Soviet 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 Soviet unit currently in Company of Heroes 2 separated by building, and each description covers basic strengths, potential weaknesses, and their most effective uses.

Regimental Field 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

• Field Infirmary
250 manpower
Allows medic spawning at HQ to heal infantry. Medics won't run after retreating/moving squads.

• Molotov Package
125 manpower, 15 fuel
Allows Conscripts to throw Molotov cocktails.

• Anti-Tank Grenade Package
125 manpower, 25 fuel
Allows Conscripts to throw anti-tank grenades to cripple and damage enemy vehicles.
Only vehicles below 75% health are crippled by AT grenades.

Conscript Infantry Squad

Core Soviet infantry. Upgrades and doctrinal abilities make it a high-utility unit. Can be upgraded at the HQ with Molotovs and/or Anti-Tank Grenades.Can build sandbags.

Production/reinforce cost: 240/20 manpower
Population cap: 6

Abilities:

Oorah! - 10 munitions; +1 speed bonus

Merge - Free; transfer men from the conscript squad to reinforce other infantry and support weapon crews. These units will retain the conscript's statistics(Including how fast they die)

Build Sandbag Fighting Position - Free, grants green cover

Molotov cocktail - 15 munitions, requires global HQ upgrade

RPG-43 Anti-Tank Grenades - 25 munitions, require global HQ upgrade

Hit the Dirt! - Free, doctrinal ability; Provides light (yellow) cover to the squad. Disables movement while active.

Trip Wire Flares - 10 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; anti-personnel mine that reveals a large area around it when triggered

Upgrades:

Conscript Repair Kit - Free, doctrinal ability; allows Conscripts to repair vehicles and bridges

Conscript Assault Package - 40 munitions; individual upgrade grants 3 PPSh sub-machine guns to a conscript squad

Tips: Trip Wire Flares, unlocked at vet 1, is a very useful and yet unused ability. It allows you to see flanks coming and can slow down infantry charges: a charging Panzergrenadier squad will scatter when the mine explodes. You can use that to your advantage and reposition your forces or do more damage to that squad.

Combat Engineer Squad

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

Production/reinforce cost: 170/21 manpower
Population cap: 5

Abilities:

Build Fuel Cache - 200 manpower; +3 fuel per minute

Build Munitions Cache - 200 manpower; +5 munitions per minute

Razor Wire - free

Cut wire - free, requires Hazard Removal Package upgrade

Plant Demolition Charge - 90 munitions

TM-35 Mine - 30 munitions

Repair - free

Trip Wire Flares - 10 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; anti-personnel mine that reveals a large area around it when triggered

Upgrades:

ROKS-3 Flamethrower - 60 munitions; the flamethrower deals increased damage to squads in cover/garison.

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

Vet 2 +20% Accuracy +50% Repair Speed
Vet 3 +15% Accuracy

Tips: Mines win games! Plant them early and often with your combat engineers. Engineers have the same health and the same rifles as Conscripts. Flamethrower-equipped combat engineers in a halftrack are a serious threat to weapon crews and isolated infantry squads.

Special Rifle Command (tier 1)

Building cost: 160 manpower, 10 fuel
Build time:20 seconds - 1 engineer squad, multiple engineers build 1 building faster

Scout Sniper Squad

Two-man (or two-woman) sniper squad that kills in one shot at long range. Will camouflage while in cover and can pay munitions for sight of a nearby area for a short time. Useful for taking out weapon teams and supporting infantry. Very fragile and must be kept safe.

Production/reinforce cost: 360/90 (4 pop) manpower
Population cap: 9

Abilities:

Tips: Not affected by cold. The Soviet sniper team will stop cloaking as soon as it is out of cover or heavy snow. Note that snipers have only a 50% chance to hit units garrisoned in buildings. Use flares to extend the effective range of weapons such as anti-tank guns. Watch out, scout cars (222, kubelwagon) deal increased damage to the Soviet sniper team !

M3A1 Scour Car

Fast car that can hold an infantry unit able to shoot out of the back of the vehicle. The unit inside still takes damage from normal firearms but becomes immune to supression, which makes this vehicle useful for flanking.

Production cost:190 manpower,15 fuel
Population cap: 5

Abilities:

Tips: Units firing out of a moving M3A1 have reduced accuracy. If the M3A1 is destroyed while carrying troops, there is a 50% chance for each person garrisoned inside to die in the explosion.

Penal Battalion

Elite anti-infantry squad. Can be upgraded with a Flamethrower and can throw a satchel charge for high area damage.

Production/reinforce cost: 300/25 manpower
Population cap: 8

Abilities:

Throw Satchel Charge - 45 munitions; Can be used on vehicles to cause engine damage

Targeted Satchel Charge - 45 munitions; Can target enemy vehicles (exlusively) to deal heavy damage

To the Last Man - passive, Increases weapon accuracy, rate of fire and improves survivability when the squad loses members.

Upgrades:

Tips: Penal Battalions carry much more powerful rifles than conscript Mosin-Nagant rifles. Penal battalion's satchel charges are excellent for destroying emplacements, decrewed heavy weapons (such as Pak 40s), and immobilized vehicles. Can be used on incoming vehicles to cause engine damage. The PTRS 41 AT rifles upgrade nerfs the Penals anti-infantry capabilities severly, use it only as a last ditch effort against the light vehicles.

Support Weapon Kampaneya (tier 2)

Building cost: 160 manpower, 20 fuel
Build time:20 seconds - 1 engineer squad, multiple engineers build 1 building faster

M1910 Maxim Heavy Machine Gun

Weapon team that lays down suppressive fire over a long range, good for defending positions and chokepoints against enemy infantry. More durable and quicker pack-up time than the German counterpart, but its fire arc is much smaller.

Production/reinforce cost: 260/15 manpower
Population cap: 6

Abilities:

Tips: Use the Attack-Move command to have your Maxim team automatically set-up and target enemy squads while en route to its destination.

PM-41 82mm Mortar Squad

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. More durable than the German mortar but has a slower firing rate.

Production/reinforce cost: 240/15 manpower
Population cap: 6

Abilities:

Mortar Barrage - free; 4 rounds

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the mortar will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user/designated barrages

Fire Smoke Barrage - free; 3 rounds

Flare - 40 munitions, unlock at vet 1; reveals target area, 35 seconds

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.

ZiS-3 76mm Divisional Field Gun

Weapon team that shoots long range armor penetrating rounds. Strong against enemy vehicles but fires slowly, moves slowly, and cannot be retreated. Can pay munitions to fire artillery rounds into an area, making it useful for killing infantry.

Production/reinforce cost: 320/15 manpower
Population cap: 9

Abilities:

Light Artillery Barrage - 60 munitions; 6 rounds

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the ZiS will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Tracking - 35 munitions, unlock at vet 1; increase sight radius and track infantry on minimap, 20 seconds

Tips: It is best to place anti-tank guns one behind another, so that if the front gun is flanked by a vehicle, the rear gun can prevent effective circle-strafing.

Tankoviy Battalion Command (tier 3)

Building cost: 240 manpower, 85 fuel
Build time:40 seconds - 1 engineer squad, multiple engineers build 1 building faster
Requires Special Rifle Command or Support Weapon Kampaneya

M5 Half-track Transport

Light halftrack that can hold up to two squads which can shoot out of the back of the vehicle. Allows nearby squads to reinforce similarly to the HQ. Can be upgraded with anti-air machine guns that are strong against infantry, light vehicles, and aircraft, although it can no longer hold nor reinforce infantry. Best in a support role. Shared veterancy - accrue veterancy from nearby infantry squads and weapon teams.

Production cost: 270 manpower, 30 fuel
Population cap: 5

Abilities:

Overdrive - 10 munnitions, unlock at vet 1; increased speed, 20 seconds

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the M5 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Vehicle Crew Self Repair - 30 munitions, doctrinal. Disables weapons and movement and reduces munitions income while active.

Upgrades:

Tips: The M5 is most useful in situations where the Ostheer player has lost his MG42s and cannot suppress your infantry squads and force them to retreat. When upgraded, it is very useful for countering German strafing runs.

T-70 Light Tank

Small, mobile tank that is resistant to light arms and has a quick-firing gun capable of taking out infantry, light vehicles, and buildings. Highly vulnerable to enemy anti-tank weaponry. Has a non-doctrinal auto-repair, as well as the ability to increase sight range in exchange for turning off the main gun.

Production cost: 260 manpower, 70 fuel
Population cap: 8

Abilities:

Recon Mode - free; increase vision, disable main gun, from vet 1 also capture points

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the T-70 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Vehicle Crew Self Repair - 30 munitions,doctrinal ; disables weapons and movement and reduces munitions income while active

Tips: The T-70 is very effective against isolated infantry squads, support weapon teams, and light vehicles or light tanks such as the 251 Halftrack, Panzerwerfer, 222 or the Luchs. Its speed and active abilities make it useful as a recon unit and a hit-and-run flanking unit.

SU-76M Assault Gun

Medium vehicle that can shoot mostly-accurate artillery rounds at a long range. Its main gun is strong against light vehicles and medium tanks, although it has limited mobility and low armor. Useful for keeping axis armor at bay and taking out stationary infantry and weapon teams.

Production cost: 280 manpower, 75 fuel
Population cap: 8

Abilities:

Light Artillery Barrage - 6 rounds

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the SU will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Tracking - 35 munitions, unlock at vet 1; increase sight radius and track infantry on minimap, 20 seconds

Tips:The barrage ability fires in an almost flat parabolic arc that cannot pass over buildings.

Mechanized Armor Kampaneya (tier 4)

Building cost: 240 manpower, 90 fuel
Build time:50 seconds - 1 engineer squad, multiple engineers build 1 building faster
Requires Tankoviy Battalion Command

BM-13 Katyusha Rocket Truck

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:

132mm Rocket Barrage - free; 16 rockets

Creeping Barrage - 45 munitions, unlocks at vet 1; rockets will hit target area in line formation

Tips: Katyushas are best used against support weapon and infantry-heavy Ostheer builds. They are very vulnerable to all enemy units, so keep them well away from the front lines.

T-34/76mm Medium Tank

Strong, mobile tank with good accuracy and a powerful gun at a cheap price. Great against infantry and vehicles, but suffers from weaker armor than most other tanks; relies on its mobility to stay alive against anti-tank infantry and enemy tanks.

Production/reinforce cost: 300 manpower, 80 fuel
Population cap: 10

Abilities:

Ramming Maneuver - free; T-34 rams itself into a tank, disabling itself and causing various criticals on the tanks.

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the T-34 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Secure Mode - free, unlocks at vet 1; can capture points, but disables main gun

Tips: Ram is a powerful ability that can inflict critical hits on enemy vehicles, but will disable the T-34 until it receives repairs. This ability has a low chance of penetration against heavy tanks' frontal armor.

SU-85 Medium Tank Destroyer

Big and slow tank hunter with armor-penetrating rounds that will strike fear into any German crew. High health and decent armor make it resistant to other tanks, but it is vulnerable to mobile anti-tank weapons and infantry.

Production cost: 350 manpower, 130 fuel
Population cap: 12

Abilities:

Focused Sight - free; increases forward vision and reduces peripheral vision, reduces speed by 50% when active

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the SU-85 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Tracking - 35 munitions, unlock at vet 1; increase sight radius and track infantry on minimap, 20 seconds

Tips: Focused Sight is a tremendously useful ability, but remember to disable it when you need your SU-85 to escape from a fight! The SU-85 has a longer range than almost any German tank.

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 Soviet commanders.

Guards Rifle Infantry

Long-range all-around infantry with armor penetrating PTRS guns for high damage against light and medium vehicles. Can be upgraded with two LMGs for improved anti-infantry capabilities.

Production/reinforce cost: 360/27 manpower
Population cap: 8

Abilities:

RGD-33 Fragmentation Grenade - 35 munitions

Button Vehicle - 40 munitions, requires DP Light MG; 20 seconds, reduces target vehicle's movement speed, line of sight and rate of fire

Trip Wire Flares - 10 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; anti-personnel mine that reveals a large area around it when triggered

Upgrades:

DP Light Machine Gun - 75 Munitions; upgrade grants two LMGs

Rebuy dropped weapons - weapon dependant munitions cost; upgrade grants dropped weapons back to the squad

Tips: Put Guards into an M3A1 Scout Car to chase down early-game light vehicles, like the 251 halftrack. With the DP upgrade, guards can button vehicles, reducing the vehicle's line of sight, rate of fire, and maneuverability, allowing you to easily destroy it.

HM-38 120mm Mortar Squad

Weapon team that has a longer range and greater firepower than the PM-41 Mortar, a strong upgrade. Note that unlike other mortars, if all but the last member of the crew of an HM-38 120mm are killed, the final man will not abandon the weapon and retreat off the field.

Production/reinforce cost: 340/15 (2 pop) manpower
Population cap: 10

Abilities:

Mortar Barrage - free; 6 rounds

Fire Smoke Barrage - free; 3 rounds

Hold Fire - free

Flare - 40 munitions, unlock at vet 1; reveals target area, 35 seconds

Tips: 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. Unlike other mortars, the 120mm mortar does not die when reduced to one crew member.

Shock Troops

Short range elite infantry with greater durability than any other infantry in the game. Packed with PPSh submachine guns, explosive grenades, and smoke grenades. Great for assaulting defended points and can stand on their own against Panzergrenadiers.

Production/reinforce cost: 390/32 (1 pop) manpower
Population cap: 10

Abilities:

RG-42 Anti-personnel grenade - 30 munitions

RGD-1 Smoke Grenade - 15 munitions

Trip Wire Flares - 10 munitions, unlocked at vet level 1; anti-personnel mine that reveals a large area around it when triggered

Tips: Shock troop squads are kitted out entirely with PPSh-41 submachine guns and are therefore best used at short range. Smoke grenades can be used to close the distance in safety when assaulting squads and for blocking the line-of-sight of machine guns.

T-34/85 Medium Tank

Stronger version of the T-34/76 with increased armor penetration, damage, and health.

Production cost: 380 manpower, 130 fuel - requires appropriate doctrines and Mechanized Armor Kampaneya
Population cap: 14

Abilities:

Ramming Maneuver - free; T34 rams itself into a tank, disabling itself and causing various criticals on the tanks.

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the T-34/85 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Secure Mode - free, unlocks at vet 1; can capture points, but disables main gun

Vehicle Crew Self Repair - 30 munitions, doctrinal; disables weapons and movement and reduces munitions income while active

Tips: Much more powerful than the T-34/76, the T34/85 excels well versus other mediums and heavies contrary to T34/76 and has decent anti infantry capabilities. One of the best medium allrounders for late game.

ISU-152 Heavy Assault Gun

An improvement to the SU-85 Tank Destroyer with vastly improved range and damage against all targets. Lacks in armor and mobility yet makes up for it with an extremely strong area-of-effect attack. Can toggle between AP (armor piercing) or HE (high explosive) rounds. AP rounds are capable of hurting even strongest Axis tanks but lack area-of-effect attack to kill infantry. HE rounds have extremely strong area-of-effect attack but fails to penetrate anything stronger than panzer 4.

Production cost: 720 manpower, 260 fuel
Population cap: 20

Abilities:

G-530 Concrete Piercing Round - 70 munitions; a single round that can go through any obstacle to hit the target

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the ISU-152 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Tracking - 35 munitions, unlock at vet 1; increase sight radius and track infantry on minimap, 20 seconds

Upgrades:

Tips: Use the Concrete Piercing Round to hit enemies hiding behind shot-blockers. The ISU-152 with high explosive shells is easily capable of one-shotting entire squads of Axis infantry.

KV-8

A combination of anti-vehicle and anti-infantry weaponry, the KV-8 can toggle between its 45mm gun for light vehicles and its flamethrower for close-range infantry. Tough tank with heavy crush.

Production cost: 390 manpower, 145 fuel
Population cap: 14

Abilities:

Use Main Gun/Flame Projector - free; switch between primary weapons

Secure Mode - free, unlocks at vet 1; can capture points, but disables main gun

Tips: A "tank" of a tank, the KV-8 can soak up damage from Axis AT weaponry. It is not strong against medium and heavy armor, but the sight of a KV-8 will often cause Axis players to retreat infantry and weapon crews.

IS-2

The heaviest of Soviet armor, the IS-2 has a high damage, high penetration gun coupled with tough armor and decent speed. Strong against all targets, weak only to the heaviest of anti-tank rounds.

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

Abilities:

Secure Mode - free, unlocks at vet 1; can capture points, but disables main gun

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the IS-2 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Upgrades:

Tips: A powerful jack-of-all-trades.

ML-20 152mm Gun-Howitzer

A powerful indirect-fire weapon available to certain Soviet commanders. The 152mm rounds deal more damage than those fired by the Ostheer howitzer. Must be built by combat engineers. Cannot be built in HQ sector.

Production/reinforce cost: 600/60 manpower
Population cap: 15

Abilities:

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.

B-4 203mm Howitzer

When unlocked, this giant cannon can be placed anywhere in friendly territory by a squad of combat engineers. When built, the B-4 is able to fire single-shot barrages that can 1-shot weapon teams, entire infantry squads, and light vehicles. Cannot be built in HQ sector. Somewhat inaccurate.

Production/reinforce cost: 600/60 (3 pop) manpower
Population cap: 15

Abilities:

Barrage - free; fires one giant shell, somewhat inaccurate

Direct Fire Attack - 90 munitions;unlocks at vet 1; howitzer will fire directly at a targeted enemy vehicle; shorter range than barrage and requires line-of-sight

Tips: If you want to take advantage of the B-4's tremendously powerful Direct Fire Attack, make sure not to set it up behind a shot-blocker! This ability requires clear LoS onto the target. Note also that the ability only works on vehicles.

KV-1 Heavy Tank

The KV-1 Heavy Tank carries the same 76mm gun as the T-34 and the same chassis as the KV-8, which allows it to effectively fight German medium armor and infantry. The KV-1 has no flamethrower, however, so do not expect it to clear the field of infantry and weapon teams by itself.

Production/reinforce cost: 420 manpower, 145 fuel
Population cap: 14

Abilities:

Secure Mode - free, unlocks at vet 1; can capture points, but disables main gun

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the KV-1 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Tips: Although the KV-1 is a heavy tank, do not expect it to hit with the same destructive power as an IS-2 or ISU-152. The KV-1 is best used to absorb damage while other units do the killing.

M-42 45mm AT Gun

The M-42 is a small anti-tank weapon that is effective in large numbers. It is called onto the field without any build time and can rotate quickly to respond to fast moving vehicles, but it lacks the damage and penetration of larger AT guns like the ZiS and the PaK.

Production/reinforce cost: 200/15 manpower
Population cap: 5

Abilities:

Tracking - 35 munitions, unlock at vet 1; increase sight radius and track infantry on minimap, 20 seconds

Hold Fire - when toggled on, the M-42 will only fire at targets explicitly ordered by user

Tips: Use the M-42 in the vicinity of your field headquarters. The buffs from the FHQ will make this little AT gun pack a much larger punch and will make it a threat to tanks.

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