vehicles breaking down

[Nokturnal]

You're not going to like hearing this, but this is once again true to life. Many tanks were lost due to the harsh conditions in the Kursk battle.
This is why so many historians struggle to understand why Hitler decided to strike in July and not March when it was originally planned by Manstein. It was intended to take place when the ground was dry but, as 1C have shown in this game, this was not the case when July rolled around.

I will try not to go on and on, but the point is - Listen to Sneaksie and take the path which looks clear, there should be some fairly obvious paths which are safe, but a lot of the ground will be too unstable for vehicles.

Even to this day (or at least recently) they have been pulling German tanks out of the mud in and around the Kursk region. Have a quick look at google/youtube and you should be able to find some evidence of this.

But what you said:
"No way anyone could have won a battle or war with this rate of breakdowns" - Is correct, and i'm sure if Hitler were still alive he'd be wishing he hadn't bothered entering Russia at all. He was even quoted as saying "Whenever i think of this attack my stomach turns over" - Guess he should of listened...
The game might show a "puddle" but remember, it's a game, the "puddle" is just there to indicate that it's not a safe passage. Try another path.