(08-23-2021, 01:26 PM)Sneakers Wrote:

(08-23-2021, 11:41 AM)mikesez Wrote: You're misunderstanding what I'm saying.  We would need a whiteboard to sort it out.  You should probably let it go in the meantime, and be less quick to judge the math aptitude of a person with a master's degree in engineering.

I do admit difficulty in understanding that which makes no sense, or reasoning that follows no logical progression.  I am, however, quite capable of sorting it out in a mental image, but feel free to use crayons to help yourself.  
There are countless possible defensive scenarios.  To state that when one side is breached, other sides must necessarily retreat is simply ridiculous.   To give you a football analogy, that's like saying when a defender gets past the O-line on one side, the other side should stop blocking.

Generally speaking you're both right. When a defensive line is breached the defenders must reorganize to close the gap, usually by reforming and straightening the line somewhere behind the original position. Failure to do so can result in encirclement around the flanks and rear of the part of the line that held. Sometimes that means all units pull back to a different phase line, sometimes the line reforms in a bulge without some having to move. The response is based on the depth of penetration and amount of time it takes the routed troops to reform.

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