General -
For Armor -
M4A3 or M4A4 Sherman if I can get them, preferences are for M4A3E8s with the 76mm, or Sherman Fireflies.
M24 Chaffee or M5 Stewart for a light tank. SPAA should be M19 GMC if I can get anything. The more rugged the country, the more likely that Light Tanks are going to be my Bread and butter.
Tank Destroyers are also a regional thing, but the M18 Hellcat and SP 17pdr Achilles are good choices, being fast, mobile heavy hitters.
Armored cars are limited in effectiveness given the region and terrain, but the M8/M20 combo are good scout cars, if under armed and armored given the region.
German designs are comparatively unreliable, and the Soviet designs tended to be rather cramped for the crews. I'm not likely to expect heavy armor anyway, since that's a rather regional thing. If it is a real threat M36 Jacksons, Jagdpanthers and SU-100s would be able to deal with it, although Heavy Tanks like the IS and Pershing might have to be looked into seriously.
Artillery -
25pdr or American 105mm Howitzers should be good, ammunition is widely available. Should use Long Tom as a companion piece if needed. If the terrain's to mountainous, we dig in, and use pack guns, Mortars and Rocket launchers.
Anti-tank weaponry should be a combination of either Bazookas or Panzerschrecks, and a number of Towed 17pdrs, 88mm or 90mm guns if I can't get Sherman Fireflies.
AA is a mix of Bofors and either 88 or 90mm AA depending on what the Anti-tank gun is.
The M2 Browning is to be used on everything with a pintle mount, and as the general choice on aircraft if proper Autocannons aren't standard, or can be made to fit well.
Infantry Weapons -
Domestically produced Madsen guns as the Squad MG, and go for the Mp44 or SVT-40 if I can get any. If not, the SMLE/Bren Combo is also a good option.
Depending on how wet the locale I'm working in is, the Mondragón rifle and LMG in 7mm Mauser could be a good option for a general service system. MG42s are a good choice for a GPMG as well, but I'd rather not be shackled to 8mm Mauser just because of an MG.
81mm Mortars are the standard of the day, and bloody useful, so we'll use them.
Aviation Assets -
Douglas Invaders are always a good choice, as are Corsairs, Thunderbolts, IL-2s and Typhoons (or Sea Furies if we can get them.) Other than that it's again, quite a regional thing.
Strategic Bombers are a more political decision, but If we're going for it, it's the B-29 or Lincoln. If we can't get them, we go for the B-32, which is the closest option.
For Transports, C-46s, C-47s, C-54s and Any members of the Constellation line should be fine, with the general preference being towards the C-46s and C-47s, unless we're doing something stupid like transporting Tanks by air.
Sea Planes are a necessity for real ASW work at this point, so I'd say go with the Sunderland, PBM and PBY-6A, but if the Boeing 344 turned into something, it's replacing the Sunderland and PBM on the preferred list.
Naval Systems -
Highly regional, and subject to domestic needs and requirements. Still, Castle and Flower Class ships are decent for ASW work, Minesweepers are vital, and Torpedo Boats/Gunboats are essential for riverine and inshore operations.
Type VIIC and Type XXI U-boats would be preferred for general use, but depending on the local conditions and needs, Type II and Type XXIIIs might be needed for local defense. If we're assuming Strategic use, Gato and Balao class subs, along with the Type IX submarines are the best options that would be more or less easily available.
Oddities -
LVTs will be useful for any sort of coastal operations, or just plain river crossings.
Flamethrowers might be useful for certain operations along with Incendiary munitions.
Shotguns are to be kept on hand, if not necessarily issued to front-line troops. If nothing else, we'll use them for any potential COIN ops, and for training. Skeet Shooting's cheap, effective, and makes for better marksmen.
Armored Trains are hit or miss. They're useful under certain circumstances, but still limited. If we use them, we're building them with a good number of AA weapons and Armored Drasines might be more useful.
Railway guns are useful as Siege artillery. We probably won't need them, so I won't discuss them.
Regional -
Europe-
I'm getting as much modern kit as I can, and going with the MG42/STG44/Panzerschreck combo for the infantry. Armor will still go with the Sherman as the base system, with some sort of Heavy Tank and Tank Destroyer backing it up, SPAA is going to be integral. Aviation assets will be from the general list, plus Bombers, but might have more of a tendency to Air-Superiority and Tactical Bombing. Anti-Air assets are no-longer a Divisional or regimental thing, they are now distributed down to the Battalion level if needed. Czechoslovak border fortifications shall be the model for the National Defensive network, and we'll make sure we can blow any bridges in the country with two-hours notice. ASW is a priority for the navy if we're coastal, and we should maintain a decent enough force to prevent anyone from thinking we're easy prey if they attempt a naval landing. However, anything larger than a Destroyer Leader is going to attract notice, so we'll focus on Torpedo Bombing, Submarines and Torpedo Boats.
Latin America-
Everyone's fairly self-concerned, Poor, or an American puppet, so a decent enough navy, good Armor and a decent Airforce will work wonders. Still, it's best not to rock the boat, so we'll copy the Brazilian lead politically, keep our submarine force on the down-low, and generally stick to Chaffees, M19 GMCs and American-style Tank Destroyers. Depending on the Need, long range submarines could be useful, and a Battlecruiser is a good way to win a bit of national prestige if we're on the coast without ringing too many alarms. However, a Carrier is a better investment if we can afford the Air wing and escorts for it. If we can swing it, getting a Colossus or an Independence-class, a few Sumner-class and a Cleveland-class as escorts would be marvelous cover for the purchase a few dozen Type IXs or Balaos, which would be much, much more useful.
Middle East/North Africa-
Armor and Airpower rule the day in the Desert and in Mesopotamia. As such, put money into AA assets, Armor, and Aviation in general. Stick with the European force structure for the most part, excepting the reduced need for fortifications, but we should still build some. Armored trains could be useful here, even if just to patrol the tracks and defend vital supply shipments. Logistics is far more essential than usual, so we'll need to beef up the proportion of rear-echelon troops, and maintain a list of usable wells and Oasis, and what the normal discharge is. We'll put Sand filters on everything, and generally adopt a Cotton Drill for the uniforms with a Woolen or Cotton Drill Cloak for nighttime in the desert. Look in to getting some of those Cloak Tents the Germans and Soviets are using. Depending on the local weather, the Mondragón rifle and LMG should be good options.
Asia- We'll start with the Latin American list, but there's really not as much need for heavy armor, and the M8 is a great Tank Destroyer for dealing with anything the Japanese can throw at me. Still, Focus on Aviation, at least for defensive use and CAS, and if the terrain's right, fortify thoroughly. Flamethrowers and flame tanks might be needed if we're fighting the Japanese, but mostly for offensive operations. If I'm a Soviet Neighbor, I'm going to buy some armor from them, get my Aviation and AA assets from abroad, and make overtures about the need to advance socialism, while fortifying my nation until it is a single giant fortress. Naval assets are a local thing as well, but a good submarine force, ASW equipment and enough surface vessels to present a threat and suitably patrol my waters is generally what I need. Torpedo Bombers will be very useful, and Strategic bombers might be necessary to strike at enemy infrastructure, but might not be worth the investment.
So there, That's my thoughts on the matter. What do you guys think?