I think that the Panzer Elite role is already sort of filled by OKW. Just swap PanzerGrens with Sturmpios and you basically get the same thing: tough (enough) and versatile infantry that can also repair, while also having the heaviest armor in the game.
Nah not really. PE didn't really have a lot of heavy armour, relative to Wehr. As for sturm pios, I think you would be hard pressed to find a top tier player who uses them as mainline infantry. Not to mention they were designed differently as well, the PE supposed to be a purely mechanized army (an idea that doesn't translate to Coh game play too well) and a late war Axis army with a handful of elite units and mainly untrained infantry.
However, I do agree that a lot of PE ideas were robbed by OKW, like Luftwaffe ground forces, heavy emphasis on light vehicles etc. But that's just Relic running out of ideas and taking from what they know.
The PzI is a no-go,(Pz1s were never used in after 1941 outside of training crews and towing guns), but why not use the equally obsolete Carro Armato L3/35 tankette? It'll basically do the same thing, anti-infantry light armor, except it's a casemate fixed-gun design and it doesn't come from Germany. On the subject of casemates, the faction could also have StuG equivalents with Semovente da 75/xx. Variety!
Yeah but only 20 Pershings were used on the Western Front and seen minimal combat. Should the Pershing be taken out then? Relic left historical accuracy behind a long time ago. I still favour the P1 for solid gameplay and a variety of upgrades, deepening strategy. And the P2 is fine but the P1 is just way too far? I don't see how its a massive leap.
But you do have a point. There's nothing stopping you from putting Italian units in this design and renaming it the 'Africa Corps'. The Mortar, Flak, Sniper, Flamer, Pak, Marder, infantry officer and P1 can easily be replaced by Italian equivalents and I have considered it before.
The reason I decided against it though was because if you put the Italians in the main faction, you can't have Eastern Front Non German powers in the Doctrines. Italians and Hungarians in the same faction? Relic plays fast and loose with historical accuracy but they at least retain some continuity. If by trying to increase variety by having Italians in the main faction, you really are diminishing it. That's why I still believe this design is optimal for balance, variety, nostalgia and strategic diversity.
Having said this though, if Relic were to release an Italian faction I wouldn't be disappointed.
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cblanco ★ 
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