Second pio instead of mg42

I've heard some top players like Refero do this, so I have some questions:

Has anyone here tried it? What do you think about it?
What benefits/drawbacks does it have?
What maps/factions does it work well on/against?
Do you get an mg42 eventually?

You have good close combat capability, you can upgrade with a flamethrower to get moar damage,
you heavily depends on ammo and also you depend to get the upper hand in CCQ engagements vs conscript /riflemen/IS and also moving all together (you can have heavy casualties if they dont have more numbers in close combat vs this kind of units, RIFLEMEN are the most dangerous vs close range pionners, Another thing
Urban maps are the best way to use this units like a combat unit. remember to get granadiers to have panzerfaust at hand, and YES MG42 can give you a lot of help when you are Swarmed vs massive infantry advance, at least you can suppress a part of the attack and be more managable., The trick is trying to use it in a non static approach, moving behind your line units and always give you fire cover when enemy infantry come to engage range. dont be caught off guard is a must in order to dont let them take the MG42. the guy just be so annoying about getting pinned all their units with the same MG in different engagements so he is going to rush Mortars/light vehicles to crush your mg have this in mind.


Another nice approach:
maybe is better going Assault granadiers, Mix with some standard granadiers to get panzerfaust in order to have some deterrent vs light vehicles abuse and Storm the front with assault granadiers and smoke mortar support. you can use some bulletins to have and edge with the assault granadiers, they are great but let you very dependant about closing distances to still be effective at late game. ( hard thing to do in open maps, almost impossible).

P.S: Shock troopers eat assault granadiers in 1vs1. CARE!

I recall Barton playing 5 Pios into T2 against Brits. The map was Arnhem Checkpoint.

Although I am 99% sure he was trolling, I would say that this build is viable this map due to the following:
- Buildings. Pios can hop in and out of garrisons, decreasing the amount of distance they need to close. Enemy use of buildings can be avoided in the early game and can be countered as soon as the first flamer Pio hits the field.
- Relatively close High Munitions Point. This guarantees an early Flamer (and multiple flamers later on) which is crucial to make up for your lack of firepower. Flamethrowers are especially effective against Brit IS as they rely heavily on cover.

Imperial Dane is another person who goes 2nd Pio. The benefits are largely due to the extra capping power early on, but I would say that they so combat ineffective without Flamethrowers that it's almost always a better idea to pick up an MG42 as your second unit.

More Pioneers later on in the match is good for the repairs, which is something that WM sorely needs.

Sounds like it would work better than RE blobs. But I don't know why you wouldn't do a HMG42 right off the bat. It gives you such an overwhelming advantage at the start of the game.