Ah okay my bad then.
No problem
I feel like their supposed role was always to be a ML replacer for volks.
Absolutely, and never once they were fit. They used to be pretty damn powerful sure, as a lategame infantry unit, more than they currently are (in late game), but they always overlapsed with Obers more than Volks
However they just suck so bad early that using them early exclusively is a death sentence.
Yes
However I wouldn't really say they are a supporting unit. They still replace a volks if you do go Pfussies IE 2 volks 2 Fussies or 3 volks 1 fussie, unlike JLI which supplement your mainlines (4 volks + 1 JLI).
If that's the intended design fair enough, but I have more than a few doubts about how it fits
It really feels like an old OKW unit which is too underwhelming at the start and ridicolously powerful into late game. Also any "alternative" mainline so far like Osttruppen and Penals as opposed to Grenadiers and Conscripts can fully replace each other while at the same time having clesr differences.
New Panzerfusiliers is a slightly weaker Volks that scales better and with a slightly cheaper munition upgrade that improve its dps at all ranges to create a mid-longish range unit. It's almost hilarious how similar conceptually the two units are yet you are forced into using both and (bar the flare/grenade and some vet bonuses) you use them in the same exact way.
The MP40 upgrade is a better "alternative" mainline to volks than Panzerfusiliers is.
Actually, ironically enough, while I didn't like that, pre rework Panzerfusiliers was a far more interesting 6 men G43 alternative to 4 men mg Obersoldaten than it is now to 5 man stg Volks, and had more distinctive trade offs in terms of abilities as well.
For a change, since we are talking about a 6 men german unit, it could be buffed, changed in cost and have the upgrades removed completely, so that unlikes most german units concentrating their dps around 1/2/3 models it would have its dps spread evenly across all models? That's just an idea, anything is better than initially shittier 5 to 6 men volks