but right now Ost early game is way ahead of OKW's early game if only because you have far more options available to you.
I would have to disagree with you on that, Alex.
In the first five minutes of the game, a Kubelwagen is vastly superior to an MG42 because of its mobility. You can drive your Kubel with your Sturmpio to the enemy cutoff, fuel, whatever, and deny them that point.
On certain maps, it may make sense to put an MG42 in a building. In the first ten minutes, if your MG42 fails to setup properly in the house (where the setup progression bar stops) it is possible to lose the MG42 and at that early stage of the game, it can set you back or even end the game. (talking 1v1 here)
A Kubel is much more maneuverable and, as a result, survivable. If in the right location, it can more easily dodge an AT nade from oorahing cons than an MG42 can from a molotov.
There's also the problem of the MG42 not firing when an enemy unit enters its arc, rotation of the gun, aim time, etc. which can cause serious issues. Kubel inflicts suppression on the move, but not enough to suppress; that way, when the kubel does go into suppression mode, it can be near-instant. We've all seen MG42 fail to suppress...
MG42 is what saves Ostheer's life early game, especially against con spam. When the MG42 fucks up either because it's in a house, or the ready aim time, rotation time, etc. fucks you over, it can dramatically change the course of the match.