I would tend to agree that the reasons the offensive across Poland seemed to take a snail pace would be due to the fact that the Soviets and Pact Forces were in general in superior numbers. Then add in the forces that would of been counted on if the Soviet had attacked first instead of war due to a unification of Germany brought about the Soviet-China War.
Next thing one of the things missing in the first Persian Gulf War were the National Guard and Reserve units that were suppose to be round-out units that were supposedly be ready to deploy with min. training with their assigned Divisions. By all accounts they still would of needed up to 6 months after the cease fire before they would of been in condition to serve on the front lines in Iraq if the war had lasted that long. One of the reason why the US Army went from 18 Divisions down to 12 Divisions almost overnight afterwards.
Again it wasn't only the French, Italians, and Greeks who were missing in the action. Several of other allies refuse to commit troops and kept them in their original defensive posture at their starting points. Or if their units did go east they didn't send the units they were suppose to, they like the French and Italians felt betrayed by Unified Germany and felt their obligation was to defend the western portion of the new Germany.
Now back to the Challenger II if they were better defensively than the M1 it is a good thing. For they were in NorthAG and would have to stop plenty of Soviet Armor in their own right, on terrain that favor the attacker more than it did the defender. Both Army Groups faced overwhelming Soviet/Pact forces, but for opposing reason. The NorthAG faced the force who would raced towards Germany. SouthAG face units who were there to keep NATO from moving units North to help the NorthAG.
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