Profile of victorstrategos

It seems like this game is going more and more into fantasy.
The current kubelwagon is an anti-historical joke. To give it a buff to make it more survivable goes against what it was used for. In game turns it is being used as an armored car which it was not. It was a light military vehicle. It was not armored. Even with a machine gun attached the kubelwagon was not a solitary, long range scout. The kubelwagon could be taken out with rifle fire. It was part of a battle group so that it would have a chance of surviving , or it was used behind the lines as basic transport. It does not belong on the front line, and if it goes there it should be easily taken out. The addition of the mg was a field modification. The person firing the mg has to stand up in the vehicle being an easy target.
Armored cars would be used for long-range upfront reconnaissance and engagement. The kubelwagon is another "clown car" in the game.

Dear Part time commie,
After reading your OP, I must confess that I am feeling a little pinker. Your recommendations especially under "Pathfinders" and "Paratroopers" are right-on. Pathfinders should drop in not walk in, however. Now, they are practically useless.
First of all, I know that COH is not realistic, but in some ways it pretends to "feel" realistic or historical.
The US Airborne in COH 2 are, indeed, underwhelming. The US Airborne were elite troops compared with the stock-in-trade riflemen. Their physical requirements were demanding and Airborne training had a high degree of wash-outs. They were not just riflemen with a parachute placed on their backs.
http://www.worldwar2history.info/Army/elite/Airborne.html
In fact, some critics of US Airborne doctrine believed that these highly-competent soldiers should have been distributed throughout the army. The average height of a US paratrooper was 2 inches taller than the average soldier in regular US Army units. The physical requirements were higher.
The combat effectiveness of the paratroopers frequently lead to US Airborne being used as regular ground troops as was the case during the Battle of the Bulge. The US paratroopers generally performed better in combat than "leg" infantry. With a sense of great elan, they performed with great determination.
-p.s. I have relatives who were paratroopers in WW 2. So, I am biased.