How about you stop using it the way you've used it before the patch?
I see this a lot in the recent games.
MG42 shouldn't lead the attack anymore nor should it be a stand alone defense point/ unit.
Move it behind your Grenadiers line and use as a support weapon it was always supposed to be and you will be all right.
First post I agree with Oz. I actually have stopped using it like before patch, going from MG gren gren to gren gren mg build order, and I'd say it works pretty well when it's far enough behind a lmg gren squad, HMG supresses things that stop to fight the grens and LMG mows down units that move to overwhelm the HMG. Mind you, I've only played 2 games in which I got pretty lucky so far and am "nazi fanboi" so I'll probably switch to complaining about it in a few more games.