What if my guards get killed in late game? I get to call another halftrack just for another squad?
Dhska is already present in a couple of commanders. 50 cal will be a nice change.
Right now they cost is 270MP (240 is cost of HT). If they will become call-in infantry, i think they cost will increase accordingly, but...do you need "2-nd sort" shocks?
Another possible option - HT call-in without guards, but have additional ability to create crates with thompsons and grenades. But this grade lock "hoora" for cons and ptrs for penals.
And again - we are at least should consider historical aspect, .50 cal and thompsons has very, very narrow usage in EF in infantry usage. In 2-nd half of 1943 all lend-lease vehicle went in USSR without thompsons and personal crew weapon. Soviets have their own smg's and get lend-lease infantry weapon with unique ammo, not good for logistic. Lend-lease is always about armor, planes and supplies, but not infantry weapon.
This doctrine is more about armor and mechanized aspects of war (closer to technical advantage doctrine, but with lend-lease "hue"). Call-in HT could go in par with repair stations or something, that reflect armor and tanks.
The recent times i very often used lend-lease in 2vs2 - in open, wide maps it's very good commander. M4c like small Jackson (when you use super shells). M4c when you build 2 or 3, becomes very potent combo, in-fact, i find that they bette than su-85 due high mobility and smoke chargers (but it need some micro, because tank always stop when fire smoke shells). HT with guards good as early replace of T-70. Against Wermacht and OKW medical oppening it's very good choice.
Fuel drop very good - Axis very rare have build early AA.
In fact - HT with assault guards is good combo (i always call-in them before T3, than upgrade to quad and 1 fuel drop fully restore your fuel balance), but assault guards need some rework. They need special abilities to reflect their mechanized identity - repair for vehicle and boost to movement like pgrens will be very good for them (instead useless flare mine).
All groups with lend-lease armor had more "technical" knowledges than regular regiments. While USF have crews, soviet version of M4c could get self-repair (like in t-34/85 doctrine). Commander very muni-strave (fuel drops, mg for shermans, smoke from shermans) and cons also have repair, it will not become problem. Paradropped DSHK will be very good change, because in-fact, you very rare need it. AA HT fully overlapped his role and do job better. DSHK good only when in building, while in open-air it's become very baby-sitting unit.
I think that the Riflemans don't need any buff right now.
Such test quite irrelevant, i never saw such situations when both sides sitting in green cover and start shooting at one time. One side always in green cover while other need time to reach it and take damage from defending enemy.
Better make situation (the most realistic scenario in-game) when both squads need to go to green cover and fighting in process. Squad with less penalty to movement accuracy or with more firepower (like double bars) will be in favor.
When i was younger i too like read memories, but when getting older...no where lies so hard as on the hunt and on the war. Peoples on those times didn't have Internet, information very often was unclear. Now every scholar could say that this tank is Tiger, that is T-34, Panther and e.t.c
The most good way to get more clear information about case - read documents from different sides. Always have details that hidden from first look.
About first Tiger and Panthers - soviets in start of war have such heavy bastards as KV-2 and KV-1, even t-34 weight more than any german tank, while the most tough german tanks were P3 with short barrel and P4 with short barrel, no even any additional armor plates like it will be made in 1942. But Germans were stopped only near to Moscow.
When Germans got Tigers and Panthers...they couldn't even achieved previous positions near to Moscow, while soviets have only 76mm T-34 and Kv-1 as the most tough tanks. Why with thin armored, out-gunned tanks they could achive outskirts of Moscow, while have these absolutely beasts compared with other tanks (don't forget that p3 got additional armor and long barrel as well as p4) don't?
Obers, Falls and Assault Tommies can't rush through those smoke grenades (because they get snared by them) to follow it up with a nuke grenade. Storms don't have said nuke grenade.
Ok, add the same WP grenade for shocks and guards with ppsh, but with separate timers. I think you know, that trick with smoke+nade could be used not only for rush on HMG, but for defending of VP as well? Drop smoke and after it drop regular nade to kill enemy, if he trying to cap this point.
Separate grenade timers are a stupid idea that should not return.
Why? Obers, falls, storms, assault tommies - have it. Why shocks can't have it? Why airborne gurads with ppsh can't have it (squad with the highest cost from all elite infantry in-game, without any elite ability)?
THe same issue have airborne guards with ppsh. This bug absolutely broke elite infantry. Obers, falls, storms don't have such issue. Maybe there is decision for this problem.
In my opinion and on my own observations:
Mgs (Doenst matter which faction) gets weaker the longer the game goes. Increased yellow cover / RA vet buffs for opponents / increased indirect fire is the source of that, imp.
Yea it's problem. In late-game you always need build green cover for your HMG, to make it less vulnerable.
This hurts Ost a lot cus not only they have core infantry that at late game can't do anything to these cqc squads + all mg's are useless when vet is involvet + ost core infantry is only 4 men so easy wipe. Vet3 ass grens(0.6 RA), Shocks(1.5 Armor + 0.833 RA), rangers(0.545 RA) are way to tanky late game but allied core (riflemen/section/con/penal) and okw core(volks and pfusil) have enough models to escape and not get wiped (unless you get flanked but that's good play on the opponents part). So stopping this would be the best(and arguably most balanced) buff to Ostheer.
I don't know how you could pass through HMG...you will be surpress and pinned. Don't forget, in-late game team weapons have vet too, not only infantry. Incendiary rounds will stop any infantry, even in green cover. Only shocks (and pgrens in-doc) have better chances due smoke grenade. If you use smoke to cover your frontal attack - it's good move too. You even could use halftruck with troops inside to pass through enemy HMG zone. It's called - good play. Bad play - death blob with long range weapon, but it need other tools for deny.