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 Volksgrenadier Squad | |||
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| Army | Wehrmacht | ||
| Role | Core Infantry | ||
| Men per Squad | 5 | ||
| Unit Cost |
 280 5 | ||
| Upkeep per Minute |
−1.344 (per man) −6.72 (full squad) | ||
| Prereq. | None | ||
| Produced By | Wehrmacht Quarters | ||
| Cost to Reinforce |
22 1 | ||
| Health per Man |
 60 | ||
| Infantry Type | Infantry | ||
| Basic Weapon |
4x Karabiner 98k Rifle 1x MP44 Sturmgewehr | ||
| Open Weapon Slots | 5 | ||
| Max. Speed | 3 m/s | ||
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The Volksgrenadier Squad or Volks Squad is an Axis Infantry Unit featured in Company of Heroes.
Historical Info
The Volksgrenadier Squad is an anachronistic unit, based partially on the historical Volksgrenadier regiments. Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to nationalism (Volk) and Germany's older military traditions (Grenadier). Germany formed 78 VGDs during the war. Volksgrenadier divisions were professional military formations with effective weapons and equipment, unlike the unrelated Volkssturm militia. The strategic emergency and concomitant manpower shortage resulting from the losses in mid-1944 required the creation of infantry divisions that economized on personnel and emphasized defensive strength over offensive strength. The Volksgrenadier divisions met this need by using only six line infantry battalions instead of the normal nine for infantry divisions — already a common reality for many existing divisions. The units also had a higher proportion of submachine guns and light automatic weapons and thus relied more on short-range firepower than in standard German Army infantry units. Automatic weapons like the new Sturmgewehr 44 and anti-tank weaponry like the single shot Panzerfaust were also widely used by Volksgrenadier units.
Game Info
Volksgrenadier Squads are the most basic Infantry unit of the Wehrmacht. They are produced in the Wehrmacht Quarters, available with no HQ escalation upgrades, and consist of 5 men. A low-efficiency unit with high numbers, they are best used for protecting support weapons, recrewing abandoned support weapons, and capturing, especially after Grenadiers take their place as a real frontline unit.
Early game, Volksgrenadiers are a unit of extremes; with their default weapons, they should be kept at as long a distance from enemy units as they can fire from. In a longer-range firefight, a Volksgrenadier unit will typically defeat his Rifleman counterparts and trade blows equally with the Infantry Sections, if they're unsupported. You can also harass Engineer Squads from far out of their firing range- a good way to protect capture points early on. Their construction capability helps them keep the enemy far away.
When upgraded with MP40s, Volksgrenadiers gain a potent early-game advantage, especially in combination with the Blitzkrieg Doctrine's Assault Grenades. This ability can help them rush down priority targets like Snipers, Sections, or Sappers. However later in the game, the munitions are better spent elsewhere as the squad is too frail to stay in the fight regardless of their weapons; later-game Allied infantry such as Commandos or Rangers with Thompsons, or even Rifles and Sections armed with LMGs, will devastate Volksgrenadiers. Consider ordering them to pick up a better, longer-ranged or anti-tank weapon.
In the Mid-game and later, Volksgrenadiers are completely useless alone, and become much more of a supporting unit. If they see combat at all, they are best used supporting a better Infantry unit or Weapon Team, or capturing territory behind vehicles and tanks. If there are any Volks left on the field at this point, they are suited to crewing weapons. For example, a half of a squad can operate a downed MG42; and the remainder can go on to man a second gun or reinforce at a Halftrack or Forward Barracks.
Weapons
When a Volksgrenedier squad is created, four soldiers are created with Kar98Ks; the fifth soldier carries a MP44 Sturmgewehr.
Production
Barbed Wire
- Costs nothing
- Takes 2.5 seconds to build per piece
Sand Bags
- Costs nothing
- Takes 6 seconds to build per piece
Abilities
The Volksgrenadier Squad has one combat ability - "Panzerfaust". Of course, as other Wehrmacht infantry units, they can use the Medical Kit. Furthermore, as every infantry unit that can garrison structures, and can turn neutral buildings into Forward Headquarters.
Medical Kit
- Requires escalation to skirmish phase
- Costs 30
- Activation: Immediate
- Duration: 60 seconds
After activation of this ability, soldiers start to recover health. This ability can be used in every place in friendly territory. However, after escalation to battle phase, a better version of this ability, the Field Medical Kit, become available. Then infantry squads will be able to heal themselves even in enemy territory; useful for the offensive commander.
Each soldier of the squad recovers health at a speed of 72 points per minute. There is however one drawback: from activation the squad's speed will be reduced for 18 seconds. This should be taken under consideration while choosing the moment of activation.
Fire Panzerfaust
- Costs 35 to activate
- Activation: Select Vehicle (enemy)
- Cooldown: 10 seconds
When this ability is activated, the Volksgrenadier Squad will advance to within 30 meters of the targeted enemy vehicle, and launch a single Panzerfaust Anti-Tank Warhead at that vehicle.
The warhead has 100% accuracy against any vehicle, and has no problem penetrating any kind of armour. While the explosion has a radius of 3 meters, it will deliver the vast majority of the damage at the point of impact.
The basic damage delivered by the weapon is 75 points of damage - enough to kill an infantryman, but not do much damage to a tank. Fortunately, the game multiplies this by 2.25, to a final value of 168 points of damage, whenever an enemy tank or other heavily-armored vehicle is hit. Even M3 Halftracks and M8 Greyhounds receive extra damage, though not as much.
The Panzerfaust won't destroy a tank (unless it's significantly damaged already), so it's mainly used when the Volksgrenadier Squad is flanking a target that's already under attack from another unit from another direction. Two Volksgrenadier Squads firing at the same medium-vehicle (like a Stuart Light Tank) can destroy it outright.
This ability allows Volksgrenadier Squads to act as anti-tank infantry when necessary. Although this ability has a high munitions cost, the trade-off is that the team doesn't need to lug around an anti-tank weapon which would diminish its anti-infantry capabilities.
Assault Grenades
Upgrade to Forward Headquarters
- Costs 260
- Requires the Volksgrenadier Squad to garrison a neutral structure.
- Requires the garrisoned structure to be inside captured and connected territory.
- Activation: Through the Garrisoned Structure's menu.
- Takes 30 seconds to complete
Upgrades
Volksgrenadiers can be upgraded with MP40s to improve their antipersonnel abilities at close range.
MP40 Sub-Machine Gun
- Costs 50
- Requires Escalation to Skirmish Phase upgrade from Headquarters
- Requires 1 Open Weapon Slot
- Takes up 1-5 Weapon Slots
- Unit must be in captured and controlled territory.
Veterancy
Like other Wehrmacht units, Volksgrenadiers gain veterancy through infantry veterancy upgrades available at the Kampfkraft Center. If a whole squad is lost, a new one will still have those obtained upgrades. In their case, veterancy improves only their survivability and defensive capabilities. These bonuses are cumulative to each other.
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No Veterancy:
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Level 1 Veterancy:
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Level 2 Veterancy:
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Level 3 Veterancy:
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It is worth noting (although this has nothing to do with their veterancy), that when Wehrmacht enters into skirmish phase, their capturing speed is increased by 25%.
Description
Cobbled together from a diverse background of German cultures, the Volksgrenadiers have the reputation of being dangerous even in the face of adversity. While effective at close range with their MP40 sub machine guns, the Volksgrenadiers possess the ability to utilize panzerfaust anti-tank weapons. These light and disposable armaments are a deadly means of combating Allied armour.
Tips
- MP40s are great for close combat, but they receive the games harshest penalties for firing on the move (0.2 accuracy vs. 0.5 for most others).
- Volksgrenadiers are very cheap to reinforce, making it the best unit to feed your Medic Bunkers, but this will give US units lots of easy veterancy if you're not careful. Build sandbags!
- If the Blitzkrieg Doctrine is chosen and you pick Assault Grenades, Volksgrenadiers will unleash prodigious volleys of grenades, due to their high squad numbers.
- As the Wehrmacht Quarters can also train MG42s, consider training some machine guns instead. While less mobile, they provide higher firepower at a similar price.
Weaknesses
Although large in numbers, Volksgrenadier Squads are not as combat effective as their Allied counterpart. Riflemen Squads upgraded with the BAR Automatic Rifles can defeat them easily, as such most Allied commanders immediately get the BAR to keep Volks down. As they received little training, they are also lack morale. They can be pinned down from heavy fire such as machine guns more quickly than the highly trained Grenadiers. However, Volksgrenadiers do NOT lose defence from being suppressed and pinned unlike other infantry. Like other infantry, the Volksgrenadier Squads are fairly vulnerable to any form of attack unless under heavy cover.
Combat History(Campaign)
The first encounter with Volksgrenadier Squad in the US Campaign is during the first mission-Omaha Beach. Although large in numbers, they were unable to stop Able Company from clearing the beach head. When two of their 88mm Flak 36 AT/AAs were destroyed by Able Company, the Volksgrenadier Squads, along with other infantry retreated.
For the British, during the mission D-Day +1, 3rd Battalion(Boudica's Boys) launched an armour offensive to take the town Authie. 12th SS Panzer Division's Volksgrenadier Squads along with Grenadier Squads tried to hold the line and attempt to push the 3rd Battalion back using their infamous panzer such as the Marder III, StuG IV assault gun and the Panzer IV. Combined with tanks, infantry and the 25 Pounder Gun Howitzer artillery, 3rd Battalion was able to defeat the 12th SS Panzer Division and secure the town of Authie.
In the Panzer Elite campaign, Kampfgruppe Lehr was training newly formed Volksgrenadier Squads when suddenly a massive airborne assault took place. All of the Volksgrenadier Squads in that mission place themselves onto the 20mm Flak 38 or the 88mm Flak 36 AT/AA to shoot down Allies fighter bombers and prevent any British Airborne troops from pushing out of Wolfhenze. They are used as gun crew instead of regular infantry.
Volksgrenadier Squads, despite having poor combat performance, make plenty of appearances in most scenarios in the game. In one scenario on CoH Opposing Fronts, a Volksgrenadier tries to calm his squad member from stress by giving him a puffof his 'ciggy', only to be brought down by an instant gunfight. In the end, instead of a Volksgrenadier, a Commando picks it up, smokes it and says "This Hun Ciggy isn't half bad!" which indicates the Commandos had killed the stationed Volksgrenadiers. They also make plenty of appearances in the heat of combat, from manning the anti-aircraft gun to attacking Dog Company during the mission of the Red Ball Express.
Quotes
When assembled:
When selected:
When wounded and selected:
When given move order:
When wounded and given move order:
When given halt order:
When given retreat order:
When given attack move order.:
When entering a building:
When entering a building, in combat:
When leaving a building:
When leaving a building, in combat:
When ordered to move for a long distances:
When under attack:
Under attack, when wounded:
When selected, in combat:
When given retreat order, in combat:
When given attack order, in combat:
When given attack order on vehicles:
When encountering specific units:
When reinforced back to full strength:
When selected multiple times:
When upgraded with MP40:
Gallery
| Wehrmacht Arsenal | |||||||
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| Support Infantry | |||||||
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| Doctrine-specific Units |
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| Doctrine-specific Structures |
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