US Infantry Company

Hello and Welcome! My name is Mathias, I' am a competent Company Of Heroes 1 & 2 player and for a long time I've been planning to make a general comprehensive guide for various doctrines in Company Of Heroes 1. I've been putting this off for awhile but with summer around the corner I finally decided to start working on it. The first doctrine I wanted to overview is one of my personal favorites and most used doctrine, thee US Infantry Company. I hope to show you readers the advantages of using this doctrine and to be able to effectively apply the abilties this company has to offer on the battlefield.

US Infantry Company General Overview

The US Infantry Doctrine is very different compared to the other doctrines available for the US; in that while other company's focus on aggressive stances the Infantry company is focused on the exact opposite. The US Infantry Company focuses directly on its...

Defensive Capabilties (to take and hold territory forever while using heavy artillery to smash enemy assaults or even breakthrough enemy lines and take additional territory with Infantry and re-fortify the expanding front line again and again, grinding down its opponents into nothing)

It also has good Support Abilties as well in team-games, mainly through the use of its artillery call-ins and use of Heavy 105's Howitzers.




























Unlike other US doctrines that are geared towards being constantly aggressive and bullying the enemy into an early submission. The Infantry company seeks to "initially" use its basic riflemen and engineers to be offensive and secure territory (both your natural resource points and the enemies' if possible) and then finally hold that territory by building defensive fortifications. With entrenched positions at important key areas on the map the Infantry Company can force enemy players to attack on unfavorable conditions. (Example would be having riflemen holding an important fuel point behind sandbags and barbed wire). The US Infantry Company is geared towards having long grueling games where the enemy is slowly but surely worn down until they have nothing left, or no more territory to hold. The Company revolves around the augmentation of its combat engineers and riflemen squads. The game plan for the US Infantry Company is an Inital Offense and then a shift to a Mid-Late game Defense as part of its strategy.

Rapid Response

Rapid Response is one of the first abilties you can get for the US Infantry Doctrine if you go down the [Reinforcements Side] first. Rapid Response is a passive abiltiy that you gain for the entire game once its picked, the abiltiy itself allows you to train all infantry units and support weapon teams faster then normal. In high resource games if you go US Infantry then it's recommanded that you pick this first as you will be able to field more infantry faster and gain more ground and territory then the enemy in the initial stages of the match. For low resource games you can get away with going down the other side of the Doctrinal Tree.

Here is a comprehensive time evaluation for the training times of units with and without the ability. (Timed it myself)

US Riflemen without Rapid Response 36.4 seconds
US Riflemen with Rapid Response 27.7 seconds

HMG Team without Rapid Response 36.3 seconds
HMG Team with Rapid Response 24.35 seconds

Engineer Squad without Rapid Response 23.8 seconds
Engineer Squad with Rapid Response 21.1 seconds [Benefits least]

Sniper without Rapid Response 50.1 seconds
Sniper with Rapid Response 33.3 seconds [Benefits most]

I'm not exactly sure at what percentage the time reduction works at. But from what I have seen it appears that the ability effects each unit in a different way, some units benefit more from the ability like snipers and HMG teams, while Engineers don't really get that must of a boost from it at all and riflemen training times are marginally improved from its original time.

Though regardless the overall concept is the same, the faster you can train your troops and deploy them out on the field the better chance you have of taking control of the map.

195 Manpower
Another aspect of Rapid Response that is rather uncommonly used is the forward barrack deployment, any infantry unit can convert any miscellaneous civilian building to a forward barracks to reinforce and train new units. Rapid Response makes purchasing the forward barracks cheaper and take less time to convert.

Tips and Tricks of Rapid Response

• Use it as early as possible, especially on High Resources, where you can quickly flood the map with US Riflemen to dominate the early game.
  
  
• Don't be afraid to build both a Barracks and Weapons Support Center to get a good combined arms Infantry army to overwhelm your opponent (however do not do this if the game is on low resources, you want to be able to tech-up at the same time you enemy does)
  
  
• Don't forget that Rapid Response also effects the build time of the 57mm Anti-Tank guns as well, get early riflemen and tech-up as fast as you can to an AT gun if your concerned with a Panzer Elite Armored Car rush, there are times when you can get out AT guns faster then a PE player can get out his vehicles.

US Rangers

400 Manpower
Coming at 3 Command Points from the [Reinforcement] side of the Infantry Company is one of the most iconic units in the entire game. The US Rangers can and will lead the way. However there is a VERY specific way how Rangers are to be employed on the field. I have seen the mistake of people just spamming Rangers out again and again, believing that they can take on anything by themselves, this is not how they are supposed to be used! Furthermore due to their high manpower cost in deploying and reinforcing lost squad members means that Rangers are NOT MEANT to supplant/replace US Riflemen on the field. In most games you will usually only need 2 squads of US Rangers at any given time, maybe even 3 if your doing a 4v4 game but thats pushing it.



US Rangers are used best in an Anti-Infantry role, but to be successful they must first be upgraded with Thompson's Submachine guns!

100 Ammunition



Don't forget to upgrade pineapple grenades from the Barracks, useful against MG teams and Blobs
25 Ammunition



US Rangers are considered to be an Anti-Tank squad but contrary to Belief, Rangers are best employed in the opposite way as an Anti-Infantry support unit. In my experience with using Rangers I had them far outpreform in wiping out enemy squad then anything else. Taking on MP44 Panzergrenadier and even Knights Cross and winning. Rangers are also particularly good against Defensive Wehrmacht players who like to build bunkers as their bazookas can do high damage to them.


US Rangers can be employed in the Anti-Tank role though it is very difficult to pull off. The ONLY way Rangers can be effective in doing damage against vehicles is by flanking around to the side or rear of a vehicle and hitting it there. You see Bazooaks have very high damage role and can even do critical hits that can take off half the health of a Panther or Panzer 4 etc HOWEVER there is catch to all of this. The Bazooak has one of the WORST PENETRATION values in the entire game, meaning it will not do any damage from a frontal assault on a vehicle, most rounds will bounce or deflect harmlessly even off of Ostwinds. The best way to get the necessary hits off is to use something to distract enemy tanks like a Sherman or M18/M10 to body-block a tank from escaping (as seen in picture). Another way is to use sticky bombs from riflemen to slow down a tank (if you can get close enough that is). Or a better solution is to use mines to damage the tank, allowing for the Rangers to keep up with the wounded vehicle.

Remeber use the fire-up ability to have the Rangers get past MG teams and Bunkers to flank them, or to keep up with Vehicles on their Flank to hit them hard where the Bazooak penetration value isn't a hindrance. But don't forget that after using the sprint ability the Rangers will suffer from exhuastion afterwards, making them very vulnerable to weapons fire, its sometimes better to just force retreat them after using the ability.

Tips and Tricks For US Rangers

• Do not Spam Rangers, it will not help you and you will be manpower starved, only 2-3 squads are needed per game to make their presence felt.
  
  
• Use Rangers in an Anti-Infantry role, paired up with Riflemen to deal with Axis Blobs. Riflemen should use BARs and their suppression ability to keep the enemy down and Rangers should mop up in close quarters combat with Thompsons.
  
  
• US Rangers also work well with 57mm Anti-Tank guns, use Rangers to protect them if the enemy trys to flank around the AT guns with Lighter Vehicles like Armored Cars or Scout Cars, Halftracks etc.
  
  
• Always upgrade the Rangers with Thompsons, non-upgraded Rangers are very weak to Infantry. When they are finally upgraded they can take on any Axis Infantry from Grenadiers to Knights Cross in close combat.
  
  
• If you have a defensive Wehrmacht player that is bunker spamming the Rangers are perfect for using their Fire-Up sprint ability to get around the MG's of the bunker and taking it down.

Off-Map Combat Group

800 Manpower
The last ability to be used on the [Reinforcement] side of the US Infantry Doctrine. The Off-Map Combat Group is a straighfoward ability it calls in reinforcements at the cost of 800 manpower. The units that are called-in the field are completely randomized, you will either get a combination of units that include US Riflemen, M10/M18 Tank Destroyers, Greyhounds/T-17, M3 Halftrack, 57mm Anti-Tank guns, HMG Teams, and Mortar Teams. In my try-outs for the ability I have never gotten a Sherman tank or a Sniper. You do not need to build any specific buildings in order to get access to those units. They are all randomly deployed.


In my opinion this ability is considered more as a Luxury call-in then anything else. If you have the manpower and you lose a lot of units on the front you can quickly deploy them on the field and get back into the fight instead of waiting to re-build your units from your base. Though personally I don't like to gamble with what units I get and would rather just wait to build what specific units I need for whatever the situation calls for. I very rarely use this ability, let alone see other players use this call-in.

This ability again comes down to the strategy of the Infantry Doctrine to fight against the enemy dwindle/grind them down. After a major engagement where both sides have high casualties this Off-Map group can be called in to contuine the engagement and hold/push the enemy back. Your loses are replenished while the enemy has to make use of battered units.

Defensive Operations

Defensive Operations is the first ability you can get at the start of the game if you decide to go down the [Defensive] tree first. This is a passive ability is one of the most important aspects in the Infantry Company that will greatly help you out on the battlefield. This passive ability gives all Riflemen trained or on the field the ability to build any kind of defensive structure on the map. In addition it also gives a 50% boost the engineer's capabilities to construct defensives as well, tank traps can be built almost as fast as barbed wire from the engineers which can make a massive difference in shaping the battlefield's landscape.

This is one of the primary reasons why players pick the Infantry Company. The ability for US Riflemen to lay mines anywhere on the battlefield gives an initial aggressive player a massive advantage. Riflemen are used as the mainstray of your force to harass the enemy and push them off, then wherever you find a chokepoint or an important resource point lay a mine to be annoying to your enemies. With Riflemen spread out capping the map you can virtually lay mines anywhere and keep your opponent guessing. But remember riflemen take longer to lay mines and other defensive structures compared to the ridiculously fast engineers. Make sure your enemy doesn't see you laying the mines or take fire while building anything.


(Just after 2 seconds starting the building process)

Engineers can also be used to build fortifications, their speed increase from the passive ability gives them god-like capacity to build anything. Mines can literally be built in seconds the same goes for Tank traps. Entire areas of the map can be blocked off from your enemy preventing them from using any flanks. And MG nests can also be built incredibly faster.

Tips and Tricks of Defensive Operations

• If you have riflemen capping an area where there is no resistance, have them randomly build a mine on the point thats being captured or on a chokepoint, or the main roads on the map.
  
  
• Make riflemen build sandbags and barbed wire in an area where you know the enemy will come to you (example building on natural resouces points where its in the enemy's zone of influence)
  
  
• When it comes to building tank traps riflemen are generally much slower so use engineers instead.
  
  
• Later on in the game where fuel is not much of a problem use engineers to build MG nest to hold the flanks or other important areas of the map.

Off-Map Howitzer Shoot

150 Ammunition
A simple call-in ability that is used all the time by US Infantry players. The Off-Map Howitzer Shoot uses 6 Salvo's of 105 shells to bombard an area into submission. Common targets of opportunity are usually Axis Defensive lines, that include, MG42 Teams, Mortar Teams, Bunkers, Flak 88 Emplacements etc. It can also be used against Axis' Main base if your trying to hit retreating Infantry, but in order to do so you will need some kind of reconnaissance either from US Airborne doing fly-bys or hidden snipers.

The ability can also be used defensively to stop the enemy from trying to capture a point. And even can be used against armor, though its not recommanded as tanks can quickly drive away from the target zone. Artillery units like Stuaks and Hummels are also great targets for the call-in.

Tips and Tricks for Off-Map Howitzer Shoot

• If your paired up with a British player going commandos, get them to unlock the artillery flares ability to call in fake strikes and play some serious mind games with your enemies.
  
  
• Pray to the RNG gods that first round of the strike will hit hard and true.
  
  
• Prioritize Bunkers and Flak 88 Emplacements first for destruction.

105mm Howitzer

450 Manpower

75 Fuel

The infamous 105's Heavy Howitzer the ultimate weapon for the US Infantry Doctrine and the Number 1 reason why people choose this doctrine. This weapon is embodiment of the US Infantry strategy, without the combined use of Riflemen and the 105 Howitzer the doctrines' unquie ability to grind down its opponent into nothing would be completely uesless. One aspect cannot work without the other, making the 105 critical to American success on the battlefield. 105's should be used to smash enemy defenses at every opportunity. You don't need recon as this unit can fire into the fog of war. Bunkers, Flak 88s, Artillery, Infantry and Tanks are all targets of opportunity so long as you can protect the 105 from any close quarters engagements.


In order to keep up the pressure and grinding down your opponent you will need more then one Howitzer to do this. In most games 2-3 Artillery batteries are more then enough, maybe even 4 if your doing a larger 4v4 team game. You can either use all your artillery units to concentrate fire on a single target or you can spread out their fire across multiple independent targets; the chocie is yours.

Remember that when you build your artillery pieces make sure to ALWAYS SPREAD THEM OUT. Never have artillery units grouped up together as this is begging for the enemy to use their support abilties to knock out all your assets, if you lose your artillery you lose a central part of your combined arms forces and with that you will eventually lose the game. If you build your 105 Howitzers and they are under threat from Stuaks or Hummels and nebelwerfers. (Then build sandbags in a defensive V-Formation as seen the in picture, this helps to mitigate any damage received from any enemy counter barrage.) (This will allow you to repair your damaged gun or even recrew it, if it is dis-manned. But hopefully you will not lose the gun itself.)

Tips and Tricks for the 105mm Howitzer

• Always spread out your artillery guns when you building them, and additionall build the V-Shaped sandbag formation to increase it's survivability. (also build them near your base their range is good)
  
  
• Get more then one Artillery Piece 2-3 is a good number to have, but don't focus on it too much you need to be able to also maintain a strong field-presence on the battlefield, you will get to need riflemen and armored tanks to keep the enemy at bay.
  
  
• Always prioritize Bunkers, Flak 88s and enemy artillery first. You can also even focus on enemy blobs as the 105s are good at wiping out Axis Infantry.
  
  
• If you have reconnaissance against the enemy in the form of a hidden sniper or P-47 scoutting run and you know where the enemy is repairing their tanks target them, you may have a shot at wiping out a lot of the support engineers on the enemy team.

Video Gameplay Of Infantry Company

Here is a recording of a 2v2 multiplayer battle as the US Infantry Company from my point of view.

Link to Youtube Video if the Steam Version doesn't work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUzqCQSWKqw&lc=z23qtlqqkw3tzlhx004t1aokgbhyoseqxmbhd2esnmcark0h00410

Conclusion

This concludes my review of the US Infantry Company. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making it in the first place. I hope that after people read the guide they will be able to use the doctrine more effectively then just spamming rangers; and even win a few games because of this guide. Thank you all for readinng

Creditted source for the doctrinal unit pictures and ammo/fuel/manpower tags:
http://companyofheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Infantry_Company
http://companyofheroes.wikia.com/wiki/United_States

[megladonboy08]

good

[heavy fire]

and thats one thing

[CatShitOne!]

You mentioned that Rapid Response affects the build time for a 57mm. I have found this to be false - they build in roughly 67 seconds regardless of Rapid Response.

[OldMemes.biz]

Like your youtube content. Do you still do it?

[Cid]

thanks for the info, it will definitely help me improve.

[Richartonio]

The M2 can cover almost all of the map from the base, so there is no need. Only in very large, 3v3 or 4v4 affairs it may be an issue, but those are always a clusterfuck.

[Tiger Baron]

Good guide, it's just my personal opinion that the US should have gotten the M7 Priest while the Brits got the Sexton but oh well... I mean the M2 105 is nice and all but it's immobile and if there's something that I've learned from this game is mobility to key to winning.

[Sawdor]

Good Job Man!

[MKZY]

Good work! All too often I see Infantry Company players go this doctrine just to spam rangers which is very expensive and often not effective against German tanks anyway.

A suggestion is to ad a bit about the Riflemen, a cheap and powerful unit (best infantry in game?) and their sticky bombs with its "damaged engine" effect works great in combination with Rangers

[Jza]

Good job.