The British Forces are one of the more beginner-friendly factions in Company of Heroes 3, offering a streamlined tech tree and fewer branching upgrade paths. The faction relies on versatile infantry, relentless artillery strikes, and powerful crewed weapons to support their vehicles, which are nimble but often lack serious firepower.
The British Forces' Headquarters
The Headquarters is the starting building of the British Forces in Company of Heroes 3 and acts as the initial retreat and reinforcement point for the faction. It allows the construction of the following buildings:
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Field Infirmary (125 Manpower, 20 Fuel)
- Heals nearby wounded infantry.
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Training Center (125 Manpower)
- Unlocks upgrades that allow infantry, crewed weapons, light vehicles, and medium/heavy vehicles to gain Veterancy faster, as well as boosting Veterancy bonuses.
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Section Command Post (120 Manpower, 15 Fuel)
- Unlocks Tier 1 units and upgrades.
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Platoon Command Post (240 Manpower, 55 Fuel, and a Section Command Post)
- Unlocks Tier 2 units and upgrades.
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Company Command Post (300 Manpower, 110 Fuel, and a Platoon Command Post)
- Unlocks Tier 3 units and upgrades.
The British Forces WW2 Headquarters also produces the faction's starting units:
Royal Engineer Section (220 Manpower, 4 Pop)
- The British starting infantry unit comes equipped with close-range weaponry and the ability to produce defensive structures. Although their primary purpose is construction, the 4-man Engineer Section can still be dangerous in close-range combat or deadly with their Flamethrower upgrade.
- Can be upgraded with either Flamethrowers (50 Munitions) for Company of Heroes 3's new breaching mechanic and AoE damage or Hazard Removal Package (30 Munitions) for spotting/removing mines and cutting barbed wire.
- Can build Sandbags for heavy cover, Barbed Wire to block infantry, Tank Traps to block vehicles, general-purpose Mines (30 Munitions each), or a Resource Cache (200 Manpower), which can protect and boost the income from a capture point.
- Gains the ability to throw a hand grenade (25 Munitions) with Veterancy Rank 1.
Vickers Machine Gun Team (250 Manpower, 7 Pop)
- A 4-man team equipped with a Vickers HMG that requires a few seconds of setup, making them primarily a defensive unit.
- Can be used to suppress enemy infantry, heavily reducing their movement speed and accuracy.
- Best used to cover likely angles of enemy approach from the safety of heavy cover or inside a building.
The British Forces' Section Command Post
Players should prioritize constructing the British Forces' Tier 1 building in most matches, as it allows access to their core WW2 infantry units and first vehicle:
Infantry Section (260 Manpower, 8 Pop)
- A 5-man unit that is the core of the British infantry, equipped with long-range Lee-Enfield rifles.
- Best used for contesting points in the classic RTS style, scouting for friendly vehicles, and engaging enemy infantry from long range.
- All Infantry Sections can be upgraded with the Grenade Package at the Section Command Post (100 Manpower, 15 Fuel), unlocking a medium-range Rifle Grenade (30 Munitions) and a close-range Anti-Tank Grenade (30 Munitions).
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Individual Infantry Sections can also be upgraded with either the Recce Package (45 Munitions), Boys Anti-Tank Rifle Package (50 Munitions, or Bren Light Machine Gun Package (100 Munitions).
- The Recce Package increases long-range damage and grants the ability to fire a flare to reveal a nearby area or call in an artillery barrage at close range (45 Munitions).
- The Boys Package grants 2 anti-tank rifles capable of dealing precise damage to light and medium vehicles.
- The Bren Package grants 2 LMGs, heavily increasing firepower at all ranges.
ML 3-Inch Mortar Team (260 Manpower, 7 Pop)
- A 4-man team equipped with a light Mortar, which requires setup but can fire at long range without needing line of sight.
- Although the Mortar will automatically attack detected enemies that are in view for the player or their co-op RTS teammate, players can also use the Barrage ability to target a specific area in the fog of war.
- Can fire a Smoke Barrage, dealing no damage but blocking the enemy line of sight, which is particularly useful for protecting advancing infantry or vehicles that are in danger.
Dingo Light Scout Car (250 Manpower, 4 Pop)
- The British Forces' first vehicle is cheap and fast but only lightly armed.
- Best used in the classic RTS scouting role, discovering and harassing enemy infantry in the early game, but can be destroyed by massed small-arms fire.
- Has the ability to heal nearby friendly infantry for 30 seconds, with a cooldown of 3 minutes.
- Unlocks two new abilities at Veterancy Rank 1: Decoy flares to trick the enemy into thinking an artillery barrage is about to begin (15 Munitions) and a real artillery barrage (45 Munitions).
The British Forces' Platoon Command Post
Players should aim to build the British Forces' Tier 2 building once they've secured several Points and have a solid Fuel income, particularly as the threat of encountering German WW2 vehicles increases.
6-Pounder Anti-Tank Gun Team (280 Manpower, 7 Pop)
- A 4-man team armed with a long-range Anti-Tank Gun that can either be pushed on foot or towed using a support vehicle.
- Deadly against light and medium vehicles and able to deal damage to heavy vehicles, but vulnerable to infantry, grenades, and artillery strikes.
- Requires a few seconds of setup when adjusting the angle or moving, making it best as a defensive weapon covering a large area from heavy cover.
Humber Armored Car (260 Manpower, 35 Fuel, 6 Pop)
- An upgrade to the Dingo, the Humber has superior firepower with a fast-firing cannon capable of destroying infantry and light vehicles.
- Despite having higher armor than the Dingo, the Humber is still vulnerable to massed small arms fire and shouldn't be used as a frontline combat vehicle in the new WW2 campaign.
- Has the ability to fire a Smoke Barrage to block enemy line of sight or a Marking Flare (30 Munitions) to make enemies easier to hit.
CMP 15cwt Truck (260 Manpower, 25 Fuel, 5 Pop)
- The only British Forces support vehicle in the Italian campaign --the CMP Truck-- can Reinforce nearby infantry, recrew abandoned team weapons, transport squads, and tow heavy weapons.
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Can be upgraded with either the Polsten 20mm Anti-Air Conversion (90 Munitions) or the Medical Conversion (60 Munitions).
- The Polsten Conversion adds a 20mm cannon capable of targeting aircraft, infantry, and light vehicles but removes the ability to transport and tow.
- The Medical Conversion allows the Truck to heal nearby infantry while out of combat.
M3 Stuart Light Tank (280 Manpower, 45 Fuel, 8 Pop, but first needs to be unlocked at the Platoon Command Post for 125 Manpower and 40 Fuel)
- The British Forces' first tank is highly maneuverable but lightly armored, with a small caliber cannon capable of engaging infantry and light or medium vehicles.
- Unlocks the ability to fire a Tread Shot (30 Munitions) at Veterancy Rank 1, allowing it to slow or potentially stun an enemy vehicle.
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Can be upgraded with either the Survival Package (60 Munitions) or the Tank Commander (60 Munitions) for advanced RTS tactics.
- The Survival Package allows the Stuart to fire Smoke Cannisters to block enemy lines of sight and adds the ability to automatically self-repair while stationary and out of combat.
- The Tank Commander grants the ability to perform a Reconnaissance scan, massively boosting forward view range at the cost of peripheral view range, and to Mark a Vehicle making it easier to hit.
Bishop Self-Propelled Artillery (320 Manpower, 60 Fuel, 12 Pop, but first needs to be unlocked at the Platoon Command Post for 125 Manpower and 25 Fuel)
- As a mobile artillery unit, the Bishop cannot auto-attack or manually attack targets but can lay down a Barrage every 60 seconds at extreme range.
- Can be used either offensively to soften enemy defenses and destroy garrisoned buildings or defensively to ward off and scatter advancing infantry.
- The accuracy of the Barrage increases at closer ranges, meaning that players will need to find a balance between being close enough to hit a small target and far away enough to keep the expensive Bishop safe.
The British Forces' Company Command Post
The final British Forces building is the Company Command Post, which costs a huge amount of Fuel but unlocks the best infantry, tanks, and anti-tank weaponry the British Forces had to offer in WW2.
It also unlocks the ability to withdraw existing vehicles off the map, refunding the cost of low-tier vehicles like the Dingo that might not be useful in the late-game.
Foot Guards Section (400 Manpower, 10 Pop)
- The elite British Forces' infantry, the 6-man Foot Guards squad, is equipped with devastating close-range weaponry and a pair of tank-killing bazookas.
- Although the Foot Guards are expensive, they're an incredibly effective frontline infantry unit capable of dealing with tanks and elite enemy infantry in close range.
- Unlock the ability to fire a Staggered Shot (45 Munitions) with their bazookas at Veterancy Rank 1, slowing and stunning an enemy vehicle.
- Can throw the Light Gammon Bomb (35 Munitions), an all-purpose grenade useful against infantry and vehicles.
Crusader II Medium Tank (300 Manpower, 60 Fuel, 10 Pop)
- A fast tank with moderate armor and a small main gun that is famous for its use on WW2's North African front, ideal for flanking, picking off infantry, and hunting down light vehicles.
- Can't go toe-to-toe with the heavy tanks of the Wehrmacht and Deutsches Afrikakorp in its default form.
- Can be upgraded with a 6-Pounder gun (60 Munitions), increasing damage and armor penetration at the cost of a reduced rate of fire. This upgrade allows the Crusader to match enemy tanks on an even footing, but at the cost of slightly reduced effectiveness against infantry.
Matilda II Heavy Tank (360 Manpower, 90 Fuel, 14 Pop)
- A slow but heavily armored tank, though lacking serious firepower.
- Best used at the front of a formation in Company of Heroes 3's Italian campaign, soaking up enemy fire and suppressing infantry while other units flank and destroy enemy armor.
- Can deploy Support Smoke (30 Munitions) behind itself, protecting friendly infantry and giving it a place to retreat when threatened.
M3 Grant Medium Tank (350 Manpower, 90 Fuel, 12 Pop, but first needs to be unlocked at the Company Command Post for 125 Manpower and 25 Fuel)
- An unusual WW2 Tank with both a 37mm turret cannon and a 75mm fixed cannon, allowing it to put out a huge amount of firepower in a front-facing.
- Faster than the Matilda and more damaging than the Crusader, but suffers from low armor and a lack of anti-tank capability.
- Best used to break through enemy defensive positions using its high-explosive 75mm cannon.
17-Pounder Anti-Tank Gun Team (280 Manpower, 40 Fuel, 12 Pop, but first needs to be unlocked at the Company Command Post for 125 Manpower and 25 Fuel)
- The British Forces' ultimate answer to heavy German tanks in WW2; it's able to pierce the strongest armor in the game.
- Can't be pushed like the 6-Pounder Anti-Tank gun and relies on being towed to move around the battlefield. It comes with a free CMP Truck for this reason.
- Players need to be very careful with their placement, as it can easily be overrun by infantry or artillery.
- Has a longer range than its own line of sight, meaning that players will need to use other units to scout for the 17-Pounder to reach full effectiveness.
Company of Heroes 3 is out now for PC and will release later this year for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.