HMG team

Added with version update 2.339, Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) teams provide direct fire support to Infantry units utilizing some variation (depending on nationality) of belt fed heavy or medium machine gun. These weapons offer effective ranges from 800-1800m, with the ability to penetrate light cover and some light anti-armour capability. Beginning with version 4.000, HMG teams may use any dismounted movement type available, but fatigue much quicker when jogging or sprinting compared to regular infantry units.

The observer position F8 displays a third-person view of the HMG team.
Pressing N provides a magnified third-person view (and only if the Realism setting is Low or Medium (rev. 3.002)).
F7 or F11 switches to the first-person view of the "Squad Leader"/gunner.
Pressing N will brings the Squad Leader's binoculars into action. This can not be used to engage targets.
Pressing F2 accesses the weapon sights. From here the mouse or joystick may be used to aim, and the space bar/default trigger to fire. The HMG sight does not have thermal or night vision capability, but NVG (Night Vision Goggle) views for the squad leader/members (Num +) are available under appropriate lighting conditions if the team is so equipped (rev. 2.640). Note that NVGs are useful for observation only, and have no effect on weapon sights.

Selecting Weapon Type

By default, HMG teams are armed with the M2 .50 cal machine gun. If a scenario designer wants to change that, right-click on the team in question, navigate to its "optional weapon type" submenu and select the MG3 (currently the only alternative). Note that the method used prior to revision 2.640 (specifying the MG type by selecting a different ammunition type in the unit's ammunition window) is no longer functioning, and the ammunition window will only list ammo types suitable for the selected gun.

Notes on the MG3

When outfitted with a MG3 in the heavy machine gun role, the weapon will be mounted on a buffered Feldlafette (Ger: field tripod) and equipped with a Zielfernrohr 4 × 24 periscope-style telescopic sight.

Unlike the iron sights of the M2, the Zielfernrohr optic is adjustable for range. Once in the F2 weapon sight view the Mouse Wheel can be used to rotate the numbered scale surrounding the reticle (forward reduces range and backwards increases). The numbers represent hundreds of meters with dots indicating whole increments in between. The number directly below the aiming post is the indexed range. By default the range will be set to 300m when first entering the sight.