Tactical Reserve Company
Contain enemy attacks with well-equipped core infantry, then unleash powerful units from rear-line reserves. Discounted resource caches improve battlefield awareness while the M32 Sherman ARV can return knocked out vehicles to service. Counter enemy armor and exploit Allied breakthroughs with the newly developed M26 Pershing heavy tank.
IMO the name could be simply by just calling it Reserve Company, since there's nothing very tactical about the theme behind it (heavy tank plus resource discount).
Forward Outposts (0 CPs)
Fuel and munitions caches cost 150 manpower and provide additional sight range.
• Passive ability
• Does not increase cache HP
Considerably overpowered. The AA bulletins give only 5% discount, so only 190 instead of 200. Not only are you getting a HUGE discount relative to what bulletins would offer, but add increased sight range. The discount in cost alone is reason to balk at the idea.
Rear Echelon Reserves (4 CPs)
Deploy two squads of fresh Rear Echelon Troops to reinforce vulnerable points. Each squad is equipped with an M1919A6 Light Machine Gun and comes with a random amount of experience.
• Costs 380 manpower.
• Squads can have anywhere from zero to rank 2 veterancy. A rank 2 squad will come with all 5 members.
• Each squad carries a single LMG.
This is obviously a ripoff of Mobile Defense Doctrine's Ostruppen Reserves; Osttruppen are OK since they are rather substandard and used for numbers. RETs however have the benefit of building more things than Osttruppen, plus the LMG makes them a free doctrinal access to LMGs.
Extra Weapon Stockpiles (6 CPs)
Items from Weapon Racks cost 50% less munitions. Does not affect unlock costs for each rack.
• Passive ability
Ridiculously overpowered, you're asking for every USF bought to cost as much as a German grenade ability being used. On top of munitions caches costing less to produce. Nothing reserve about it, just call it Logistics Company (not joking, a commander idea focusing on economy would be interesting, though not as OP as this).
M32 Sherman ARV (9 CPs)
Deploy an M32 Sherman Armored Recovery Vehicle. This unarmed unit may recover US Forces vehicle hulks and return them to operation. Can be upgraded to reinforce nearby infantry.
• May purchase “Infantry Carrier” upgrade for 100 munitions, allowing nearby infantry to reinforce and allowing the M32 to carry a single squad (troops may not fire from the ARV).
• May repair vehicles.
• May recover vehicles from intact hulks only. Recovery takes 150% of the vehicle’s original build time. A recovered vehicle will have either an engine or main gun critical, and will have 10% of maximum HP.
• At rank 1, gain “Repair Critical” ability to remove any single vehicle critical in 3 seconds.
• At rank 2, gain increased speed and acceleration.
• At rank 3, gain Concealing Smoke ability (30 munitions).
Not too keen on a recovery unit either. Remember the discount on both caches and weapons? Now you're offering the idea to recover lost vehicles that were bought with less resources.
M26 Pershing (11 CPs)
An M26 Pershing is available for frontline deployment. Heavy armor and a 90mm main gun allows this unit to engage any enemy tank. Can fire white phosphorus rounds to clear garrisoned structures or scatter infantry.
• 600 MP, 190 fuel
• May mount .50 caliber MG for 70 munitions
• May launch smoke at target area with minimum range
• At rank 1, gain White Phosphorus round. For 50 munitions, this will fire one incendiary HE round that does area damage to infantry and burns their HP over time. Damages infantry in buildings. 15 second cooldown.
• At rank 2, gain increased speed and rate of fire
• At rank 3, gain increased accuracy and sight range
Pershing idea is nice, but the doctrine as a whole is not. We're talking less resources to build caches, less resources to get weapons, a vehicle that lets you regain lost vehicles while have a redundant repair ability, and more builder units to repair and build them all.
I actually think a better idea to reflect the theme to replace the cache idea, is to use something like Registered Artillery, which when activated on a select capture point will rain mortars on the area and kill enemy infantry attempting to capture the point. It's definitely a useful off-map ability to take care of pesky flanking units attempting a cut-off in a sector you can't move to respond to, and prevent an immediate loss. Another idea would be a sort of Overwatch Barrage ability that instantly suppresses enemy units, allowing your own men to deal with them but the barrage doesn't kill them outright, basically a copy of Fear Propaganda, but without the annoying auto-retreat.
Another idea is an intelligence ability similar to Soviet's Spy Network or OKW's Radio Silence or Signal Relay where a selected sector (or all friendly sectors that are in supply) will reveal it's Fog of War and allow you to track enemy movement.
If you want a truly Tactical Reserve sort of idea, I think M3 halftrack with Cav Riflemen would work much more wonders. Short-range infantry would perform well in close range, and halftrack allows you to reinforce without relying in retarded Ambulance and HQ. Very similar to your RET Reserve idea but without the quirkiness involved with two tier0s with LMGs plus vet.
Or even a Riflemen Reserves where the Riflemen are instead armed with M1A1 Carbines, slightly weaker than Garands but more useful in mid-close range action. Or hell just copy the Veteran Riflemen from the Rifleman Company.
Perhaps a simpler solution to the ARV idea is just allow RETs to salvage like OKW units. Maybe call it Quick Salvage or something and it works faster but also gives less resources each time.