Guide to CoH3 Unit Variants (with the same name)

Guide to CoH3 Unit Variants (with the same name)

Note: Updated for 1.7.0 July 16 2024 patch changes.

CoH3 unfortunately has a clarity problem with their units, partially due to the WW2 setting but also due to some 'interesting' design choices. This has led to an issue of multiple variants of units that have identical or very similar names, which can result in a lot of confusion especially in the heat of a match where there is little time to discern the differences.

This guide will go over these units that happen to share practically the same names, allowing you to easily know what the differences are between them. If you've ever wondered what the heck is the difference between all those Shermans, StuGs, multiple German units, or even the Panzergrenadiers (totally different units with the exact same name...Come on!), you've come to the right place.

This guide will not go over the more obvious variants, such as conversion upgrade for various halftracks (ex. turning a regular halftrack into a medical halftrack)

While I go over the major differences of each unit in this article, not everything will be listed here. I've written most of the wiki here, so you can refer to the individual linked wiki pages for each unit to learn more about them.

Remember to check out my CoH3 Glossary if you are ever confused on some terminology.

USF Sherman Variants

• : This is the standard Sherman tank and the most commonly seen Sherman variant in many matches. It is produced from the .

• : The Bulldozer version is fairly different, featuring higher health and frontal armour compared to the regular Sherman. More importantly it uses a different main cannon, which is more of an indirect fire 'lobbing mortar' style of weapon, effective against infantry and structures/garrisons. Visually it stands out easily, thanks to the much shorter barrel length and of course the big dozer blade on the front. Produced from the .

  • Also can toggle the dozer blade on/off in order to clear obstacles including land mines, large bushes, tank traps, cover, etc.

• : This is practically identical to the standard Sherman tank, BUT the 76mm version comes with a superior main cannon with better accuracy, penetration, and scatter. Visually it has a longer barrel length.

  • This version is only acquired when the M4A1 76mm Conversion upgrade from the is researched. This globally upgrades all current and future regular Shermans into the 76mm version (includes replacing regular Shermans at the ).

• : This is arguably the most elite tank available to the USF. Exclusively available as either a call-in or as a unlocked production with the Armored Battlegroup, it is basically the best version of a Sherman tank.

  • Nearly identical to the regular Sherman with exception of higher health, upkeep, pop cap, and slightly higher speed.

  • Has a superior main cannon that is identical to the 76mm version but with lower scatter and no moving accuracy penalty. In other words - the Easy Eight has the best cannon.

  • Easy Eight comes with the HVAP Rounds ability by default, but cannot gain Canister Shot from the . Also has a different veterancy ability choice compared to regular Shermans.

• : A very unique artillery unit, available exclusively as either a call-in or a production unlock at the with the Special Operations Battlegroup.

  • Actual artillery unit, has no regular attack with a main cannon. Instead, has access to Rocket Barrage ability.

  • Has nearly identical stats to the regular Sherman otherwise, meaning it is surprisingly durable for an artillery unit.

  • Uniquely, upon reaching veterancy level 1 one of its ability choices is Jettison Launcher. When activated, it tosses aside the rocket launchers and allows it to use its main cannon as a weapon, effectively turning it into a regular Sherman permanently.

    • Does not have access to the same upgrades/abilities as the regular Sherman however, see wiki page for more details.

USF and UKF M1 Pack Howitzer

• (USF)

• (UKF)

Both of these artillery units are identical with the same unit stats and abilities, meaning they both function identically with the same artillery capabilities. The main difference is in how they are deployed, as well as the UKF Howitzer having a vet 1 ability whereas the USF version does not.

The USF version is only available as a call-in through the Special Operations Battlegroup (specifically the M29 Weasel with M1 Pack Howitzer ability that deploys an towing a ). Since it only costs 1 CP to unlock, it can be available fairly quickly. The USF version is technically inferior since it does not gain an additional ability at vet 1. In addition, when the crew is killed, the abandoned weapon has far less health and thus is easier to destroy on the field.

The UKF version is only available as a call-in through the Air and Sea Battlegroup (specifically the M1 Pack Howitzer Paradrop). This is a para-drop deployment meaning the unit can be dropped in at any location except the enemy HQ territory. It costs 3 CP to unlock and thus comes significantly later comparatively. However it is technically superior as it can gain Incendiary Barrage at veterancy level 1, granting more utility. The howitzer itself also has more health and thus is harder to destroy when abandoned on the field.

German Units (Wehrmacht and DAK)

Unfortunately among the Axis factions, they both share many units with identical names. Luckily most of these units are actually identical in terms of unit stats, but they often have differences in abilities or upgrades that can add up to a significant layer of complexity.

Visually, it is easy to tell them apart as Wehrmacht units tend to have black/gray colours while DAK units tend to have desert tan colours (default looks, obviously cosmetic skins may look different).

It is worth noting that DAK vehicles in general can gain far more abilities/upgrades over their Wehrmacht counterparts due to their available upgrades. Thus, DAK vehicles can scale better given enough time and resource investment (though this is a very significant investment and thus rarer to see).

Panzergrenadiers

• (WM)

• (DAK)

Both units are fairly different units belonging to different factions, yet they have the exact same name!

The Wehrmacht version is an advanced unit available from the . They are far more combat-capable than the basic , featuring greater durability and better offensive power at a significantly higher resource cost. They are similar in damage curve to the USF , in that they technically deal the most DPS at close quarters but the drop-off at medium range is not nearly as steep as sub-machine gun weapons. They distinctly lack anti-tank snares and anti-tank weapons.

The DAK version is the primary 'mainline' infantry unit of the DAK, available from their . While more expensive than typical mainline units of other factions, they come with a lot of utility and can benefit from many upgrades, allowing them to scale quite well over the course of a match when given enough time and resource investment. Like most mainline infantry they can gain access to an anti-tank snare ability and frag grenades. A surprising fact that throws new players off is that this DAK unit has a skewed damage curve in favour of close range, defying the usual pattern of keeping bolt-action rifle squads at long range.

Light Vehicles

• (WM)

• (DAK)

Both 8-Rads are identical with the same unit stats like health, speed, weapons, and even have the same veterancy ability at vet 1. However, they benefit from different abilities/upgrades with respect to their factions.

The Wehrmacht version is an exclusive call-in with the Mechanized Battlegroup.

The DAK version is available from the .

As usual, in general DAK vehicles can scale better than their WM counterparts when given enough time and resource investment, due to the upgrades available.

• (WM)

• (DAK)

Both Marders have identical unit stats including health, speed, and weapon. However they have some stark differences in their cost and abilities, and as usual benefit from differing abilities/upgrades with respect to their factions.

The Wehrmacht version costs far more Fuel and is available from the . By default it has the Site Gun toggle ability which disables its movement speed but increases its weapon range and rate of fire when toggled on. Overall the WM version is 'superior' by default, as the Site Gun ability in the right hands grants the Marder an incredible amount of power, though again it does cost quite a lot more Fuel to produce.

The DAK version costs less Fuel and is available from the . It does not come with any real abilities by default, instead relying on the usual DAK upgrades for more utility and power.

Medium/Heavy Vehicles

Both factions can gain access to both the StuG G and StuG D variants, so things can get confusing due to essentially 4 versions of StuGs in the game.

• (WM)

• (DAK)

The StuG G version is the 'standard' StuG tank, armed with a main cannon effective against vehicles but ineffective against infantry. Visually they have a longer barrel length compared to the StuG D. Both the Wehrmacht and DAK versions are identical in unit stats, but as usual differ in abilities and upgrades from their respective factions.

The Wehrmacht version is available from the . By default, it comes with the Hull Down toggle ability that allows the tank to 'dig in'. Once this channeling is complete, it gets a large damage reduction bonus alongside extra range, vision, and rate of fire, at the cost of disabling movement and rotation.

The DAK version is available only as a call-in with the Armored Reserves Deployment System. This requires the Armored Reserves upgrade from their , which is a very late game tech that replaces their default halftrack call-ins with tank call-ins. Specifically, the Stug Assault Group call-in deploys two StuG G tanks to the field. As usual, the DAK version does not come with any default abilities, instead relying on the upgrades for more utility and power.

Both StuG G tanks have different veteran abilities at vet 1.

• (WM)

• (DAK)

The StuG D version is the infantry support gun version of a StuG tank, armed with a main cannon that fires indirect 'lobbing mortar' style of projectiles. This is most effective against stationary infantry and structures/garrisons. Visually, they have a much shorter barrel length than most tanks. Again, both versions are identical in unit stats, but differ in abilities and upgrades available from their respective factions. They also have identical veteran abilities at vet 1.

The Wehrmacht version is only available as a call-in with the Mechanized Battlegroup (specifically the StuG Assault Group ability that deploys a StuG D with a ). It has no default abilities.

The DAK version is available from the . It likewise has no default abilities, but as usual with DAK vehicles can gain more utility and power through the upgrades.

• (WM)

• (DAK)

Both tanks are identical in unit stats, though as usual benefit from different abilities/upgrades with respect to their factions.

The Wehrmacht version is available from the , and serves as the standard medium tank for them. By default, it comes with the Hull Down toggle ability that allows the tank to 'dig in'. Once this channeling is complete, it gets a large damage reduction bonus alongside extra range, vision, and rate of fire, at the cost of disabling movement and rotation.

The DAK version is only available as a call-in with Armored Reserves Deployment System. This requires the Armored Reserves upgrade from their , which is a very late game tech that replaces their default halftrack call-ins with tank call-ins. It is a very rare unit to see in matches due to the combination of high requirements to unlock as well as many competing unit choices for the DAK player. As usual with DAK vehicles, the DAK version can scale better than the Wehrmacht counterpart given enough time and resources with the upgrades.

• (WM)

• (DAK)

Both Command Panzer tanks are identical with the same unit stats and default abilities, including their passive buff to nearby vehicles, ability to toggle between AP and HE rounds, and identical vet 1 abilities. Both are also Battlegroup exclusive call-in units. Visually, they have a much shorter barrel length compared to the regular Panzer IV.

The Wehrmacht version is only available as a call-in with the Breakthrough Battlegroup. It requires a minimum of 6 CP to reach, and so the Wehrmacht can unlock their Command Panzer significantly faster in a match. This unit does not benefit from the Side Skirts upgrade available at the , which is likely an unintended bug.

The DAK version is only available as a call-in with the Armored Support Battlegroup. It requires a minimum of 8 CP to reach, and thus generally takes longer to unlock compared to the Wehrmacht. However, the DAK version is generally superior over the Wehrmacht version since it can benefit from various upgrades.

• (WM)

• (DAK)

Both Tiger tanks are identical with the same unit stats. The largest difference is in their veteran abilities, as well as the usual fact that they benefit from different abilities/upgrades with respect to their factions.

The Wehrmacht version is an exclusive call-in with the Breakthrough Battlegroup. It gains the Timed Fused Shot active ability at vet 1, allowing a single special explosive shot effective against the targeted infantry.

The DAK version is only available as a call-in with Armored Reserves Deployment System. This requires the Armored Reserves upgrade from their , which is a very late game tech that replaces their default halftrack call-ins with tank call-ins. It gains the S-Mine Launchers active ability at vet 1, allowing it to suppress and damage nearby infantry. As usual, the DAK version can scale better given enough time and resources with the upgrades. Fun fact: The DAK Tiger is capable of becoming the highest health unit in the game with said upgrades.

Conclusion

Hopefully this guide clears up some confusion amongst all those units with identical names. The most egregious example of poor unit naming goes to the Axis Panzergrenadiers, as despite having the same name they are completely different units. When it comes to Axis vehicles, they all have the same unit stats and so it's not nearly as huge of a deal for everything to have the same name, although additional complexity comes up once one factors in different abilities and upgrades. As for the Allies, this is less of a problem as for example the several Sherman variants are easy to tell apart.

It's worth remembering that thanks to the available upgrades at the DAK , DAK vehicles in general can scale better than their Wehrmacht counterparts when given enough time and resource investment. Of course, this investment is massive and thus it is rare to see fully upgraded DAK fleets, but keep it in mind if a match goes to a very long length.