r/Steel_Division

I have been looking into playing Steel Division 2 and other WW2 strategy games that are similar to the Total War franchise most of them seem to focus on one part of the war rather than multiple parts. For example, Steel Division 2 is mainly set around the late 1944 - 45 time period which is fine, it is a great period in the war, however it doesn't include other periods which i personally find equally as interesting. I understand that this is due to a valid reason as it is very hard to balance the force compositions for the earlier war.

So basically to sum it up: I am looking for a WW2 game similar to Steel Division 2 and the total war games, but allows you to use divisions, units, and battles from across the whole span of the war. Any recommendations are welcomed, thanks!

There are a lot of infantry units with MGs, are they worth it or is it vastly more effective to run a lighter infantry unit and a separated MG section?

Do those "mixed" units usually keep their distance to fire their MG from Max range, or will they get closer to be able to shoot rifles as well?

I'm thinking about the SAS div or the 2 french infantry divs in particular but it has probably some others.

How do you get the best of those divisions in particular when you have to be on the offensive?

I'm still fighting skirmishes with Easy AI and most of my problems come from the sheer number of field and at guns that fills every nook and cranny of the maps, going mostly unnoticed.

I've been using scout units in good positions but even when I'm able to spot them, it seems there is no efficient way to deal with them. I've tried using lots of artillery guns and pounding their positions but even if they are spotted and/or in open field it seems prohibitively hard to kill them with artillery. If they are inside cover forget about it.

How to deal with them efficiently?