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I've seen several instances where a moving AI tank is able to spot my units from either what I would consider to be weird angles or before my tanks could see the approaching tank. Keeping in mind that my tanks have sighting bonuses due to medals/awards/abilities, and the AI tanks don't have them according to the post-battle screen, I'm really wondering how my stationary non-firing tanks, looking towards the AI tank sometimes can't spot the AI tank moving towards them, even though the AI tank is moving at them.

When you get behind an AI tank, they generally just remain stationary until they're destroyed, but their vision towards the side can be extremely good.

Take the situation in the example below. A T-34 that starts the phase buttoned-up moves forwards and, like a gunslinger in a Western, turns its turret and accurately engages a Panzer 38(t)E in light woods through a row of trees. Trees in general don't seem to do a good job of hiding a tank, tanks (both mine and those of the enemy) are experts when it comes to firing through light woods.

Sometimes, AI tanks just move forwards and get butchered by an attack from the flank, but there are also other times when one of the flanked tanks turns its turret and fires at my ambushing tanks with perfect accuracy.

Winter trees don't block much LOS. If you go to TC view you mostly see trunks and not branches.

There is supposed to be a delay between unbuttoning visually on screen and LOS changing in the game. If you see immediate changes, maybe you have a save that will help us see it happening.

It's a new phase, so the tank crew could've unbuttoned. I wasn't aware that there was a difference between winter trees and trees in other seasons.

Regarding seasons: just like winter arrives too early, it also ends prematurely as March has normal spring weather.

As I understand it the sighting ray actually has to hit the 3D model of the tree to be blocked. My experience with 3 PCs is that light woods, woods and heavy woods describes the terrain more than what it does to LOS. Areas with trees in PC are about half of what CMx1 is as far as cover and concealment. Just a wild guess, not scientific.

Yes, the ray has to hit a trunk or tree leaf array to count to block LOS. Since there is no brush in the winter maps no LOS impacting by that. And since the ground looks pretty flat you are mostly getting trunks to block LOS. Units get a little hiding bonus for actually being on woods or LW terrain but it isn't much.

OK. The denser patch of trees to the left of where you see the T-34's targeting line did block LOS, as nothing could see my tanks before the T-34's moved to where they are now (my PzG's could see the enemy tanks moving up).

I was impressed by what the second T-34 did. It was exposed to flanking fire, but turned and reversed into a more favourable position.