Sometime ago USF also did not have a mortar which counters MGs. If the micro was too tough for one faction why shouldn't it be changed with the others?
Exchanging smoke for the AT snare on panzerfusilers would help give OKW more options to deal with MGs if they chose that doctrine.
Hah, good point. But there are differences between old USF and current OKW. Old USF had really only 1 (!) combat reliable unit in T0 without opions of insta getting more unit by building first tiers. Rears and Medtruck are not really combat units, so... USF had to use ONLY Riflemen for to deal with everything, that stands against them - from volks to HMGs and mortars in early. That's why they got second more or less combat reliable unit in T0. Yet I still think, that T0 USF sniper would be way better, than mortars, but that's another discussion.
OKW has 3 combat reliable units in T0 right now - CQC infantry, which are also engineers, long-range meatinfantry and T0 AT-gun. Kubel is not really combat reliable unit, I suppouse, it is scout and capture mostly. But it's still very painful to play against kubelspammers at start, cos single Kubel might be not dangerous but 2 or 3 of them can even wipe your squads!
So... I see reasons, why USF got mortar in T0, but see no reasons why OKW should have anti-HMG counter there. Giving smoke to OKW would be equial to giving stock Bazookas or PTRS for USSR infantry, actually. That is fixing of problems, which are not really problems. Weakness of OKW in early is design issue, OKW is late-game faction. Such type factions suck in early, get their power in mid and become almost unstoppable in late. Vice versa for USSR - powerful early, weaking mid and pretty poor late with only T-34-76 in T4 and TD-only SU85.