What if you don't want to spend money on that lousy commander and don't get any helpful drops from warspoils? Then what? Is all hope lost?!
Believe it or not, this game has been mired in dlc bullshit since release. All the factions (with the exception of soviets) are quite reliant on dlc commanders for their meta strategies.
Whether that is right or not is up to you to decide.
If you aren't willing to use "p2w" commanders, then I would recommend either luftwaffe for the mg34, or breakthrough for the panzerfusiliers (I recommend these). Panzerfusiliers with the G43 upgrade beat rifles at all ranges (yes, even flamer rifles), and also bring you a snare and good scouting abilities.
Don't forget to use the breakthrough ability (or whatever it's called) to quickly recapture territory, and the blob officer to force retreat enemy squads and buff up your own during big battles. If you use the officer, try to keep him behind the lines.
In terms of nondoctrinal counters, I prefer to use the flack ht in conjunction with a Raketen or two covering it's flanks. This allows me to use it with no fear of enemy stuarts and lt tier vehicles.