M2HB .50 Caliber HMG Team

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The M2HB .50 Caliber Heavy Machine-Gun is the primary machine-gun used by the American Expeditionary Force. Capable of firing hard-hitting 12.7mm bullets, the M2HB is capable of dealing major damage to a wide array of different targets, all the while being surprisingly easy to move around the battlefield.

Overview
The M2HB .50 Cal is the primary machine gun of the AEF. Featuring above-average damage output and very good mobility, the M2HB is a surprisingly flexible when compared to many other Allied HMGs.

The primary strength of this weapon lies in its amazing mobility. With a fast set-up time, a near instantaneous tear-down time, and a sprint ability, this HMG is capable of rapidly getting into position and relocating on the battlefield. This allows it to be used as a much more mobile weapon and makes it much easier to use this gun as a forward combat unit thanks to its great reactivity. In addition to these strengths, it also has an above average retreat speed, meaning that it is easier to get the gun out of a bad spot if the situation turns sour.

In addition to its great mobility, the M2HB deals much more damage and has increased penetration compared to most Allied HMGs. This allows it to do major damage to enemy infantry squads and shred light vehicles that linger within its range for too long. This combined with the great reactivity of the weapon makes it a strong option for countering early light-armor such as Kubelwagens. This anti-vehicle capability is improved even further by the Armor Piercing Rounds ability which allows the gun to deal damage to practically any light vehicle it faces.

On the flipside, this weapons low rate of fire makes it a poor choice for suppressing large groups of enemies. Although it will deal lots of damage to enemy units, the weapon's suppression abilities are mediocre compared to many other HMGs. This fact is not helped by the weapons average firing arc and small squad size which leaves the weapon vulnerable to flanking attacks.

Overall, the M2HB is a powerful tool that does very well when used properly. Although it isn't as universally powerful as something like the MG42, its sheer flexibility makes it one of the strongest HMG options in the mod.

USMC Variant
The USMC Variant of the M2HB comes with a crew equipped with body armor, increasing resistance to small-arms fire. It also has two additional veterancy levels as well as, curiously enough, a cheaper base manpower cost.

Pros

 * Great set-up and tear-down speed
 * Good damage and penetration
 * Above-average retreat speed

Cons

 * Below-average rate-of-fire
 * Mediocre suppression
 * Small squad-size

Armor Piercing Rounds
15 Munitions; The weapon crew loads a belt of special Armor Piercing rounds, increasing weapon penetration and damage for 15 seconds.



Sprint
The weapon crew moves at maximum speed for 10 seconds; useful for rapid repositioning in combat.

Veterancy Levels
 Veterancy One 

540 XP: +10% suppression

 Veterancy Two 

1080 XP: +25% damage; +50% long-range penetration; +40% rotation speed; -55% weapon set-up time

 Veterancy Three 

2160 XP: +20% accuracy; +20% burst-length; -40% reload speed

USMC Variant
***Exact values are unknown due to limited access to mod files***

 Veterancy Four 

Decreases received-accuracy

 Veterancy Five 

Increases view-range and weapon accuracy