Any plan that doesn't see us push along the railroad is too slow and would let the enemy regroup and the pursuers catch up. If we pivot west along the road before turning south again we leave the fastest route to the final enemy defensive line (the town along column 39-44) open for our pursuers and any eastern reinforcements, forcing us to most likely fight them all before we can extract.
If we pivot east and advance through the forest we'll end up having to force the Ammo/Fuel convoy trucks to off-road to reach extraction, which we're specifically told they're not meant to do. I expect them to take at best 5 turns, at worst 10 turns, to maneuver all the way from the T-crossing in the eastern village down to the railroad crossing which again allows our pursuers and any leftover units regroup at our exit point.
An immediate assault on the north town entrance is preferable. Recon units can deploy in cover in the forests west and east to provide fire support on the approach or flank from the open fields to the west. Units will need to leapfrog over each-other if they can to secure the town as fast as possible. Once the town is secure, units with camouflage can take up position to keep watch on the eastern village, since they can not be spotted from that far away while in cover the chance of any attacks on them are nil.
Next step is taking the forest while other units mine both crossroads behind us. Once the forest is secure, we smoke the gap and have the HQ units move in to the cover of the forest. Another group, preferably also with camouflage, establishes a base of fire at the edge of the forest and pound any defenders in the outer section of the southern town to make way for an infantry assault while the rear-guard blow the demolition charges at both crossroads to slow any enemy advance to the rear. Some units could establish overwatch along the forest at row AA to ambush any enemy reinforcements taking the western road.
If we have any demolition charges left at this point, demolishing the railroad as it passes through the forest after our units have moved past it will effectively seal that path and force any units in pursuit to off-road to continue to chase us or divert west, buying us enough turns to force the enemy out of the last village. Once that is done, most units take defensive positions to the north-east and north-west to guard against any counter-attacks while a vanguard force makes sure there's nothing hiding in that forest at the last stretch of road. Once the HQ units are off the map the rest of the battalion can withdraw in good order.
>>5565658Sorry, no. Fighting in the eastern forests will only tie down forces that could be put to better use elsewhere. They'd also be fighting in the exact opposite direction we want to go.
>>5564935>Deploy on HH18>Change Loadout>Machine Guns>Flamethrowers>Demolition Charges