Franko,
While I for one am not a fan of tanks in a fibua situation, I‘m reminded of how our ancestors solved the problem in WWII- two tanks leading, followed by infantry. Tanks were side by side, and they systematically took the tops off of every building on the street as they slowly advanced- bringing the tops floors down on the remainder. Infantry mopped up the remains as they went.
Blindingly slow, and expensive both in terms of Hesh and infrastructure, it nonetheless made for a safe ride through town.
Matt- lesson time- a tank is a combination of three attributes. Armoured protection, speed, and firepower. In the "old" days (pre Leopard 2 and M-1) there was a tradeoff between protection and speed- make the tank heavy, you could take hits- but had a tough time avoiding them. Make a tank light, and you could avoid many hits- but one good one would kill you. With improved drivetrains and suspensions,todays tanks can take a hit, and move quickly- but none can take hits in certain areas, and all will fall to a good missile- and with no room no manouever, no room to build up speed, no dirt to hide behind, and plenty of places for the bad guys to engage you from a close range, a tank is merely a sitting duck. No thanks.
General rule of thumb- Tanks lead the way in open ground, Infantry leads the way in close ground.
Built up areas are extremely close ground.
Cheers-Garry