Advance to the Rhine

Possible Layouts

Domination

Conquest

Battle

Break

Skirmish

Other Information

1.05 km x 1.05 kmFull tank area size

Cologne, Germany Real World Location

Full Map

Overview

Advance to the Rhine is a ground forces map available in all modes. It is a "generalized recreation" of the city of Cologne, Germany and was added in Update 1.53 "Fire Storm". The fighting takes place on the city streets of Cologne and is almost entirely close-quarters. Most of the map is made up of bombed out buildings, with a large tower statue in the west, and an open park area in the east.

The full tank map is 1.05 km x 1.05 km, making it the smallest tank map in the game. The air battle area is 65km x 65km.

Battle area Size

Game Mode	AB	RB	SB
Domination	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km
Conquest #1	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km
Conquest #2	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km
Conquest #3	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km
Conquest #4	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km
Battle	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km

Game Description

Teams fight for control over the bridges leading to the other side of the Rhine.

Historical Background

The devastated urban environment of "Advance to the Rhine" is based off the conditions of the city Cologne in Germany.

During World War II, Cologne was the Military Area Command Headquarters for the Military District of Münster. The city was subjected to multiple air raids by Western Allies bombers throughout the war. In March 1945, the city was the target of the U.S. First Army in their path towards the Rhine River. It was here that a famous tank encounter occurred that was captured by Signal Corps member Jim Bates. A Panther tank taking position near the Cologne Cathedral gave the Americans heavy resistance, knocking out a M4A1 (76) lead in a tank platoon. Noting the heavy fire from a high-velocity gun, the crew of a M26 Pershing, commandeered by Sergeant Early, maneuvered around the Panther and in a meet-up with both of their guns pointing at each other, the Pershing fired off the first shot, hitting the Panther straight in the hull side. The Pershing fired two more shots as the Panther crew bailed out of their burning tank, ending with a catastrophic explosion of the Panther's ammunition.

The German garrison in Cologne soon surrendered to the Allies around March 7th. This freed up many American soldiers to exploit a new breakthrough discovered at the German city of Remagen, the still-standing Lundendorff Bridge over the Rhine.

Notable Landmarks

1. The large tower statue as seen in the map's thumbnail is the landmark in most game modes for a flag point.

Map configuration

Change Maps by Game Modes
AB RB SB

At present, this map has the same layouts in AB, RB and SB.

Domination

Domination Mode - Map Layouts
1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km
In AB point A is around the statue / column in the west, point B is at the southeast intersection, and C is at the northeast intersection. In RB point A is around the statue / column in the west, point B is at the southeast intersection, and C is at the northeast intersection. In SB point A is around the statue / column in the west, point B is at the southeast intersection, and C is at the northeast intersection.

Conquest

Conquest Mode - Map Layouts
Conquest #1	Conquest #2	Conquest #3	Conquest #4
1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km	1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km
In AB the capture point is around the statue / column in the west. In RB the capture point is around the statue / column in the west. In SB the capture point is around the statue / column in the west.	In AB the capture point is at the southeast intersection. In RB the capture point is at the southeast intersection. In SB the capture point is at the southeast intersection.	In AB the capture point is at the northeast intersection. In RB the capture point is at the northeast intersection. In SB the capture point is at the northeast intersection.	In AB the capture point is in the middle of the park in the east of the map. In RB the capture point is in the middle of the park in the east of the map. In SB the capture point is in the middle of the park in the east of the map.

Battle

Battle Mode - Map Layouts
1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km 1.05 km x 1.05 km
In AB the capture points are located at the northeast and southeast intersections. In RB the capture points are located at the northeast and southeast intersections. In SB the capture points are located at the northeast and southeast intersections.

Strategy

Ground Gameplay

This map favours lighter vehicles that can move around and change positions, however heavy vehicles will excel at flanking. The monument is a key location, where heavy vehicles can create a breach and light vehicles can exploit it. It is possible to drive on top of the monument, although this exposes you to enemy fire.

There are many potential angles of attack on the middle of the map, so the plentiful hard and soft cover should be used to protect against ambushes. High-profile vehicles can shoot over the low hills and rubble piles, and vehicles with good gun depression can take strong hull-down positions. The park area contains a lot of bushes which can obscure enemies, so extra care should be taken to be ambushed.

South Side

Key sight lines and positions for the south team.

[Left: Key sight lines and positions for the south team]

This is not an exhaustive list of positions. Always stay vigilant.

A: Behind the house that looks past the monument.

There are broken windows that you can easily shoot through. This location is best for lighter vehicles which can occupy it early. It can also be taken during to contest the A-Point during the middle of the game, which provides an angles opponents peeking the angle from behind the monument.

B: Behind the house on the corner of the road crossing the map.

Peeking around the building, or shooting through the rubble, will catch enemies crossing the northern major street and can be used throughout the game.

C: At the far corner of the middle section of the map.

Any vehicle can take this location, however care must be taken while travelling to it, as enemies often push to A using the major road and you can be flanked from the right. This position overlooks an entrance to A, as well as much of the major Northern road and the major road going from north home point to south home point (on the right).

D: Small roads in the west

This position is very safe because it's so close to the spawn. It overlooks the entrances to A from the left side, although some sightlines are blocked which can allow enemies to flank the position. This position is ideal for light vehicles with fast reloads to take near the start of the game.

E: West side of the park

This position is very common because it's a point where two teams meet. It is possible to peek around the buildings or to destroy the the building with large-calibre or high-explosive rounds, which allows shooting through the rubble. Stabilised guns are key for players who want to peek around the corners as enemies will quickly return fire. If point A is lost, consider retreating to avoid being overrun.

F: East-side, north-south road

These positions are key to stop enemies flanking but can be tedious to hold, as enemies might be unwilling to peek. Well-armoured vehicles (e.g. The Ferdinand, Jagdtiger, and Ho-Ri Production/Prototype) will be able to fully-exploit these positions, as their strong frontal armour will protect against enemy retaliation when peeking around the corner. These vehicles must still be wary of cannon-barrel and track damage.

G: Centre of the park

Vehicles with over 10 degrees of depression will excel in this position, as they can take a hull-down position and ambush enemies over the low-hills. Care must be taken, as enemies may attack from any direction, so players in this area should be prepared to retreat if team-support collapses.

North Side

Strategic locations to occupy for the North side. Not all possible locations shown.

The image on the right showcases key positions that provide many sight lines and can help the South team win the game. Below I will discuss each position:

These are not by any means all available positions. There are dozens others that I haven't included, however most of them are either not applicable to early-mid game or they are too situational, or I've simply forgotten/not known about them.

A: At the corner of the building above A, peeking from the street.

This location is great for any decently fast tank that wants to catch enemies entering into A from the right side. This position can be unsafe during mid-game when enemies have advanced, but before that the only threat comes from the front.

B: At the left side of the map, looking over some rubble with a T-shaped house covering your side.

If you're in a very fast tank you can catch enemies coming from spawn here, although if you're in a slower vehicle you can first go to the left of this position to contest enemies pushing through the far left. Afterwards, you can get into this position to contest enemies respawning and pushing into A again.In this position it's best to have a small tank, or a tank with considerable turret armour, because you're likely to receive fire.

C: At the rubble in the middle of the map, overlooking the middle of the map.

This position is a counter to position C of the South side. You can overlook the major Southern road and the end of the park. If you're confident, you can push across to the line of buildings on the right and shoot into the park or the vertical road. This position is quite exposed, and you should retreat into the Northern houses if opponents push too far.

D: At the building on the major road going past the park on the right side.

This position is risky, but it pressures the enemy. You can shoot into their home point or across the park. You can also drive into the buildings on the right to contest any pushing enemies on the right-most road.

E: The position looking over the long road on the right side.

This position is very popular and it's best for the heaviest vehicles that can take some shots. Usually you would slowly drive up the road to try and take the home point of the Southern side, if there's resistance, help can be requested from teammates who might be at position D. Otherwise, you have to hold it out.

Air Gameplay

This map can be difficult for Close Air Support (CAS), because there are tall buildings around the map, and small buildings blocking the tanks below. Rockets are likely to be more effective than bombs, because bombs can get stuck in buildings and bounce off of weird rubble.

You will often find enemies grouped on the capture points; on the ends of the right street, where they stand-off; in the middle of the map around the large rubble, although there are never more than 2 tanks together there; anywhere around the monument and the left side of the map. Otherwise the enemies are often spaced out evenly and you have to spot them yourself.

Anti-Air (AA) vehicles are at a disadvantage here because of houses blocking angles. As a CAS player you should fly quite high to spot your target, then get very low for your strike, where AA can't hit you, or will have to react very quickly. The faster you can fly the safer it is, but flying too fast will make it near impossible to hit anything, so practice and see what works for you.

Media

Videos

The Shooting Range #314 - Squadmates section at 08:15 discusses the map Advance to the Rhine.

The Shooting Range #225 - Map Guide section at 07:53 discusses the map Advance to the Rhine.

Map Review: Advance to the Rhine - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

• Berlin (Ground Forces)

External links

[Devblog] Advance to the Rhine