Profile of Vicar in a tutu

So far, this is my (newbie)experience playing 2v2 as germans: I do quite well early game. Then I gradually lose the advantage. In t3 I get a pz4. Going ostwind seems like suicide, since I have access to so little reliable AT. The pak sucks big time. Screcks cost 120 munitions. A lone soviet medium tank will crush my ostwind. So pz4 it is. Now I try to maneuvre so I can use my tank to my advantage. I can't get close to hardly any soviet infantry, because their heat-seeking AT granade destroys my engine and renders my tank a sitting duck to SU-85s. Their 120mm mortars destroys my fortified positions as well as static units (mgs, etc. of course I can reposition them, and I constantly do, but the mortar has a huge range and it is difficult for me to "out-mortar" them). If I try to push to take out their mortar positions, my tanks get damaged by a SU-85 shot from out of nowhere and I have to retreat it to save it.

Hey, I've been playing CoH1 since release and recently turned to CoH2. I mostly play 2v2 and would rate vanilla CoH1 9.5 in this sense (panzer elite are ok too, but brits are hit or miss). Although I haven't played CoH2 a lot, my initial impression is a solid 7.5. The game is fun, but there are so many things I miss. I miss having to choose between barracks and support company when going american, and if I go barracks, choosing between jeep or rifle squad as first unit.

I miss having to choose between early BARs or nades. I miss bikes when playing germans. Bikes are really awesome early game and reward good micro. I loved using bikes (or rather, schwimmwagens) and jeeps to push enemy squads out of cover and winning small skirmishes that way. I really miss mines. I've been playing as ostheer and the teller mines cost 60 munitions, which is a lot. I would love to be able to lay "normal" mines like in CoH1. There are many, many small things I miss, which when taken together make quite the difference.

However, I've just started getting into CoH2 so I'm open to changing my mind. Now (finally) to my question: Which faction is the best late game? In CoH1, wehr was usually the best faction late game and there was a great dynamic were the americans had to push and be extremely aggressive early on, while the germans had to hang on in there and tech.