This. By putting a Maxim in a garrison you negate its primary disadvantage of having a smaller arc and give it a better defensive purpose. (Especially when you consider that most maps have garrisons covering key points). Throw in M5 with its 360 degree fire that can face-melt squads at close range and wipe them on retreat and what more crowd control do you need? Nevermind the fact that Soviets are supposed to be an aggressive faction so heavy defensive tools don't really fit them.
PLUS Maxims higher damage AND 6 man crew means that it can easily 1v1 MG42s in or out of garrisons, which often correlates to map control in your favor by forcing off the other player's suppression platform. If you want to turtle then play Brits
Yea, but buildings are fast removable from map, USSR can't build trenches for HMGs, like UKF so - defensive options for Maxim can be closed very fast. And even putted in building - areal supression still doesn't exist. It means, that it still will be ineffective, compared with MG-42 or Vikkers, which pins everyone in large area around fireing target.
Maxims higher damage is not that really higher. I think, their DPS is equial, since Maxims rate of fire a bit lower (not sure about it, but when I use Maxim I can't say, that it deals much more damage to infantry, than MG-42 does). At least, it is not enough higher for to compensate low areal supression, DsHKs damage is fine for that, but it is killer-HMG at all. Maybe Maxim should perform just like DsHK for to be real offensive HMG...
Maxim kills MG-42 1v1. Yea, true, but it doesn't mean that Maxim is better. Again - support weapon teams don't fight 1v1, they don't fight alone, they SUPPORT to your main army troops. MG-42 may provide that support both in back and on frontline, cos it covers large area and supress in large area - better fire support. Maxim don't do it well, at least if you don't have 2 or 3 of them.
And I don't want turtle. I want balance. Balacne between factions, and even more important - balance inside faction itself. USSR may be balanced between other factions now (not sure), but definitely has no balance inside itself. And I ask for defensive AI-crowd control tools for USSR not because I want to make USSR into turtle faction, but because you just CAN'T play without such tools, it's part of CoH game mechanic - map control. Of course, USSR may be powerful in offensive, they may be powerful rushers (and even that is not true, since all of their units are weaklings), but when you capture map control - you must hold it somehow. And you can't hold map with offensive-designed units. So it means, that you will capture needed for you points (fuel, ammo, VPs) and... pretty soon lose, cos you just can't protect them. Such thing happens pretty often with USSR, adding to them defensive AI-crowd control unit/building would help them with that really.
If also they would add BS-3 heavy AT gun instead of M-42 in doctrines, that would really make soviet defensive gameplay more effective and less painful.