Grens and volks don't stand a chance against rifles if the fight starts at around 10-15 range. Even if gr/vl are behind cover and rifles are advancing up to the cover, they will win it (unless advancing across red cover) early on.
Such scenarios are, coming around bushes or buildings or such sight blockers.
I would know, I pretty much play USF in 90% of total games (a few custom lobbies OKW and that's it). Rifles own grens and volks close range.
Problem is, seldom are maps where you can start a fight at 10-15 range and close in.
Most 2v2+ maps are fought cover to cover at ranges 15-30, where rifles lose AND those maps are quite open, meaning you can't easily sneak around or wait.
Another problem is that pretty much all 3v3+ maps have perfect MG42 positions where MG42/34 can lock down a whole area.
Of course, that's not a problem later on, when you have smoke on captain/echelons/major/lieutenant, but early on, unless you want to go for a mortar (which is risky AF as the USF mortar is by far the weakest and usually just behaves as a pop eater, better to wait for pak howi; as much as it was nerfed, it's still better), you need to carefully plan each attack and use echelons to scout it out. That's where pathfinders come in. The sight is very much needed to see pios AND to see the MG42 so you know from which angle to come.
