Profile of Vipper

I agree with you on both Volks and Obers. I'd also like to see the raketen get a wider firing arc and shorter aim time, possibly in exchange for making it stationary while cloaked. There are too many times that it seems like they should be firing at a vehicle and they don't.

One could test making the RW work as hand held rocket AT weapons.

High mobility and response times with less penetration/damage and deflection deflection damage. More like an AT squad with longer range.

Maybe Vet 3 should unlock non-doc hit the dirt
Iirc hit the dirt is tied to the PPSh upgrade in every commander?

No it comes with PPSH but does not need the upgrade. It is weird mixture that does not fit.

An offensive weapon upgrade combined with a defensive ability, end result they had to increase PPSh cost... (the same way sprint and camo are bundled together).

Hit the dirt could replace ourah and solidify conscripts as a defensive infantry.

Another approach would be to make Ostwind extremely good vs Light vehicles/tanks.

This could be done by giving Ostwind have access to AP rounds which is historically correct since it could fire such rounds. There even reports 37mm gun could destroy T-34.

In game the the AP round could serve as a hard counter to light tanks like the T-70, Stuart, valentine...The unit might need some additional changes like smaller size and more speed to be able to chase these units.

The Centaur already completely destroys most axis light vehicles and tanks while Ostheer seem to struggle against such vehicles.

Cons are sub par because they can't focus DPS. They get their vet 2 bonus accuracy and a vet 3 cooldown iirc which is nice, but that's it. It's still 6 dudes with rifles when yellow cover and durability buffs are flying around. They get a MASSIVE durability buff at vet 3, but that's easily offset by enemy weapon upgrades. And the biggest problem with all of their power coming from their vet is that if you happen to lose the squad that is it. It's gone. No attempt to recoup that loss. Lose a gren squad? Hurts. Slap an lmg on them and they will again burst down models. Not as frequently but the power is still there. Cons have no such redemption. For a squad that's supposed to be kinda trashy but expendable they are the least replaceable squad in the game.

Thisnis why I suggest SMALL passive improvements as the Soviet player techs up to sort of offset the lack of weapon upgrades and allow cons to be replaced if need be. In the end they would still be conscripts, but maybe slightly less trashy...

Imo infantry fight was in good spot before units started to be buffed left and right. Instead of solving the problem with buffing conscripts I would actually start nerfing other like VG, Penal, Guards and so on...Then most of problem that USF and UKF have would go away.

Although your suggestion about small improvement is actually far better than a weapon upgrade and both solution could apply at the same time if there was still a need for them.

Generally speaking T1 could become a building offering tech improvement to infantry better suited for heavy infantry use and T2 better suited for combined arms tactics.

Penal are odd fruit for a numbers of reason. They where designed to be an answer vs PG but with the tech changes they arrive earlier than PG.

They are also available in faction that already has access to elite infantry doctrinal infantry.

One could toneddown Penals(or change their spawn weapons), lower their price and offer a weapon upgrade to them.

One of the solution that I think is worth testing would be to redesign soviet stock infantry with two clear separate roles. One defensive and one offensive. That would create the space for the 2 units to coexist.

The following is an example how this can be done:

Conscripts become a defensive infantry.
They will have to lose ourah, merge and replace molotov with a frag grenade, increase the range of the AT grenade. Maybe change their vet 1 ability to hit the dirt or make hit the dirt available from vet 0. Hit the ground should scale with veterancy.

Penal become a cheap offensive infantry.
They come with PPSH around pioneer DPS and cost around 200 can merge have ourah and molotov.

Another more radical approach has them cost around 140 but catch is they can not reinforce. Now at certain vet level (which can be achieved via merge) they can "redeem themselves" and be upgraded to a normal unit.