The 8th ID takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque...

[Legbreaker]

I agree, you've only got to have something important head off in the wrong direction and get stuck for the entire unit to be derailed.
What may have happened is the logisitical tail headed up the wrong road, taking a left when they should have taken a right and in a huge hurry to catch up with the combat elements before a small enemy force caught up with them. Hell they could have been breaking contact with a plattoon or two of cavalry at the time, in a desperate hurry to pack up and get rolling before they were rolled over.

Still, I don't think that would put them more than a few dozen miles out of their way. I'm still thinking it had to be a bigger mistake, something in the Divisional movement orders themselves.

Perhaps the Staff Officer in question was in the Intel section - he advised that taking a particular road would head off an enemy unit they were chasing - "it'd only take them a hundred kilometres and bring them out a few hours in front..."
Instead it was the wrong road he was looking at on the map and it curved around, barely noticed in the poor visibility.