The usual technique for moving into mountainous country, he knew, was to throw out flanking patrols to secure the highlands along the route. These flankers, forming a kind of perimeter from above, would leapfrog ahead on the ridges while the main body of men and vehicles advanced along the road below. That way, all the units progressed as an interlocking whole. But maneuvering like this took a lot of time. It would be slow going—much slower than Almond cared for.
