jason Petho

[Hawk Kriegsman]

Going to have to agree to disagree on the lack of firepower at 1-hex. It creates a standard that doesn't seem to apply to any other type of platoon. I would note that the Volksgrenadier platoon, which is armed primarily with SMGs, has a one-hex FP of 18. Was the MP-40 that much better than the PPSh?

Maybe the solution is to create an "alternate" group of SMG platoons with better firepower at 1-hex, similar to what was done with the Sdkfz 251s, and as Hawk noted, let the scenario designers decide

The Volksgrenadier does not have a 1-hex firepower of 18.  The redline in the unit data is hard attack.  This represents panzerfausts which the Russians did not have.  The soft attack for a Volksgrenadier at 1-hex is 12.  1/3 of the platoon is armed with rifles, there are also 3 MG 42 LMGs and several panzershrecks. Additionally, just because a unit was name Volksgrenadier mean it was a second line unit. Many were regular units renamed. The standard Volkgrenadier unit in the game is a regular army unit. 

That is a lot more firepower than the Soviet SMG platoons that were mostly comprised on SMGs (the 4FP units) or those that had a couple of machineguns added. (the 6FP units). 

The value (and use IMHO) of the Russian SMG is for assaulting.   The assault value is where the vast firepower is felt.  

Almost every single German infantry unit is better than its Russian counterpart.  The Russians won do to overwhelming numbers.  The battles are quality over quantity.  

The original designers of the game got most of the units right (both the unit itself and compared to counterparts). 

Upping Russian SMG firepower is ill advised.