Have you tried the flak track? It comes before the t70, and with a raketen backing it up (or well placed mine), it is impossible to dive by the T70. With proper sighting and targetting, the halftrack will win all engagements with infantry (even guards) allowing you some serious map control. It also has escape smoke and at vet 2 gest incased damage allowing it to almost actually kill a t70 solo.
It also forces any reasonable soviet to invest into some sort of antitank much earlier then they would normally - meaning one less maxim to deal with. If they do build a ZIS, you can take comfort in the fact they are slow and take two hits to kill the HT. Meaning, you can just drive yorr flak track to the other side of the map and go knock down a maxim over there.
Lastly, with maxim death loops, there's a high probability that you'll decrew one as well when it first hits the field (and you suprise them) and can steal it. As the HT will deal both suppression and reasonable AOE damage.
Assuming you keep the damn thing alive, it will continue to win you infantry engagments and hedge against those pesky IL2s.
For a more advanced suggestion play, try rushing pumas. They have a coaxial which deals decent damagfe and a turret which occasional kills models. Maxims can't do shit against pumas, so you can just drive up into their face and force them to retreat or die. Additionally, it hard counters the T70, and can even fight t34s with proper management.
Thank you so much for this - maybe there's hope after all. I have previously tried the HT but I obviously need to get better at using it. I seem to recall that the firing delay it had (with the side panels having to open prior to firing) cost me dearly.
Just a quick couple of questions: What's the best way to provide sighting for the HT in your opinion? And I'm a bit baffled by the fact that you suggest that the Puma hard counters the T-70 - I get a small headache when I think about the last time I tried that
I obviously have to work on my vehicle skills. What is the Puma's strengths and weaknesses in a direct confrontation with the T-70?
Thanks again for your advice!