The CoH2 Operation Panzerkrieg handbook

This is a small guide detailing a bit more info about the Operation Panzerkrieg mod and what you can do in it exactly.

And if you would like to join a tank dedicated community that also plays other games here is an invite to our discord server where we also post memes, talk about history as well as much more -

[discord.gg]

What is Operation Panzerkrieg?

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2512415025&searchtext=

OPK (as I have abbreviated it) is a mod that basically almost entirely 1:1 transfers the game mode from the original Company of Heroes, albeit with some differences of course.

Unfortunately Relic cut back the editing and importing of models for the game back in 2013 so that means that modders need to make do with what they've got for the most part.

Meaning that for example instead of an M18 Hellcat the US get a Stuart or instead of a Hotchkiss the Germans get either a Puma or a Luchs depending on which Army you're playing and so on.

But to compensate for that there are 5 factions now instead of only 2 sides to choose from and a hell of a lot of more maps that you can play on as opposed to just 1 or 2 like it was in the original game.

USF

The USF has three companies and three tanks; we'll go over the companies in this section and the tanks in their separate ones.

Infantry Support Company -

As the name suggests, they focus more on heavier infantry than anything else really and, as such, have the following -

Cavalry Riflemen



I&R Pathfinders



P-47 Strafing Run



Primarily meant for anti-infantry, this Company excels at dealing with your enemy's infantry support and helping out your side; from what I remember, the Cav Rifles might also come in a Halftrack but don't quote me on that.

Heavy Ordnance Company

Being a mix of AT infantry in the form of the Rangers and some good air support, they are a balanced choice and have the following line-up -

Rangers



Off-map Calliope Support



P-47 Rocket Strike



Going off of memory again, I believe the Rangers can switch out their bazookas for Thompsons on a whim and back again, while the Calliope and plane rocket strikes are devastating against both soft and hard targets.

Armor Support Company

It doesn't provide as much support as the other 2; however, you have access to the Pershing in the latter part of the game once you fully upgrade your tank.

Minesweeper RE



Rapid Deployment



M26 Pershing Heavy Tank



Between the three abilities here, you have a lot more staying power on the field since you can get field repairs from the REs, faster redeployment in case your tank dies, and the Pershing, which has the most armor of all your tanks. The only downside is that only your tanks can capture; the RE can't.

- M5A1 Stuart

The Stuart is a light tank that can quickly capture points as well as flank.

Use it's speed to go around enemy tanks to hit them either in the sides or rear, however it's best used to outcap the enemy because of it's better capture rate compared to the heavier tanks.

- M4A3 Sherman

The Sherman is a medium tank that's balanced chose between light and heavy tanks, especially when upgraded to it's M4A3E8 "Easy Eight" variant which has a 76mm gun with penetration power and speed.

This tank also while a medium stands as the best armored vehicle for the USF here since the next one that we're going to look at, the M36 Jackson, is a lightly armored tank destroyer.

- M36 Jackson

The Jackson is literally a glass cannon on tracks, it has great speed for a tank and an exceptional gun, however no real armor to speak of.

Keep this vehicle in reserve and away from infantry because it has worse anti-infantry damage than either the Stuart or Sherman, it's best if only good against enemy tanks and that's about it.

Remember, you can deal a very heavy blow but not really take on yourself with this thing.

UKF

The UKF have some of the most armored tanks of the Allies and Soviets, however their 3 Regiments arguably don't provide them with as much support compared to the USF but regardless we'll still take a look at them here -

Infantry Support Regimet

The ISR as I call it again much like it's USF counterpart focuses more on infantry and anti-infantry support more than anything else with the following line up -

Assault Infantry Section



Commandos



Hawker Typhoon Strafing Run



Again similar to the USF Company, it has an Infantry Assault unit, an infiltration unit in the form of the Commandos and a Strafing Run, perfect for any anti-infantry duties that you might have.

Heavy Ordnance Regiment

This Regiment is a balanced choice with not so great AT weaponry in the hands of it's infantry, however they're still a great choice for a mixed force that isn't too heavy on anything.

AT Infantry Section



Off-map Land Mattress Support



Hawker Typhoons Loiter



This combined arms approach is good if you want to be able to take on both armor and infantry. Especially with the Hawker Typhoons Loiter, you can quickly lock down an area where both enemy infantry and tanks will be strafed by machine gun and rocket fire for a period of time, for a price of course.

Armor Support Regiment

As the name implies, focuses more on supporting your tanks along with the heavy hitting Firefly.

Minesweeper Sappers



Rapid Deployment



Sherman Firefly



Once again similar to the USF this Regiment provides invaluable support. Albeit the Firefly perhaps doesn't feature the same heavy armor as some other tanks, it still packs quite a punch.

- AEC Mk. III

The AEC like the Stuart is a very light and fast vehicle that can quickly capture tanks, armed with a 75mm gun it can also provide a well armed threat to enemy tanks when it falls on their flanks.

- Cromwell Mk. IV

The Cromwell like the Sherman sits on the middle between the AEC and Churchill for the British in their tank lineup.

It's a well balanced design of speed, armor and armament but doesn't excel at anything until it's upgraded to the Comet later in the match.

As the Comet it has a bit slower speed, increased armor and damaged due to being now armed with a 77mm AT gun which is basically a shortened and not so effective 17 pounder, the famous British AT gun of the war.

- Churchill Mk. VII

The Churchill is the most heavily armored and slowest tank of both the Allies and Soviets.

It has a 75mm gun which is somewhat on part as far as damage against both infantry and tanks is concerned as the Sherman and Cromwell.

It's probably best used as an anti-infantry meatshield due to it's armor and the fact that it can later be upgraded to the Crocodile variant which has a flamethrower fitted to the hull in place of the MG there.

Soviets

The Soviets have a somewhat balanced albeit maybe a bit strange tank line up with the T70, T34 and KV2, which is an assault tank, not exactly great at anti-tank duties but none the less here is their line up -

Infantry Support Tactics

Much like their Allied counterparts, the Soviets have this Commander to focus more on infantry and anti-infantry capabilities.

Shock Troops



Airborne Guards



IL2 Strafing Run



Heavy infantry in the form of the Shock Troops which are also unique in that they feature armor plus infiltration Guards and strafing runs are guaranteed to make you an infantry killer.

Heavy Ordnance Tactics

Once more a balanced choice of abilities and call-ins.

Guards Rifle Infantry



Off-map Katyusha Support



IL2 Strike



The Guards are armed with AT Rifles so maybe while not as effective as their Allied brethren they can still strike fast and hard at longer ranges, even against infantry. While the IL2 Strike provides 23mm cannon strafing of both infantry and vehicles, excelling at damaging most targets except for the heaviest of armor.

Armor Support Tactics

Featuring heavy armor, repair infantry and rapid deploy, perfect for tank support.

Minesweeper Combat Engineers



Rapid Deployment



IS2



The IS2 is probably the heaviest armored and armed tank available to either the Soviets or the Allies, however it's still slow and isn't quite on par with the German heavies either but when properly supported it's a force to be reckoned with.

- T70

The T70 is once again a very fast and quickly capturing tank armed with a 45mm main gun that's better against infantry rather than vehicles, unless you get lucky and execute a good flank.

- T34/76

The T34 is much like the Sherman and Cromwell a balanced medium tank, however more like the Sherman it can be upgraded to the T34/85 later in the game, a better anti-tank variant of the vehicle.

- KV2

The KV2 as I said previously is a bit of an oddball here.

It's an Assault Tank with heavy armor and a 152mm howitzer in a full traversable turret, meaning that it's going to be better used as meatshield anti-infantry vehicle like the Churchill more than anti-tank duty.

Ostheer

The first of the two German Armies, the Ostheer have a more balanced tank and doctrine approach than their OKW brethren, and here is their line up -

Infantry Support Doctrine

This Commander has good infantry offensive and supporting abilities.

Assault Grenadiers



Stormtroopers



Stuka Strafing Run



The Ass Grens (funny, I know) are armed with close range MP40s and grenades so use them wisely and keep in mind they don't feature the same armor as the Shock Troops. Stormtroopers are good for capturing points behind enemy lines and the strafing run is fairly obvious what it does exactly.

Heavy Ordnance Doctrine

The HOD has a balanced set of abilities and call ins in the form of the Panzergrenadiers and their support.

AT Panzergrenadiers



Off-map Panzerwerfer support



Stuka Loiter



Featuring probably some of the best infantry in the form of the Panzergrenadiers with their Panzershrecks and StG44s, this doctrine can really put the hurt on your opponents together with the Panzerwerfer strike and Stuka 37mm cannon loiter that's effective against most of the targets you'll be facing, especially the lighter armored Allied and Soviet tanks.

Armor Support Doctrine

This Commander relies mostly upon it's field support and Tiger Heavy Tank to win the day.

Minesweeper Pioneers



Rapid Redeployment



Tiger Heavy Tank



The Tiger is the most balanced Heavy Tank of all, it features good armor and a devastating 88mm main gun capable of destroying pretty much all enemy targets, while maybe not as powerful as the King Tiger, it has a cheaper price and higher speed in comparison.

- Flakpanzer IV Ostwind

The Ostwind is the heaviest vehicle in the "light" category of tanks, featuring medium armor and a 40mm rapid fire AA gun in a fully traverseable turret.

More meant for anti-infantry duties and capturing points, I'm not even sure how the 40mm gun would be effective even if you flanked enemy vehicles with this thing, except for maybe the light tanks of course.

- Panzer IV Ausf. H

The Panzer IV Ausf. H is initially the most heavily armored tank in the "medium" category of vehicles.

Featuring a 75mm gun, it's a good balance albeit maybe just a bit slower compared to the other medium tanks due to it's increased armor. It also features sideskirts which means it will be just a little bit better than the Soviet AT rifle infantry.

- Panther Ausf. G

The Panther is the most heavily armed and armored tank of the "heavy" category of vehicles.

Featuring exceptional frontal armor and a long barreled 75mm gun that excels at destroying enemy tanks, it's probably the best heavy tank right out of the gate.

Even tho it's actually a "medium" tank at 50 tons, it has weaker side armor but better speed to compensate, it becomes a monster when fully upgraded later in the game.

OKW

The OKW probably have the most un-orthodox set of tanks and commanders of any of the Armies. Their abilities and uniques are nevertheless effective when used correctly and they can also rely upon the King Tiger as the ultimate tank in the game. Their line up consists of the following -

Sturm Doctrine

The SD have very strong infantry support and can deal with most foot threats.

Fallschirmjägers



Jäger Light Infantry



Stuka 37mm Strafing Run



The Falls are probably the most efficient infantry killers in the game, they are armed with FG42s and are effective at all ranges, however they are not very cheap and you should take care of them. Infiltration Jägers along with the 37mm strafing run make for a very devastating combination.

Schwerer Artillerie Doctrine

AT Infantry along with heavy off-map support make for a balanced approach to any situation.

AT Panzerfusiliers



Off-map Walking Stuka Support



Stuka Sector Attack



The PFs aren't Panzergrenadiers by any stretch of the imagination but they still posses Panzershrecks along with snares and Stukas can basically rip your enemies to shreds if you have the ammo for it in designated areas.

Panzerjäger Doctrine

The Big Daddy doctrine, not much support to speak of but you can basically call in a monster of a tank at the end of the game.

Minesweeper Sturmpioneers



Rapid Reployment



King Tiger Heavy Tank



Sturmpioneers are the most capable of the Minesweeper engineer units with their StG44s and the King Tiger is the hardest hitting tank in the game, however they're both also the most expensive and slowest of the bunch as well. You're going all in with this commander, no turning back now.

- Puma Armored Car

The Puma is a heavy armored car armed with a 50mm gun acting as a light tank.

Due to it's nonexistent armor and 8 wheel drive it features high speed, so it's great at capping and maybe if you feel cheeky enough you can flank enemy tanks to hit them either on the sides or the rear since the 50mm does somewhat acceptable damage.

- Panzer IV Ausf. J

The Ausf. J is a cheaper variant of the Panzer IV without a turret motor, meaning that it's supposed to have a slower traverse speed but in the game it's just less armored and armed tank for some reason.

Still, it again is a good balance between the 3 pointers of speed, armor and armament as mentioned previously as far as medium tanks are concerned, but it doesn't excel at anything or has any special upgrades later in the game like the Allied ones.

- Jagdpanzer IV

The Jagdpanzer IV is a tank destroyer variant of the Panzer IV, however it doesn't have a turret meaning that it's a fixed gun vehicle and can only fire forward, making it prone to flanks.

Like the Jackson I suggest you keep it in reserve and only strike with your flanks being protected and there being other support and/or friendly tanks in the area around you, otherwise you're especially vulnerable even to light tanks, altho you can deal major damage to heavy tanks due to the great gun.