’s , 1x Panzershreck or 2x G43s. Each upgrade unlocks a powerful ability for the Ostheer player.

Production/reinforce cost: 340/33
Population cap: 8

Abilities:

Bundled Model 24 Grenades - 45 munitions

Use first aid kit - 15 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; heal a different squad or the Stormtroopers themselves

Model 24 Stun Grenade - 20 munitions, doctrinal; stuns and deals light damage to infantry in the area of effect

Hold Fire - free

Tactical Advance - 25 munitions, 10 seconds, requires 4x 44 Sturmgewehr 'Assault Rifles'; Stormtroopers move slower but have increased combat effectiveness while moving

Casualty Interrogation - free, requires Jaeger Infantry Package upgrade (doctrinal); use on enemy casualty to reveal all enemy units temporarily on the minimap

Vehicle Detection - 30 munitions, 30 seconds, requires Anti-tank Combat Package; hostile vehicles appear on the minimap

Upgrades:

4x 44 Sturmgewehr 'Assault Rifles' - 100 munitions; equips with 4x StG Assault Rifles; grants "Tactical Advance"

Anti-tank Combat Package - 75 munitions; equips with one Panzerschreck; grants "Vehicle Detection"

Jaeger Infantry Package - 40 munitions, doctrinal; equips squad with two G43 rifles; grants "Casualty Interrogation"

Tips: As well as having a very credible offensive fire, with the STG-44, the Stormtroopers unlock ‘Tactical Advance’. This ability allows the Stormtroopers to fire accurately whilst slowly moving in formation. This ability is powerful enough to wipe an entire squad of shock troops running towards you. Be aware that you will not be able to move or retreat at full speed until the ability has finished, so timing is essential.

Tiger Ace

The Tiger Ace is a stronger version of the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger and enters the field with veterancy level 3 by default. Manpower income is reduced by 25% and fuel income ends until the Tiger Ace is destroyed.

Production/reinforce cost: 800 manpower
Population cap: 26

Abilities: