| American Headquarters | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The American Army Headquarters | |||
| Role | HQ and basic production structure | ||
| Produced By | None; available from game-start | ||
| Can Be Garrisoned By | Up to 4 squads of Infantry, 12 men maximum | ||
| Health |
 1,500 | ||
| Armor | None | ||
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The American Headquarters is the primary production and HQ facility for the American army in Company of Heroes. In Multiplayer/Skirmish battles, one is given for free to a Panzer Elite player, and will remain on the map until the end of the game. It determines the location of your HQ Territory, and its primary purpose is to produce Engineer Squads, which are subsequently responsible for constructing all other American base structures. The American HQ can reinforce infantry, and has one Global Upgrade that can be of great assistance to Engineers.
Overview
Like all other factions in the game, the Americans begin their operations by constructing a Headquarters. This is the principle structure that initiates the construction of the rest of the American force. Like other factions, the Headquarters is the most important building, as it determines the root of all supply lines and is responsible for construction of the most basic units - and thus the construction of almost anything else the Americans will field during a match.
Skirmish and Multiplayer battles always begin with an American Headquarters already constructed somewhere on the map. There is no need to pay to purchase one. The sector this building is in is treated as the American HQ Territory: all sectors directly linked back to it at any time are considered to be "in supply", adding to your resource income as appropriate. Captured sectors that are not directly linked back to the HQ are "out of supply" and do not add to resource income at all.
The American Headquarters produces only one type of unit: the Engineer Squad. This is the Americans' only repair and construction unit, and is responsible for building all other base structures - and thus is vital to the progress of American arms production.
By default, the American Headquarters can reinforce any nearby Allied infantry unit (within a radius of 25 meters). This is very important, as American infantry are usually very fragile and will often fall in combat. All American infantry units possess an ability that allows them to quickly retreat to the Headquarters to receive reinforcements.
In addition, the American Headquarters also has one available Global Upgrade, which adds a set of Demolition Charges to every existing and future Engineer Squad.
If the American Headquarters is ever destroyed, it will turn into a "rubble" structure but will not disappear from the map. Instead, it can be repaired by any Allied unit that has this capability, and once fully repaired (back to 1,500) will resume normal operations. There is no way to construct a new Headquarters other than repairing the existing one.
Production
The American Headquarters can only produce a single, but very important unit: the Engineer Squad. This unit is responsible for building all other base structures and defenses, and can provide repairs to all Allied vehicles and buildings.
Engineer Squad
- Costs 140, 3
- Takes 21 seconds to complete
The Engineer Squad is a 3-man squad responsible for all repairs and major construction done by the American forces. This faction has no other unit capable of field repairs.
Engineers are very poor combat troops, initially armed only with M3 Sub-machine guns. However, they are very cheap (at only 
45 per man), and possess important support abilities.
First of all, Engineers can construct all other American base structures, and are the only units that can do so. Additionally, they can provide repairs to any damaged Allied vehicle or structure, at a solid rate of 5 per second.
Furthermore, Engineers can specialize in either mine detection or anti-building roles. Minesweeper engineers can detect mines at a good radius, and are often required to scout for traps laid by Axis forces. Anti-building Engineers are armed with flame-throwers, and can do serious damage to infantry garrisoned inside structures as well. They are also somewhat more dangerous against infantry in the open.
Finally, Engineers can construct a very large variety of Defensive Structures, including both Passive Defenses (like Mines and Barbed Wire and Active Defenses (like the Machine Gun Emplacement).
Abilities
The only manually-activated ability of the American Headquarters building is the ability to reinforce infantry units in its vicinity.
Reinforce Squad
- Costs vary based on reinforced unit
- Activation: Through the target unit's menu
- Duration varies based on reinforced unit
Any infantry squad within 25 meters of the American Headquarters can replenish lost men for a specific cost and duration determined by the type of unit being reinforced.
Note that the HQ does not heal wounded infantry. For this you'd need to construct a Triage Center nearby.
Global Upgrades
The American Headquarters provides one Global Upgrade: the Demolitions upgrade, which grants a new ability to all Engineer Squads.
Demolitions
- Costs 100, 30
- Takes 60 seconds to install
Once this Global Upgrade is purchased, all existing and future Engineer Squad units receive a new ability called Demolition Charges.
This ability allows Engineer Squads to plant powerful explosives on any non-friendly structure. The device can be detonated manually by the player whenever he chooses, though undetonated it can also be dismantled by enemy engineering units.
The explosive power of these charges is quite serious, causing 300 points of damage to any unit within a 7 meter radius. This is sufficient to kill any infantry inside or near the targeted structure, and cause significant damage to the building itself. Even enemy vehicles near the structure will be hurt when the bomb goes off.
This upgrade makes Engineer Squads much more valuable on raids, as they can disable or destroy enemy emplacements or base structures with ease. Provided they can survive being shot at, these explosives also allow them to root enemy infantry out of occupied buildings.