Why do volks get sandbags...

This is a pretty oppressive mechanic in anything above 1v1 since in team games you can just sandbag up/camp one side of the map and stall for armor. Playing against OKW in 1v1+ is especially terrible since standard volks openers allow sandbags to be built almost anywhere and then when STGs/MGs come around you're just stuck slow-grinding until tanks. Attacking with LV is only possible for T70s that have enough dps to shoot volks out of cover from the side before rakens reposition. If you pick LT as USF or non-lend lease, you basically have mortars and nades which is countered by just repositioning and rebuilding the sandbag or dodging the nade..

Trying to push volks out of sandbags is near impossible with just infantry play in the early game. If you come at the squad from the side, you still are taking heavy losses since that squad has STGs. If you're unlucky, the ost teammate already parked an MG42 there and you're shut out from that side of the map until the midgame. Engies should really be the only unit able to build sandbags...or remove volks STGs until higher vet or something..

All 5 factions have stock and easy access to sandbags.
Just USF ones look like metal bars and are bit thinner.

I KNEW IT'D COME AT LONG LAST!

VOLKS BEHIND SANDBAG OP!

I KNEW IT'D COME AT LONG LAST!

VOLKS BEHIND SANDBAG OP!

RED UNITS BEHIND COVER OP PLS I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO

If you are playing as Sovs, you need to make heavy use of flamer + merge against OKW early game. If you do that correctly any heavy cover they have will work against them and you will actually have the early advantage.

Someone remind me if we have a USF OP thread. If positive, then we have finally assemble the 5 pieces of Exodia.

On a serious note, @Boro has the correct answer.

Volks get sandbags because they cannot justify building a second Engineer unit, which would leave their Sturmpioneers absurdly overburdened if they possessed the only way for OKW to produce green cover.

The other examples you might like to point to are UKF, who get Sandbags on IS because they are unable to build Engineers until a few minutes into the game, and USF, who get Tank Traps instead, which have their own utility (Though they're rarely used as actual tank traps)

Basically, if Volks didn't have Sandbags, the faction may as well not get them at all. Volks having sandbags is more understandable than Cons having them, if we're being entirely honest. At least Soviet might be able to actually have two units out that would be able to build them.