Our first map that we will cover is Abbey. A large abbey and town fill the center of the map with three roads allowing passage from the north and south, and includes an elevated firing position in the abbey's courtyard at the highest point on the hill. West of the town is an elongated hill with several positions allowing fire down into the town. Further west and past the hill, a valley offers significant protection against artillery fire. East of the town lies a curved cliff road which affords shielding from most tank and artillery fire, but forces attackers to travel in a single path.
This map features 3 major routes in which the traffic of the map flows. The Valley (column 8) typically sees the largest volume, the Hills (columns 1 and 2) sharing a little more traffic than the Abbey (columns 4 - 6). Between the Hills and the Abbey, there are several smaller routes that each have their own pros and cons.
For the Abbey, the Red Line represents the Lower Road. This area in generally trafficked by mediums but occasionally will see a scout or heavy. The Green Line representing the Main Road which will see the most traffic out of the Abbey area. The Main Road typically has all types of tanks using it for quick access to the center area, the Blue lines and Triangles. The center with the Blue Triangles represents the different spotting points that can use used, overlooking the Purple Line and spotting both capture areas. As for the Purple Line, it is a likely spot for camping as it is wide open with little cover. Scouts will attempt to run through here for a quick attempt at recon and attacking artillery but likely a Tank Destroyer will be pointing down this way.
For the Hill, there are two main paths, the Upper Road in Blue, and the Lower Road in Red. The Lower Road is protected from anyone watching over the hills from the Abbey and Capture areas, but it is still susceptible to SPGs. The Red Route is usually traveled by heavies with some medium support. The Upper Road, or Blue Line, is more open to spotting and fire from tanks observing the area from the Abbey and Capture areas, but it has the ability to produce flanking actions on the Low Road and the ability to snipe into the Abbey and Capture zones with concealing bushes. The Blue line is often patrolled by medium tanks and the occasional heavy may venture up that way. The yellow squares represent the crossover areas for these two routes and where engagements are likely to occur.
Finally the Valley, represented by the Red Line in this image, is very well protected from all other locations, there is no possible way to flank, and most artillery placements cannot touch this area. Most games see action in this area as it is a popular route for all tanks, especially heavies and tank destroyers. The yellow circles represent the only locations where artillery can be effective against the valley and still pose a threat to the rest of the board.
Effectively plan around this analysis, use the route to your advantage to best take on what tanks to expect in each area, and always support where areas are lightly defended but be ready to reenforce as needed. With a good platoon at your side, and now knowing this map better, you should be able to take the Abbey for your own.
