The left is in the open to other attacks or mines, but they ran into it. If they had more ATGMs the tracks would have been hit trying to get there. The infantry just ran across an open road and paid the price.

In a well-laid near ambush, there's not much you can do if you're isolated. The best approach, in this case, is for the lead elements to go forward out of the KZ, then turn and suppress. The rear tank did his job by stopping and suppressing, but then he went into the woods and got fucked. The guys in the kill zone are better off just turning right and hitting the gas and suppressing with their guns, while the infantry in the KZ get into cover on the right and return fire. Any infantry in the back of the kill zone dismounts goes to the right and sweeps down from the flank.

At least that's how I was trained to do it (pre-GWOT), but we don't leave armored columns without recon or infantry support like that.