Unsupported tanks behind enemy lines

[Lt. Ketch]

Hi, everybody. My name is Ketch. (all choras, "Hi, Ketch") And I send my tanks behind enemy lines unsupported. (lose it, break down and start sobbing like a new born babe that just realized it was left on a doorstop.)

In my current campaign I've already lost a couple of AFVs to the AAA and ATGs that always haunt the rear areas. I'm getting better at not sending my tanks to uncertain death, but my infantry always gets left behind and if I load them up, (whether on tanks, trucks or HT) there ride gets blown out from under them and they go running for the hills so I lose more men AND the AFV. I just tried taking a sniper with me for support (they can hide better, scout things out, etc) but he got mowed down by a couple of MMGs. While I can wait a few turns to get the objectives at the back of the map, I would really like to be able to flank the forward elements and come at them from behind, not to mention raid the artilary park that keeps on routeing my troops.

I guess that my biggest question is, how do you get it to work and are there any perferred ways to get support for those units that you want to send through the enemy's rear areas?

(FYI - I generally play on 80X80 map with a battallion sized fource as it allows me room enough to flank the enemy, but not so much that I am freaking out about leaving too many holes in my line.)