Playing as Americans

This guide is meant to teach new players how to use this faction, and how to respond to certain situations, and put all units to use.

Intro

Alright, let me first start off by saying It's not common to win as the American faction by using a single unit alone. This guide will discuss all units and great ways to use them. I will do my best to talk about bad situations that you may find yourself in, and how to save yourself.

Infantry Units

This section will cover infantry units that you can get regardless of what command tree you go with, we will discuss units such as rangers and airborne later.

Engineers
Alright, engineers are the first unit you are started off with. Yes I understand that at the beginning of the game you don't have many options except to use them to capture territory, but at least send two of them out together. They aren't, and never should be used as a main way of conducting combat, especially without that flamethrower upgrade. First off they are not meant as a fighting unit, they are meant for constructing buildings, and making defenses. There are only three real times I would say "go for it." When you need something to defend your base, and that's when you really don't have a choice such as "there's no other unit around to defend" or you see an opportunity to flank an mg or mortar. And even then you shouldn't attack without that flamethrower upgrade. There is only one real way to use these guys for fighting, and that's as a support unit for rifleman, tanks etc, and even then with that flamethrower upgrade if you can afford it. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get that flamethrower upgrade. I've seen way too many new players rush 2 volks squads with 8 engineers squads (without flamethrowers) expecting to come out on top of that fight, only to be the one having to retreat with two engineer squads with one man each. The actual truth about that fight is the engineers could have won, if they had that flamethrower. But again, these guy's are not meant as a main way of fighting, but if you find yourself in a situation where you need something quick to drive back those 2-3 volks squads attacking, get 3 engineer's squads and upgrade them with flamethrowers and attack. You might not beat them, but if you do it right you'll sure as hell send more than half of them home in a casket.

Rifleman
These guy's are the best, they are the answer to any threat from the enemy. They can be upgraded with bars and grenades to answer any infantry threat, (no this does not mean charge that mg man. Or sniper"s" for that matter). And can be upgraded with sticky bombs to answer any threats from vehicles. They can pick up weapons that the enemy died and left behind, such as mg's, pak38s etc.Yes there are certain units that rifleman will have a really hard time with such as pumas (that have not been upgraded). And sniper spams, but this unit can and should make up the base of your army. I have fought and won games using nothing but rifleman squads.

M1917 Browning Heavy Machine Gun Team
Alright, I'll start off by saying sure these guys can pretty much take on any infantry threat (minus snipers and enemy MG42's shooting back unless you're in a building) and puma's from the front (provided you have enough munitions to use the armor piercing rounds). But they have a BIG weakness. They can be flanked easily, and if in a building, all the enemy player has to do (provided he gets close enough to do so) is keep running around the building so your mg doesn't have a chance to shoot at them. This does not mean scratch the M1917 Browning Heavy Machine Gun Team at all, this just means be careful with using them. Don't have them sit there in that field waiting for oncoming threats by themselves, get a rifleman squad up there or sniper, or even an engineer squad with a flamethrower upgrade for that matter. Just don't have them sit there alone. Or you're just saying, "Come get your free MG." I find that M1917 Browning Heavy Machine Gun Teams are best put to work in a building. When in that building they can shoot out any side with a window, and they have great cover. But still for crying out loud at least get an engineer squad up there with the flamethrower upgrade. Do not use the M1917 Browning Heavy Machine Gun Team as your main unit for attacking. Instead have your Team support your rifleman squad/tanks/engineers etc, as they attack.


Mortars
Alright, I rarely if ever use these guys. The reason being is that they can be attacked from basically anything including a pioneer squad, and be killed. Usually I put that manpower into making mg's or rifleman squads. However if you're in a stalemate situation with enemy infantry, such as everytime you attack with your own rifleman squads they get rekt. You'll be surprised how quickly your mortar can turn the tide of battle, just remember as I said before for the MG unit, do not let them sit there alone. Have something up there with them. If you really want your Mortar to be successful, have them sit behind an MG and just let them do their thing. This squad does have a great ability however. "Smoke cover," which basically if used correctly, can be used to give your attacking units great cover.

Snipers
This guy is one of your best friends, if used correctly he will be the enemies worst nightmare. A sniper plus an MG is a deadly combination, ready to take on any infantry attack (Minus mortars for obvious reasons). I often at the beginning of the game, try to get an MG into a building that I know will have enemy infantry coming by, and get a sniper up there asap. I have held out for long periods of times with that duet. And as soon as I can, I upgrade that building into a forward HQ and if I can get a anti-tank gun out to deal with enemy vehicles, and when I reach that trio, I bring in the mortar to create the perfect Ensemble. Ready to take on any attack force, but I'll stop there with the defence thing. Another great thing about snipers is that you can sneak them into enemies bases and just have them sit there, this gives you two great advantages. One, you can see what your enemy is building. Two, you can call in arty on them (as long as you have an ability or vehicle that has the arty ability). This unit however does have very great weaknesses however. First off, if you have pop ups on, you can simply click on that and it will show you exactly on the middle of your screen where the sniper is even if he is invisible. Using that, you can rush him. Another thing is that the german motorcycle can just run up to you and "pew pew pew," and bam, you have a dead sniper. This is why it's important to use him as a support unit. And remember, if you turn a sniper uninvisible, he runs faster while retreating.

Vehicles

Jeeps
Okay, the jeep only has one purpose in my book, and that's to hunt down snipers. I once played against a player who was losing and knew it, but he also knew another thing, my entire army pretty much consisted of infantry units. And that's when he started spamming snipers. I noticed this and realized the "Unit Sniped" pop up wasn't going to save me. I did not say "JEEP SPAM TIME!!!" I instead got one jeep out, and hunted down exactly all 8 of his snipers. And you know what, after I finished all his snipers off, all he had left to answer my attack force on his base was one pioneer squad. From that experience, I realized that the jeep is a predator that turns the hunter, into the hunted. Do not use this unit to take on a pioneer squad, let alone a volks squad, this unit only has one purpose and one purpose only. Hunting down snipers.

Halftracks
This is one of my best friends when I play as the American faction. The reason being is that I no longer have to retreat my squads to reinforce, I can simply have my half track drive up there and boom. As soon as I can I get the Quad Mount .50 Cal upgrade for this vehicle, and if I think I can get away with it, I'll run this vehicle into the enemy's base and put some more money into pastors pockets. If you think the enemy has no anti tank weapons up and running, feel free to have this unit (with the upgrade) lead the way of your attack force. This unit however, does have it's downsides, it's very vulnerable to pioneers flamethrowers and all antitank weapons. If the enemy has antitank guns up and running, have your rifleman squads lead the way. And reinforce as needed.

M8 Armored car
I will only get this vehicle in certain conditions, if I think the enemy doesn't have any antitank units up, (and yes I know volks squads do have anti tank weapons but I know if I'm careful they won't hit me) and if I think they can run into the enemy's base and cause havoc. The second reason is if the enemy has a puma up without the upgrade. The reason I'll go for this unit to duel the puma instead of a anti-tank gun is because the puma is fast and can easily flank that anti-tank gun and take out the crew. You should get all the upgrades for this unit asap, starting with the armored skirts. A cool thing about this unit is this, if you see a stug coming up, you can try to drive up to it, and lay a mine right next to it, and drive off. Another great tool of this vehicle is that if you decide to do an all out M8 armored car attack on the enemies base, is that you can simple lay mines where you know enemy units will be coming out. Be careful when using this unit though seeing how it's very weak vs anything antitank related.

Anti Tank gun
Man oh man oh man, this is one of my best friends. When you get about 2-3 of these together, they really become a tank killing force. However this unit has great weaknesses. It can be flanked by pretty much any infantry squad and be taken out which is why you should keep a infantry unit up there with them. At times I am a bit hesitant to bring this out when the enemy spams pumas, a puma can easily flank this gun and take the entire crew out in a wink of an eye. So this gun is great for what it was made for, but don't expect it to be able to defend itself against infantry.

M10 Tank destroyer
This tank is great. It doesn't cost very much to buy, it can deliver a knockout punch, and it sure as hell should never be counted out when playing as Americans. However, like all units it has it's weaknesses. First off, it's terrible vs infantry, it has terrible armor when it comes to fighting tanks and antitank weapons, and man when it get's hit from the rear you have no idea if it's gonna make it. When using this tank, have it run along side Shermans, or rifleman, or anything that will help it if it runs into trouble. Just don't send this guy to fight pretty much anything by itself. There was one time for me however where this tank really saved my neck, the enemy had me cornered in my base, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to fight my way out of it, I did notice however that I had a lot of fuel, and enough manpower to call this tank out. So I called one out, and then another. And when I felt it was safe, I snuck these tanks out where the enemy wasn't attacking from. I snuck them all the way to the enemies base, and boom. As soon as those bad boys showed up in the enemy's base, all of the enemy units that were attacking retreated back to there base. I knew those tanks wouldn't stand a chance vs all of those units attacking, so I ran all my infantry units up there, and by then I had already lost one M10, but I set up all my infantry up, and started regaining the map and eventually called in a sherman, and took out their base. So yes, these tanks our weak, but boy do they help.

M4 Sherman Crocidile
Don't look to me on advice on how to use this tank, I rarely if ever call this tank out, if you can call it that. Well what can I say, it's decent vs weak infantry, and okay burning down buildings. It can be upgraded with a bulldozer that can create paths through trees and hedgerows, don't try to fight anything antitanks related with this tank and you will be fine.


M4 Sherman
First off, when you get this tank out, do not get cocky. Don't try to be rambo and rush the enemy. I've seen to many new players lose this tank because they thought it could beat anything. Well here's the truth, it can't. When using this tank be careful, I usually keep this in the rear away from the action and only call it up if I need it. Don't even dream about calling this tank out without the better gun upgrade that can be purchased from the tank depot. This tank can be upgraded with a machine gun and a minesweeper which can be useful if the enemy has mined the road. Don't attack with just one unless you know the enemy has little to nothing to fight back against it with. Whenever I do an attack with these guys, I try to do it with at least 3 of them. When you do this, you have a better chance of beating that panther, or panzer 4. Or one of those shots killing a pak38 crew. This tank in my opinion should be your base of tanks, but when waiting to buy one, do not let your manpower grow to where you can swim in it. Sure you're waiting for that 90 fuel, but for god's sake get something out with that manpower.

Command trees

For you new players out there, these are the command trees, each has their strengths and weaknesses, each will sometimes lead you to victory, or sometimes lead you to your death, be wise when you pick which to go with. Consider the map, who you're playing, and what you think you'll do best with. Things to consider here are as follows.

1:Does the map have bridges? If it does it would probably be wise to go as airborne, seeing as how they can call in units from the air, and being able to call in that anti-tank gun means not having to wait for one to run all the way from your base to the bridge. Not to mention the airborne rifleman squads that can be called out, and the recoilless rifles you can upgrade them with. Just remember that airborne rifleman squads are ♥♥♥♥ vs infantry, it's best to combine them with several rifleman squads with the bar upgrade. Also, you can call out airstrikes which if used right, can put the fear of god into your enemy. You can also call in resources for resources, this resources drop not only gives you 100 munitions and 100 fuel, it gives you an MG42 along with a mortar.

2:How big is the map? If the map is big and has no bridges, you might want to go armor, the reason being it that there's more opportunities to gain xp that might get you all the command points you need to call in that calliope and pershing. And on a bigger map, there's bound to be more tanks and vehicles, so having the ability to fix your tanks on the field ain't bad. Besides those reasons, I don't really see any other reason to go with this command tree.

3:How much control do you have at the starting position your at? If you spawn somewhere where you are away from the rest of your group, you might want to go infantry command tree, seeing as how you get the early arty and rangers with bazookas. And also the ability to build defenses with your rifleman is a plus. Also, that M2 105mm Howitzer is nice to have, but you sure as hell better not lose that gun to the enemy.

I'm sure there are more questions to ask, but these are pretty much the basics.

Also, remember that if you feel like it, just try to master one of the 3 and you'll be doing fine.

Conclusion

One of my most favorite things about this game is that there are so many possibilities, and so much to learn and master. This is a game that I find myself being able to come back to time after time and never get bored.

Remember, it's not about winning, it's about doing your best and having fun. Whenever you're playing against a player, and your wrecking him, don't cuss at him for being a dumbass. Whenever you're playing with a player that's doing worse than you, that doesn't mean you're in charge and can yell orders at him. I'm sure you experienced players will remember what it was like being new, and I bet you didn't have a good time when your teammates were yelling orders at you, and you didn't know what to do.

Alright, go out there and have fun, Out.

[Tawada]

nice

[Some ordinary ATF agent]

bro your forgot the hell cat

[Your Personal Angel]

or you could just spam rangers and call it a day

[Roland Schultz]

My apologies, Sawdor. I wrote the Kilroy guide, so I may have been too quick and too harsh in my reaction, without recognizing that my guide inspired you to write this one...which is pretty good. I especially like that you reiterated that "It's not about winning, but doing your best and having fun." Even the great Kilroy sometimes forgets that. I will trash my previous comment and hope you will forgive me.

[Sawdor]

@Roland Schuitz

While I will not lie that I have read Sgt Kilroy's guide, I did not write my guide with the intention of copying his.

Please point out the "exact sentences" I took from Sgt Kilroy's guide.

[KingGoblin]

just spam because that is how you play this just like coh2 spam!

[Richartonio]

"rush 2 volks squads with 8 engineers squads (without flamethrowers) expecting to come out on top"

Well, they should. Engineers are actually decently effective at point blank range against Volksgrenadiers. Plus, it is 24 vs 10. They should win that one, easily.

[Sawdor]

Graephen, thank you for the correction on that info.

[Graephen]

Sam, the T17 can stun tanks & light armor while Rifles sticky them to death. Also, the refire rate on it's 37mm is almost twice that of the M8 and it gets better veterancy bonuses. At VET 1 it's HP doubles, saving you the trouble of spending 50 munition on upgrades.

And with the M10 - it may have a tiny bit better armor, than the Hellcat, but it has less HP. It fires faster and it is faster, but it can't get the .50 cal upgrade as it doesen't have an MG on top.
Hellcat spam is an effective anti-infantry tactic against PE as the Hellcat is more of a
jack-of-all-trades, than the M10.

[Sawdor]

Unpleasent Waffle, I don't think I will be adding in the hellcat and T17, but here's what I have to say about them. The hellcat is good if used correctly, it can give a pretty good punch when it comes out of cover for an ambush, but that's about it. After it delivers it's blow from coming out of ambush mode, it's attack drops. The m10 is better in my opinion as it can deliver a far better punch and has a bit better armor, however keep in mind that the m10 is not as fast as the hellcat. As for the T17, ignore it. I don't even know why it's in this game, it's so useless when it comes to fighting anything armor related, and hardly does any damage against infantry. With the m8 you have a better chance of beating a puma, plus you can lay mines. If you want to try and learn how to use the hellcat go for it, that vehicle has potential in the hands of someone who know's how to use it, but ignore the T17 as it is useless. It's not worth it in my opinion. Hope this helped.