Company of Heroes 3: Africa Corps: Special Features, Strengths & Weaknesses - Game Guide

 The Africa Corps not only sends powerful attack vehicles onto the battlefield but can also actively support other team members, thanks to the rather unusual game mechanics. Here you can find out what makes the Africa Corps unique and what strengths and weaknesses you have to make do with.

Important: In this guide, we will go into more detail about the underlying characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of the Africa Corps. Combat groups, which can be unlocked with command points in battle, play only a minor role or not at all in the context of the guide.

Special building features and technologies

• Headquarters: The Africa Corps has the most units right at the start of the game. The light infantry fighting vehicle 250 is even a vehicle that can be used in combat.
• Headquarters: The Tank Reserves technology unlocks heavy equipment for Assault Troops requisitions.
• These Assault Forces can be called up with the Manpower resource and are decoupled from building construction, allowing for strong reinforcements without using any ammo or fuel.
• The Armory unlocks new technologies with each building that provide benefits for different unit types. Here are a few examples of useful technologies:
• Rapid advance allows vehicles to conquer territories.
• Emergency Repair Kits allow vehicles to be repaired automatically when they are not in battle.
• Veteran Squad Leader increases infantry unit experience gain and makes them harder to hit. Panzergrenadier troops also add an additional soldier to their ranks.

The best units

The best tanks:

• Defense against infantry: The Flakvierling half-track vehicle is excellently suited for defense against infantry thanks to its anti-aircraft gun, but is inferior to the Wehrmacht's whirlwind anti-aircraft tank in terms of armor.
• All-rounder: The Tiger heavy tank can be summoned as an attack squad, provided that the Tank Reserves technology improvement has been researched at headquarters. The machine of destruction has powerful armor, and an 88 mm gun, and can be armed with an MG-34. Whether it's infantry, tanks, or artillery, if used correctly, the Tiger tank is almost impossible to stop.

The best infantry:

• The Panzerpioniertrupp is very adaptable due to versatile weapon improvements. Unique to a Engineer Squad is the alternative loadout of a grenade launcher that can be fired over a long range.
• The Strumgrenadier Squad is effective against other infantry troops with its submachine guns and can unleash multiple grenades at once, causing extensive damage.

Other noteworthy units:

• The 18-ton recovery half-track can repair, restore, and recover vehicles. The 18-tonner is able to make enemy tanks fit for combat again so that you can take them over.
• The light infantry fighting vehicle 250, which can already be produced at the start, can be upgraded with grenade launchers or automatic cannons using the "half-track vehicles" armory technology.
• Armored Engineer Troops are equipped with Wire Cutters and Flashbangs by default.
• Craftable from the start, the Kratschützen Motorbike Squad is fast and can capture territory points.
• Recruitable in the Panzer Army Command Post, the Flak-36 Anti-Tank Gun Squad operates the most powerful anti-aircraft gun in the game.

Strengths and weaknesses of the Africa Corps

Benefits of the Africa Corps:

• The Africa Corps can call in cheap support (assault squads), which is fundamentally possible without constructing a special building or researching a special technology.
• Has multiple ways to repair vehicles. In this way, almost all infantry units can bring vehicles back into shape.
• One of the best factions in terms of infantry defence.
• The Africa Corps Headquarters has the most units at the start of the game.
• Able to produce the strongest tank (without using battlegroups).

Disadvantages of the Africa Corps:

• Infantry units can only be fully healed if an appropriate vehicle has been produced (Schützenpanzer 250 or 2.5-ton medical truck), which affects the maximum population.
• In direct comparison, it takes longer to unleash strong tanks on the battlefield because "tank reserves" still have to be researched after all buildings have been constructed.
• All infantry have little anti-tank capability (except for an anti-tank grenade).
• Pioneers can only build bunkers or other fortified positions through special battlegroups.