I never played any RTS games before. Then one day I saw my friend playing company of heroes 2 and got interested in the game. And I do not regret buying it.
Single Player: The Soviet story is just great. I am yet to play "Ardennes Assault" but I do have the Western Front armies and they are fun to use. There are theater of war missions that lets you play as Germans and Soviets both. Lets you more into the history of World War II. Also the historical accuracy makes you feel like how the commanders would really manage those in war at those times.
Skirmish and Online: I really got into the skirmish after finishing the single player. The developers are trying to keep all the forces of the game equivalent so that they can rival each other. The AI is really well made. Makes you feel like it understands strategies like a human. Also the ranked matches are also fun. I have yet to see any unfriendly player on ranked matches.
As a first time RTS player I would recommend this game to anyone who wants to try some RTS games or are new to this genre.