Company of Heroes is a 2006 WWII real-time strategy game that where the gamer controls a US Airborne company or a US Infantry company through the battle of Normandy and the Allied liberation of France. The game also inspired two expansion games (which feature playable British and Panzer Elite factions) and well as a 2013 feature film that starred Tom Sizemore and Neal McDonough. Eventually, the game franchise continued with the sequel Company of Heroes 2 in 2013.
Note: Even though this is a real-time strategy game, guns can be seen during gameplay and in several cutscenes.
The following weapons appear in the video game Company of Heroes (2006):
German artillery crewmen and officers carry Luger P08s as self-defense weapons against infantry. Strangely, the Luger does almost accurate one-shot kills, no matter if the enemy is equipped with some automatic weapon.
The M1A1 Thompson is used by a few soldiers in cutscenes, mainly Captain John MacKay and Sgt. Conti. The Thompson is an upgrade for American Ranger squads, which makes them able to mow down any enemy infantry unit at very close ranges, but useless at longer ranges. It also appears in the tutorial in the hands of the starting rifle squad (this is the only time a rifleman is seen carrying a Thompson).
The American engineers in the game use M3 "Grease Guns" as their primary weapon. Despite having a high fire rate, the M3 "Grease Gun" is ineffective in most situations due to the submachine gun's short range, low damage, and low accuracy.
German Pioneer squads, Volksgrenadier squads (as an upgrade) and the assistant in MG teams use MP40s. Unlike most World War II movies and video games, the MP40 is accurately shown held correctly with the folding stock extended since holding it by the magazine is known to cause magazine damage or round misfeeds.
The Sten Mk II is the main weapon for the British Lieutenant ("Leftenant" in the British-English language), while the airborne commandos (Parachute Regiment troops, denoted by their maroon beret) use the suppressed Sten Mk IIS.
Several British riflemen in the Tales of Valor expansion pack carry Boys anti-tank rifles, even though by 1944, the PIAT anti-tank launcher mentioned below, as well as the M1 Bazooka series, have completely replaced them in the anti-tank role.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingBoys Mark I - .55 Boys (13.9x99B)Error creating thumbnail: File missingA British rifleman aims his Boys anti-tank rifle while his partner shows off his ability to chop off his left hand with his Lee Enfield rifle. Note that firing it in the standing position instead of the more ideal prone position with the bipod extended out would be highly impractical to do due to the massive weight and recoil of the rifle.
FG 42
Fallschirmjäger paratroopers can be upgraded with FG 42s, which helps them improve their firepower against enemy infantry. The versions used are non-scoped late-war versions.
The German snipers in the game use scoped Gewehr 43s. In the Opposing Fronts expansion, the Gewehr 43 is available as an upgrade to the arsenal of the Panzer Elite grenadiers.
The Karabiner 98k is used by most German combat infantry. Kar98k users can defeat the M1 Garand riflemen at the range, despite its low rate of fire and a smaller amount of rounds in its stripper clip. However, at a closer range, the M1 is superior.
Many of the British soldiers begin with the Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I. Once the player gets enough munitions, one rifleman in the section can be upgraded to have a scoped Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I (T) or the entire section can be given access to rifle grenades.
Many of the riflemen in the riflemen squads in the game use M1 Garands. Note that Riflemen will fire faster at a shorter range, allowing them to outgun squads equipped primarily with bolt-action rifles.
The M1A1 Carbine appears as the standard issue for American Rifle squad leaders (denoted by their radios) and airborne troopers as well as artillery gun crews. Though M1A1 Carbines were commonly issued to U.S. paratroopers, gun crews and squad leaders would carry a regular M1 Carbine in real life.
German stormtroopers and elite combat units are seen with Sturmgewehr 44s, often obtained via upgrades. Additionally, a few German soldiers during the D-Day missions carry these rifles, which is anachronistic. The Sturmgewehr 44s weren't issued to the Wehrmacht until around June 13.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSturmgewehr 44 - 7.92x33mmError creating thumbnail: File missingTwo Sturmgewehr 44s on the ground.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA large group of Knight's Cross Holders with Sturmgewehr 44s. Although the Knight's Cross is an actual prestigious award in the Wehrmacht (second to the Grand Cross), no such unit exists as officers (judging by the uniforms worn) would typically not see frontline combat. However, this unit could be meant to represent the most elite of German infantry (much like the U.S. Army Rangers and British commandos for their respective factions).
Machine Guns
Bren Mk. II
Bren carriers and infantry sections can carry Bren light machine guns. The Bren light machine gun is available as an upgrade to the armament of British Infantry and elite combat troops. Squads with Bren LMGs are able to pin enemy vehicles by laying suppressive fire on their scopes, making them unable to move or fight for a few seconds, enough to pull infantry out or get AT in place.
Despite being rarely issued to the U.S. Army during World War II, the Browning M1917 appears as the main weapon for American gun emplacements and machine gun crews. The M1917 used by gun crews can also fire armor-piercing rounds, making the weapon an excellent counter for early German armored vehicles, such as the Puma or Halftacks.
In the game, the Browning M1918A2 appears as an upgrade to the riflemen squad's loadout. The upgrade replaces some of the riflemen's standard-issued M1 Garands and M1A1 Carbines with Browning M1918A2s. The Browning M1918A2 in-game causes more damage than the standard semi-automatic rifles, but its range is cut in half, making it only useful at short range. BAR-equipped riflemen are also able to lay down suppressive fire, weakening and eventually completely pinning enemy infantry.
The MG42 is used in many of the bunkers in the D-Day campaign. It is also the primary weapon for German machine gun crews and can add to grenadier squads as an upgrade. In the beginning cutscene of the D-Day mission, we see MG42s firing and mowing down troops in the same angle as the German gunners in Saving Private Ryan.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingMaschinengewehr 42 - 7.92x57mm MauserError creating thumbnail: File missingA German gunner fires his MG42 at American troops.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA bunker on Omaha Beach with 2 German gunners manning MG42s. This bunker resembles the VF Schnabelstand which was actually used for observation.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA machine gunner carrying his MG42 with a tripod. Lugging it this way would be surely heavy and impractical to do, especially since the tripod can be detached from the gun, reducing the amount of load and strain carrying the roughly 25 LB machine gun in addition to the 11-12 LB tripod connected together. However, during the set-up process, the gun crew somehow have the tripod and MG42 detached already as the tripod is seen being planted first prior to mounting the MG42 on top of it.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMG42 with drum magazine - 7.92x57mm Mauser
Vickers Mk. I
The British machine gun emplacements, machine gun crews, the M7 Priest Self-Propelled Artillery (available via the Royal Artillery Support commander), and Bren Carriers (after an upgrade) in the game are armed with Vickers machine guns.
The M2 Flamethrower is available as an upgrade to the engineer's weaponry, which gives an engineer an M2 Flamethrower. An interesting fact is that the M2 Flamethrower in-game has no front grip and the trigger is repositioned to the back grip.
U.S. Rangers squads are always seen with one or two Rangers with an M1 Bazooka (they can be picked up by other troops after the user is killed) and are inaccurately called "M9 Bazookas" in-game as the model in-game has an extra pistol grip and shoulder rest. The M1 Bazooka was replaced by the M1A1 Bazooka and the M9 and M9A1 Bazookas in 1944, making it inaccurate to be seen during the Normandy missions.
British Infantry Sections can be upgraded to have Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk Is mounted with an M7 Rifle Grenade Launcher to fire M9A1 Rifle Grenades. They can launch standard fragmentation grenades or specialized smoke barrages to obscure the enemy's vision and/or cover their advance/retreat.
Airborne troopers can be upgraded with M18 Recoilless Rifles. The M18 Recoilless Rifle is anachronistic as the M18 was developed near the end of World War 2 and was not available in Europe until March 1945.
The Panzerfaust is a weapon that stormtrooper and Volksgrenadier squads (Knight's Cross Holders can obtain this ability through patches) can obtain through abilities as well as some infantry in the Panzer Elite faction. It allows the squad to fire a quick weapon at a vehicle when Panzerschrecks are unavailable.
Stormtrooper squads and grenadier squads can be upgraded with Panzerschrecks to combat enemy vehicles if need to be. Allied troops can scavenge them from dead Germans and supply depots.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingRaketenpanzerbüchse 54 ("Panzerschreck") - 88mmError creating thumbnail: File missingA German stormtrooper with a Panzerschreck. Judging by the uniform, the stormtrooper squads appear to be an in-game counterpart to the Waffen SS paramilitary divisions employed by Nazi Germany during WWII.
PIAT
The PIAT anti-tank weapon can be given to the British Sappers (another word for combat engineer) as an upgrade and is the primary weapon for anti-tank Commandos and some British troops.
M18 smoke grenades are used by U.S. airborne troopers and several ground troops. The smoke grenades can be also modified to be fired by M2 Mortars, and vehicles, and be thrown by ground troops.
U.S. airborne troops, riflemen, and various Allied troopers use Mk 2 hand grenades, which can be thrown at a targeted location at the cost of munition points.
The standard stick grenade of the German army, the Model 24 Stielhandgranate, is unlocked through the purchase of base building upgrades the selection of the Blitzkrieg Doctrine.
Six Hispano cannons appear on the Spitfire Mk. IXe planes during the Operation Market Garden campaign in the Opposing Fronts expansion pack. This is inaccurate as the Mk. IXe model only had four of them in total.
German mortar teams and halftracks use Kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42. Like the M2 Mortar, they can fire smoke barrages, but unlike its Allied counterpart, it can also fire incendiary rounds (especially for the Panzer Elite faction).
While not seen in-game, the USS Texas with its 14-Inch/45 Caliber Naval Guns is seen and mentioned several times during cutscenes of the mission "Cherbourg".
Churchill Mk. IV, Cromwell, and Tetrarch tanks carry hull-mounted and coaxial Besa machine guns.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingBesa tank machine gun - 7.92×57mm MauserError creating thumbnail: File missingA Cromwell Command Tank stands by while armed with hull-mounted and coaxial Besa machine guns. For balance purposes, these machine guns are inactive and do not fire, although the standard Cromwell tanks' machine guns are active and can fire upon the infantry.
Browning M2HB
The M4A3 Sherman tanks and various other Allied armored vehicles have mounted Browning M2HBs. If you upgrade your M3 half-tracks, you will have to get half-tracks with four Browning M2s in quad mount.
The jeeps and Shermans (M4A3 and Firefly variants) in the game are armed with Browning M1919A4s. Several other Allied armored cars and light tanks (i.e. M8 Greyhound, Stuart Light Tank, etc) also have one mounted in their hulls.
The MG42 is also mounted on many of the German tanks, motorbikes (the ones on the motorbikes and tanks have drum magazines), machine gun emplacements, half-tracks, and buildings.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingMG42 with drum magazine - 7.92x57mm MauserError creating thumbnail: File missingA gunner mans an MG42 mounted on a motorbike.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA German gunner mans an MG42 with a drum magazine mounted on a Tiger Ace (later replaced by a King Tiger in later patches). In reality, Panzer IVs, Panthers, Tiger tanks (I and II), and many other WWII German tanks with top-mounted MGs would typically mount MG34s on top of the tank instead of the MG42 as depicted here.
Ordnance QF 2-pounder
The main gun of the British Light Tank Mk. VII "Tetrarch" is an Ordnance QF 2-pounder.
In the Tales of Valor expansion pack, players can have the option to replace the Panzer IV Infantry Support Tank (IST) with the Hotchkiss light tank, a French cavalry tank adopted by Nazi Germany for use after the Battle of France that eventually lead to the development of The Marder I tank destroyer and the Geschützwagen 39H tank destroyers (both of which appear in Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor respectively).
The Flak 38 is used as the Panzer Lehr base defenses and in cut scenes. For the Wehrmacht, Flak 38 emplacements primarily appear in the single-player campaign while the Panzer Elite faction can unlock the ability to create them via the "Luftwaffe Tactics" commander option. They are also the main weapon for the Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind, which is again obtained via the previously mentioned commander option.
British sappers can deploy Bofors 40mm emplacements as part of the wide array of defensive structures they could employ. It's a powerful middle-of-the-road emplacement that's powerful enough to handle infantry units and light vehicles with ease, but too weak to penetrate enemy armor and too slow to reliably suppress and deal with a mass of infantry, especially anti-tank crews.
The Flak 36 makes an appearance in the single-player campaigns used by German artillery crews. Can be built in multiplayer by the Wehrmacht defensive doctrine, where it is the most powerful anti-tank weapon on the field. Strangely dealing even more damage than the longer barreled version of the gun, found in the Pzkpfw VI Tiger II aka King Tiger.
The M2 Mortars are used by U.S. mortar teams and British mortar teams. The one in-game can also fire smoke rounds, which helps conceal movement and cover the retreat for Allied troops.
One of the features of Company of Heroes is the Goliath, a remote-controlled mobile bomb that can be signaled to detonate itself and is quite a useful tool in taking out enemy fortifications and units before they realize what it is. During World War 2, Germany built around 7,564 Goliaths, but few of them were used due to their lack of protection against anti-tank weapons as the armor only protects it from small arms fire, vulnerable command cables, high cost, slow speed, and quite weak ground clearance. However, it did inspire future post-WWII remote-controlled technologies. The fact that it explodes when destroyed, also makes it a good tool against large infantry formations as if the soldiers aren't able to score a lucky hit with bazookas or recoilless rifles, they are most likely not be able to destroy it before it is in range.
