Profile of Bryan

Not exactly what your looking for, but here is one variant of a build using encirclement+pios+stormtroopers+fast Ostwind I have tried out on the 1v1 ladder. No t1 or t2, so a very risky one and vs the USF you need t2 as I mention, but hope it helps give you some ideas and it could certainly be refined much more. I think less pios into t2 is a more stable build, albeit also pretty out there and risky!

http://www.coh2.org/topic/26961/the-cheese-series--a-competition/post/245498

Can't say i'm a USF player by any stretch of the imagination, but they do a job of being cheap cappers who very occasionally can use their volley fire. Don't forget to build tank traps as green cover either, good habit to get into.

But yeah, they are currently cappers, and damn good one's at that job. Not much more to them, cept that the fighting pit ain't bad either for its cost.

The advice you've received is very solid, Grens and to a bit of a lesser extent the MG42 are pretty much your staple, consistent units for Ostheer. Gl hf without them

Now putting that aside for a minute, I also enjoy trying out new things and tinkering with the conventional, so i'll try throwing down a few of my experiences with the encirclement doctrine and you can pick from that what you want. I've had success vs top 50 players in 1v1 using unconventional builds with encirclement, but the fact is, if your experimenting, be prepared to fail and take it in your stride, par for the course if your off the beaten track. Take what you can from it, what worked, what showed potential and what fell miserably on its face.

Pios with encirclement aren't complete junk as combat troops in the early game due to sprint, at close range, they make a decent cheap and cheerful assault gren impression. Mainly you want them for capping though, but keep in mind, they can 2v1 cons/rifles handily enough. As the game goes on and units get vet and simply weight of numbers in favour of allies, this won't work though as Pio vet is related to their engineer duties mainly instead of combat. With a flamer though, a pio squad is grand, in the same vein as combat engineers for soviets, except with sprint.

With that in mind, you may be interested in experimenting with a multiple pio start, anywhere from an additional 1 or if you really want to risk it for a biscuit and get early map control, 3/4 additional pios.

So something like, build 3 pio squads (giving you 4), into a quick t2 as you save the initial fuel for t1 building and grab yourself two quick 222's vs USF on open maps, on urban ones, Pgrens instead and tellers (leaving you the option to grab shrecks when the inevitable light vehicle comes, if it dodges the tellers). Then backtech to grab an Mg42 or two to hold the map that you take. At this point you'd have to make a judgement call if they have had enough fuel to get t3 and a tank, if so, you'll need a pack, if not, get yourself a sniper/Stormtrooper squad. I'd really only recommend the stormies if you have the 100 munitions for the upgrade spare (and remember to use cloak and hold fire to pull of ambushes).

You could try for t4, but its a hard ask, if your not quite there fuel wise, the p4 supported does a grand job, just keep in mind how deadly jacksons are.

That is just an example of how I might go about formulating a build vs USF using encirclement, if I really wanted to get the units you listed. So the questions i've asked myself when answering your post are:

How will I get map control? (Early Pios)
How will I counter that 1st light vehicle? (222's on open map/tellers& Shrecks if needed on urban/closed maps)
How will I spend my munitions? (Healing, sprint, and as above depending on the map)
How will I win the manpower war? (By using manpower efficient units via my tech, e.g. Pgrens/222's/Stormtroopers/MG42/Sniper)
How will I tech to capitalise? (t3 if not going well and p4, t4 for panther if going well)
Edit: How much can I comfortably micro? (Often forgot, but units like the ost sniper/light vehicles for example put a tax on your micro)

Anyways that is all pie in the sky, just a rough build i've pulled from my behind and how I thought about it. Hope it helps and sorry I can't give more specific answers.

Does it really work though? Are we talking South Semois? Cons with AT, or the M3 make short work of it - and the US never seem to be particularly hindered?

If you use the first truck instead to destroy a building, you're half torn between manoeuvring it to the corners of the building, whilst trying to keep your Kubel alive and running in the Volks to cover - ....I don't see bridge-blocking on Observer mode very much - it often fails when it is used, putting OKW on the backfoot

Can't say i've used it myself

But if an OKW player goes Kubel 1st and sends it and the truck immediately to the bridge, you typically arrive at the same time as the 1st rifle/con squad is arriving/capping the 1st point across the bridge. I'll do that cheesy strat myself as OKW, but won't use the truck to block the bridge (a bridge too far in abuse for me )

If the allied player sends their engineer and 1st squad they stand a chance, if not, very tricky and easy enough i'd guess to use the truck to block the bridge in short order before a 2nd con/rifle squad can arrive.

It's early enough in the game that an M3 or AT nades would be pretty rare.

Ofc, an USF player can place a tank trap on the bridge to block it, albeit that requires them to cap their fuel later then usual just because the threat of a truck rush to the bridge..

Soviets, gl hf, kill it before it gets in position or your fecked.

Default win in round 1, best kind