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Step 1:

On the first turn of the grand campaign (1500 Sept 17th) the 1st AB BGs move as shown below...

Step 2:

On the second turn (1800 Sept 17th) the 1st AB BGs move as shown below...

Step 3a:

2/1 does battle with the weak Harder/9SS BG on Arnhem.

Step 3b:

2/1 deploys as shown below. Its 6 lb AT gun, placed as indicated, invariably knocks out the Jagdpanzer in the vicinity of the central VL. Take the 'to Arnhem Road Bridge' VL, kill a couple of Ersatz troops and the Axis AI will offer a truce...

Step 3c:

The battle results...

Step 4:

On the third turn (0000 Sept 18th), move the 1AB BGs as shown below...

Step 5:

2/1 takes the Arnhem Road Bridge map without a battle.

Are you pointing out some tips for dummies like me, or that the game is flawed in this regard?

I just bought Cross of Iron (for the 2nd time) with the Slitherine sale and and sticking with that for now [;)]

The above method has worked pretty much as illustrated in a half-dozen tests. At worst 2/1 has taken a couple casualties against Harder/9SS.
So its both a flaw in the strategic layer AI and a prime example why the static BGs (eg. the Arnhem Rd. Br. bodenstandige BG) shouldnt automatically merge with mobile Axis BGs.

The AI doesn't defend. It always moves it's BGs towards enemy controlled maps or VLs. Maybe assign some formation objectives (bridges, roads, chokepoints, LZs) like in TOAW and have the AI build a front line around them.

I wrongly attributed this strat move 'trick' to the grand campaign. All my tests were done on the Arnhem Sector mini-campaign. In the full GC, the strat layer AI performs a different set of funky chicken manuevers in the Arnhem sector.