The 30. cal is a Heavy Machinegun (HMG) Team with three men, one carrying an HMG. Before the HMG can fire it needs to be setup every time, therefore it can be very tempting to just put it in a building and camp there so you don't have to bother with such micro-managing tasks. However, the HMG can be far more than a simple a deployable MG nest and this guide will show you how to efficiently use the powerful weapon in the field to support your riflemen, destroy blobs, and win you games. You can train the unit from the Weapon Support Center (WSC) or pick it up from Supply Drops from the Airborne Company.
What does the 30. cal do?
The allied MG has a high suppression rate and good damage. It also has an ability called "Armor Piercing Rounds" (AP Rounds), which increases the armor penetration of the HMG for 20 sec, allowing it to take on light vehicles such as halftracks and armored cars. But don't ever attempt to use it on heavy vehicles such as the Panzer IV or Ostwind; it doesn't have any effect against tanks.
When to use it?
The AP rounds of the HMG are effective but can have trouble against the fast moving who can flank around it. One way you can stop this is to use a jeep to block the light armor and quickly proceed HMG to rip it apart with AP rounds as the target's stuck. Another effective senario for AP rounds is using it while garrisoned inside buildings. Besides having additional cover, the HMGs also have almost no setup time when switching between vehicles, making it impossible for the vehicle to flank you.
If your opponent is massing infantry and blobbing, or if he simply has a lot of infantry, it can be a smart idea to get the much cheaper HMG over an expensive sniper. HMGs can hold physically hold back scores of infantry whereas the sniper, the more popular unit choice from the WSC, will increase your firepower, sure, but he won't be able to stop a flat-out charge like the MG can.
When using it offensively, the .30 cal can be a devastating weapon with the combined arms of rifles, who will quickly mup of the suppressed mass. Against PE, it can be especially effective as PE players tend to blob more than Wehr players due to grouped veterancy and group zeal, among other things. They are also excellent deterrents in a VP war and all around great for locking select amounts of territory. The MGs won't stop an all out push but they will stop minor harassments, crucial in the end-game mad dash for the VPs.
How to use it?
The HMG has a wide arch of fire and is great at locking down areas, just not quite as good as its Wehrmacht counter part. You can't really use the .30 cal like you would use a MG42 as the axis counterpart has a much longer range, wider range, and higher suppression rate. The good news is that the allied HMG has a far greater damage output than the MG42 because it has longer bursts and less targets to fire at (3-4 man squads as opposed to 5-6).
To avoid flanking it's smart to use plenty of wire and mines as well as sandbags in front of your HMG. The One-Way-Sandbags is very nice for this as it will stop your sandbags from being used against you if you ever have to reposition your MG elsewhere. Place your mines on the outside of the MG arc, pictured below. Don't put them directly in front of it.
It very important to cover your flanks and scout so you know where the enemy comes from and prepare the 30. cal for the attack. using rifles or a jeep to cover the flanks is essential as well as nice wire and mine placement. That's just two scenarios of a well established defensive perimeter. But you can easily see how this relates to other maps as well as locations. The biggest advantage with HMG is the suppression which can stop a assault in their tracks and just cost your enemy lots of time as well as manpower and health.
What to watch out for?
Snipers and mortars are the hard counters to the MGs. Against snipers, you want to pack up quickly if you don't have nearby support or a counter-sniper and against mortars you'll need to be constantly repositioning yourself. After you get hit and decide to move, make sure you don't choose where to set up next within the next couple seconds because your MG will still be visual to your opponent through the fog of war because of the damage it had just taken.
Hard counters are expensive however so the most immediate counters you will be facing are grenades. It's important to remember the fact that the .30 cal MG can dish out great dmg so if you snag their infantry into a supression, you don't need to worry as much about the possibility of them simply crawling forward to unleash their grenades because they were be taking huge casualties along the way and will likely choose to retreat because they ever get close enough.
It's also important to note the different in throwing range between Grenadiers(Wehr) and PanzerGrenadiers(PE), as well as the difference in damage. Grenadier grenades are moderately strong but will do immediate damage. PG incendiary grenades will do small immediate damage but also has damage of time so you should not remain in the same spot/building even if it appears you have survived the grenade.
Summary - so should I build the HMG?
The HMG is a great, all around unit: it can protect VPs, hold territory, and be great at offense as discussed earlier. Wehr players can appreciate the HMG's awesome ability, both because of their own experience using the MG42s and because you remember incredibly annoying it can be to be on the receiving end of a .30 cal burst. If you practice with this unit, it can make your game, drive your opponent insane, and completely throw him off track. So I would say the HMG is situational, but for 240 mp it can be a tide-turning unit and win you the VP war.
The 30. cals veterancy
Vet 1 (Required XP: 8);
Accuracy increased by 15%
Received accuracy reduced by 20%
Vet 2 (Required XP: 16);
Weapon ability cooldown (AP rounds) reduced by 25%
Received damage reduced by 15%
Received suppression reduced by 25%
Vet 3 (Required XP: 32);
Accuracy increased by 20% of original accuracy
Damage increased by 50% of original damage
by chiefcontributions by daeyeth
