Short game but:
Try tier 2 instead of tier 1 if you really dont like MGs that much.
Maxims conscripts and mortars with a later AT gun/partisans is much more solid than a T1 opening if you're not that expierienced.
3x penals doesnt hold that much weight against a straight MG and ostruppen opening, Theyre no better than riflemen without smoke. A T2 build wouldve been 100x stronger. Or MAYBE an M3(see below)
Send your engineers to cap, send your penals to engagement areas.
Penals in the north is a waste
Switch the position of your engineer and penal in that screenshot and the engagement near the church wouldve been won by you.
But overall:
Pretty much this is why you lost. Look at the army compositions here..
Not much you can do here as Tier 1. He out meta'd you pretty hard.
so you were kinda fucked right then and there.
Like i said before a T2 support weapo strat is much more solid against straight T0 like this. The only reason im not suggesting the M3 is because the ostheer player MIGHT go for T1 instead of rushing directly to t2 and his ostruppen(which he had 'ALOT' Of) will then have fausts. Theres a chance he wont, but if he does, well you lose that advantage.
if he rushes T2 he will have a 222 like he did. So unless you recognize that he didnt go T1 at all fast enough, you wont be able to make a fast enough m3. But usually an expierienced soviet player can tell if someone doesnt have fausts and will build a fast enough m3.
so T2 is just much
SAFER vs ostruppen and ostheer in general. wait until you're more seasoned before you play around with T1, VS OSTHEER at least. Even then I stil wouldnt really recommend it.
vs OKW its a different story altogether with T1.
hope that makes sense