User blog comment:Deathblade 100/CoD 2 Special: Vasili Koslov vs Bill Taylor/@comment-4661256-20151122010141

El Alamein's Edges:

 Sniper: Mosin-Nagant vs. Springfield:  Honestly, these weapons perform pretty similarly, but historically the Russian snipers were much more effective than their American counterparts. Hell, the Battle of Stalingrad was basically a sniper's playground. The status of Russian snipers in the Second World War is legendary. While the American snipers of the time period were certainly well-trained and competent, I think that Koslov will have a significant edge over Taylor when it comes to long-ranged engagements.

Edge: Vasili Koslov

 Long Range: SVT-40 vs. M1 Garand:  The SVT-40 has a larger magazine capacity than the M1 Garand (which I consider significant here, since with semi-automatic rifles, a 25% increase in magazine capacity makes a huge difference). The problem with the M1 Garand is that the clip auto-ejects as soon as the magazine runs dry, giving off a trademark ping! sound and alerting the enemy to the fact that their opponent had just run out of ammo. The SVT-40 doesn't do that.

Edge: Vasili Koslov

 Mid Range: PPsh-41 vs. Thompson:  The Thompson's .45 ACP round makes it a force to be reckoned with, but the fact is, it's outclassed here. The PPsh-41 has a much longer effective range, an insanely-fast rate of fire, and even a larger magazine size, all of which make it a devastating and portable weapon. There is no competition.

Edge: Vasili Koslov

 Close Range: TT-30 vs. M1911:  I think it's weird that you gave Koslov the TT-30 as opposed to the more common TT-33, but I digress. While the TT-33 has one more round in the magazine, the M1911's far superior .45 ACP round makes it the more effective weapon in this comparison.

Edge: Bill Taylor

''' Explosives: RGD-33 vs. Mk. II: ''' The RGD-33 is cool since it's a stick grenade, meaning it can be thrown farther and won't be as prone to rolling around. But, it's ultimately a concussion-type grenade, rather than fragmentation. The Mk. II has a more robust design, offers a lot more damage via shrapnel, and is easier to carry around because of its more compact size.

Edge: Bill Taylor

WINNER: VASILI KOSLOV

When it comes to Call of Duty protagonists, most of them can chalk up their amazing feats to "walked through hordes of faceless enemies and soaked up enough bullets to fill up an Olympic-sized swimming pool along the way." These two are no exception. It's basically comparing a generic Soviet infantryman to a generic American infantryman. I have to give a slight edge to Koslov, though, because of the advantages he has at long range with the Mosin-Nagant and up-close with the PPsh-41. While it's true that many of the American weapons are more robust and harder-hitting, Bill Taylor won't be able to compete with Koslov's Stalingrad experience.