Ok, a little thread necromancy here
For close in battles, I've fallen in love with the Russian KV-8s, the ones with sabot ammo for the 47mm main gun, and the FT. I had a defend against late war Romanians, and put a 3 tank platoon of KV-8s into a small hilltop grove of trees, they ate everything, and belched fire.
I admit, it was the Romanians, but the 47mm was a deathray against anything they fielded, and I think the sabot ammo would have rung a few German bells, too.
Matt