Desertion to go see if friends and family made it would probably increase dramatically the closer the guys got to home. Probably also tracks pretty closely with rural backgrounds, since there's better odds that people out in the country would still be there compared to urban areas.
As for how many would take the chance . . . open question. Most, if not all, must think about it, but you'd also think that most of the guys who managed to survive 1996-2000 in Europe are in the 'hard as a coffin nail' category and probably pragmatic enough to figure their chance of surviving is better as part of an armed organization that trying to make it cross country alone or in small groups with only what they can carry on their back.
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