[Skybird]

One could try this with an SBP scenario, featuring t-80s instead of T-90s, and early M1s instead of M1A2SEPs. SBP has all these but T-90s.

Don'T know if the Rusisans still are with a 3 vehicles per platoon lineup. the Yanks surely run 4 tanks per platoon, so they already would have a numerical advantage, maybe.

Map is missing elevations and ranges - is the flat area between woods and town 2 km wide or 12 km?

Let'S assume the whole map being 6x6 km.

In this setup on the map, the Americans have a small advantage - I would prefer their positioning of platoon A to that of platoon X for the Russians.

Platoon A immediaqtely forms firing line south of the left wood and seeking hull down as best as terrain allows, covering a firing arc from 90 - 135 degrees (on the compass). It gives fire protection for platoon B that takes up hasty defensive position in the Western outskirts of the village and waits for infantry to do recce on the town's centre. An element of B would also have an eye at NNW to warn A if they get engaged from enemies popping up in their rear. If situation allows, B would slowly, verty slowly advance Eastward through the town, taking care not to expose the platoon's flanks to fire from the open range .

The Russians have already a slight time disadvanatge, while B and Y are equally positioned on both sides of the town, X is more distant formt he action than A, having to move around the whole damn forest first.With their Y platoon probably doing similiar action like Y, carefully advancing into or doing recce inbto the town, X would need to move into sight of A with A already being deployed, maybe hull down, and ready to engage from stationary positions. If they move south around the forest, they come under fire from A. If they move in between the two forests, they come under fire at even closer range. They would need to be clever enough to move west and pass around the left forest too to outflank the Americans completely and pop up ion the rear of A. But then the element of B would spot them, and either opens fiore, or A turns around in place and is fire-ready again.

I would do this scenario defensively for the Americans, not aggressively. Therefore I would prefer the Leo-2 over the Abrams in this case, since I prefer the heavier turret armour of the latest Leopards in defensive scenarios, whuile the Abrams with its more general armour in all aspects of the vehicle may have the edge in offenbsiove operations that expose it more. The differences between both tanks in these regards are result of different military doctrines, although maybe one should not overestimate these differences.

You cannot decide this by a thought experiment in this fashion, too many other factors play a roll: crew quality, ammo type, visibility conditions, to mention the three most important. I tend to be no friend of overly aggressive military moves, and think that often initiative can be better gained by being most unpredictable to the enemy, for which speed of advance can but must not be a vital element.

I would also prefer the Leopard over the M1 here, since I tend to favour the Leopards for the defensive and the Abrams for the offensive role, due to the slight differences in prioritizing armour distribution over hull and turret.

The bigger the map, and the longer the distances, the more aggressive the Americans would need to manouver, I think. If the map were 15x15, I would let A close in on the enemy to reject them the advantage of their longer shooting range with missile ammunition - but not so close as that their normal rounds would be able to threaten my probably superior armour as well. Somewhere in the midrange my preferred fighting distance would be, therefore.

Anyhow, doing recce in a totally unknown town with tanks sounds like a bad idea to me. I would demand infantry or gunships anyway. Or I would bypass the town. But I would not advance right through it if there is no infantry support, no matter the orders. If the town is occupied by enemy with ATGMs, it would be a suicide missioin. In case of dug in enemy tanks - probably as well.