Cost efficient, not powerful on the battlefield. When is the last time you honestly felt like you were starved of manpower as okw except right after you built something?
What are you on about? Penals are cost efficient and powerful on the battlefield. They rape everything and only get into trouble once vet 5 stg volks show up and lmg obers hit the field.
Riflemen are still very efficient too.
In my opinion the entire vet 5 system needs to go, but that is for another time I suppose. As for MP starved, as USF you can simply decrew some vehicles and gain mp income back, it goes both ways. As for OKW, it all depends on who is playing, but in the right hands they can be very potent.
As for the most no brainer easy mode faction in the game right now? Hands down Brits and Soviets.