I've been using the new Tactical Support commander to spread the word of freedom. 3 Rifles>LT>50cal>Captain, as soon as I hit 3 CP I call in the M5 and upgrade with quad-mount. Upgrade Rifles/Echelons with 1919s as I get munis available. Use the AT gun+Captain to keep Luchs at bay, and for any other light vehicles just slaughter the little bastard with your Quad.
From there I typically get an AT gun+pack howie, and tech major for Jacksons. The biggest thing at this point is to pull your quad crew and stick it in that first Jackson. My best game gave me an almost vet 3 Jackson right out the gate, average somewhere around 1 1/2 vet level. After 2nd Jackson if the Nazi's still haven't had enough Freedom delivered, I'll save fuel for a Calliope.
I will preface my post with the fact that I am awful at using AT guns, I just hate moving the bastards and generally treat them as static defense.
With that being said, here is what would happen to me if I tried this.
1. The luchs would go batshit insane and get like 40 kills if the map is large. Seriously, on semoskiy, for example, (bonus points for winter) 1 captain and 1 AT gun is absolutely not enough to hold the luchs at bay. The luchs will literally kill anything, accruing vet quickly until it hits critical mass at vet 2 in which it becomes the bane of manpower. Once luchs is vet 2 it can solo the captain.
Even on small maps like langres the luchs will still, at the very least, be able to hold 1/2 the map ( enough to protect the schewer PHQ from being gibbed by AT gun etc and camp 1 fuel long enough for king tiger).
2. Sometimes vs OKW better than rank 300, I actually lose the early game. Volks 12 damage buff are just extremely potent, not to mention the kubelwagen capping like mad ensures that even if I win the initial ~2 rifle vs 2 volks/sturmpio engagement I Will be behind in capping as this requires me to commit my rear echelons to fight. It is impossible at this point to do any real capping damage because your units are injured and have to retreat early for the next fight.
There is also 0 way to deal with aggressive cutoff play and ESPECIALLY buildings being occupied. If the OKW wants to do some hyper agressive play like taking a forward building ( example the building next to the lake when you're at northern semoskiy), and then cap the rest of the map with his kubelwagen, there is 0 way to out him from this position. Volks are cheaper than rifles, and if they are in some favorable position they will literally just kill rifles. Volks vs Rifles is dictated by green cover, and if the volks get there first, they win. Problem is, the volks can play defensively as the game is a countdown till the king tiger. I am FORCED to attack him, many times unfavorably because volks are quite literally the best unit in the entire game at the moment, bar none.
3. The impact of the M5 will be nullified by said luchs and/or volks with schrek spam. Even worse, volks don't even need to win the game by KILLING your m5, hitting it with a shreck or two every few minutes gains veterancy on the volks at an alarming rate. This ensures that at least 2 vet 5 UBER volks squads will be in the late game. The only way to deal with this squads late game is to have a double LMG vet 3 rifle or to have calliope/pershing/easy 8 sherman tank. If there are more than 2 of these squads the OKW basically can't lose the game. They are simply too effective at killing all units in the late game as no allied units can close the distance to leverage short range combat because late game almost all cover is destroyed and running from max range to close range in 0 cover is instant death. Because my M5 is nullified, he gets KT and wins. At most I will put pressure on him back to his schewer PHQ and he can stall on 1 fuel until he reaches KT and wins the game.
What usually happens to me vs competent OKW players, I go even or slightly ahead or sometimes flat out lose the game ( allow a super early luchs or flak halftrack because I lost both fuel), then I get out my m20 utility car. The car does a good amount of work until 1 rocketen and 2+ shreck squads are on the field. Now I stall the game till pershing or easy 8 shermans, if I don't out right wipe 3+ squads or kill the schewer PHQ, the king tiger comes and ends the game.
I want to make one thing clear. In my experience,
if the okw has a KT and multiple vet 4-5 volks (conveniently farmed by your vehicles) and 1 obersoldaten, the game is his to lose. There is absolutely nothing the USF can do at this point to besides outplay the OKW that he or she failed to outplay previously.
Do Jacksons and AT guns + pure LMG infantry really deal with the king tiger for you?
Also, finally, does the m5 quad come out before the m20 utility car and does it have a greater impact?