HEROES OF THE PACIFIC WALKTHROUGH 1.0 CONTENTS: Introduction & General Tips 1. Pearl Harbour a "Surprise Attack 2. Wake Island a "Combat Air Patrol" b "Wake Up Call" c "Rescue The Admiral" 3. Marshall Islands a "Attack on Taroa" b "Rescue The POWs 4. Coral Sea a "Torpedo Training" b "Scratch One Flat Top" 5. Midway a "Midway Patrol" b "Defend Midway" c "The Battle Of Midway" d "Sink The Mikuma" 6. Guadalcanal a Strike At Guadalcanal b Tokyo Express c Backs To The Wall 7. Gilbert Islands a "Recon" b A Million Men... 8. Marianas a "Rescue The Usurper" b "Final Revenge" 9. Philipines a "Steal Prototype Jet" b "The Musashi" c "Battle Of Samar Sea" d "Battle Of Leyte Gulf" 10. Iwo Jima a "Kamikazes" b "The Landing" c "Raise The Flag" ******************************************************************************** INTRODUCTION & GENERAL TIPS ******************************************************************************** This doc is a walkthrough of each individual level, including tips for getting the secondary objectives for each mission. Included are also a number of general tips to help you conquer the skies of the Pacific. **GENERAL TIPS** It is most important to practice "leading" your target. To become successful at air combat in this game it is an essential skill that you must master. Remember, your gunsight will change colour when you have an enemy lined up for a hit. If you lose your bearings while you have an enemy locked on use the "Lock To Target" feature to quickly locate the enemy position. Xbox (black button), PS2 (R2 or L2 + R2). Know which direction the enemy is approaching from and take the fight to them *BEFORE* they reach their targets. Your map can be helpful for this. Use your upgrade points wisely. Waiting until you have unlocked better planes before you spend all those hard earned points may work to your advantage. Always look to see if what you are upgrading to will benefit you in your next mission. At the higher difficulty levels, use short, controlled bursts of fire to avoid overheating your guns. When attacking planes with defensive gunners, try to approach from a bearing where their guns cannot target you. Coming in from directly above a formation of dive bombers, for instance, or from below. Don't forget to use your "next objective" button if you get confused and can't find your target. Dive bombs do twice as much damage to ships as GP bombs. Use Rockets and guns together to boost your firepower when you have to take out tight formations of bombers. Changing your gun elevation to "ground attack" is very useful on a lot of missions, it makes it easier to avoid hitting the ground when attacking surface units. At times you can distract enemy planes from strafing their targets by attacking them. They will then come after you. When you complete a Campaign area on ACE level, you are rewarded with a hidden plane that cannot be unlocked anywhere else! Until you've completed the entire campaign path, the Japanese and German planes you unlock can only be used in multiplayer battles. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. PEARL HARBOR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************************************** 1a - SURPRISE ATTACK ******************************************************************************** The hardest thing about this level is that the unmodified Warhawk you are flying is lacking in firepower, it only has two .50 cal Machine Guns. This means that you'll have to choose your targets wisely on the higher difficulty levels. OBJECTIVES: 1. Defend Grounded Warhawks [save 5/10] 2. Defend Hickam Fields Hangars [save 14/17] 3. *Kill 4 Kate Torpedo Bombers [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Defend Oil Tanks [save 20/27] Max Number of Upgrade Points: 7 1. To protect the warhawks, you'll have to destroy 3 zeros that are going after the other planes of your squadron, who are still stuck on the ground. The Zeros are flying in low from the East. Try to avoid ramming them as they approach. 2. After you take out the Zeros, a squadron of 4 Val dive-bombers will fly in from the North. They are going for the hangars near the airfield. They're pretty weak, you should be able to take them out before they get there. Don't worry about the other Zeros buzzing around, they won't bother you if you don't stir them up 3. Four Kate Torpedo Bomber fly in from the SE, heading W. You have time to go and take these guys out before the next attack wave arrives. Attack them from behind but watch out for their rear gunners. This earns you 1 upgrade point for completing this secondary objective. Your guns will probably overheat while attacking these guys if you're on a high difficulty level, so take short breaks between each one to let your guns cool. 4. Now things get a little trickier. You have to defend the oil tanks near the base from several Zeros coming in from different directions. The first few Zeros come in from the E, spread widely apart so it's difficult to get all of them before they get to the tank area. Keep focused on attacking them before they get to the tanks and you'll end up forcing most of them to break off before they start strafing. Any that do get through to the tanks will attack - be careful when attacking these guys as you can accidentally hit the oil tanks yourself. After 7-8 or these guys, you will be get an "objective complete" and will be shown the cutscene of the USS Arizona being hit - unfortunately, there's nothing you could do about that. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. WAKE ISLAND -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************************************** 2a. COMBAT AIR PATROL ******************************************************************************** This level is a little tricky on high difficulty levels because the Enemy planes are more aggressive - If you have trouble, try again and make sure you go after Petes that are actively attacking the Wildcats. If you've just done Pearl Harbour in Campaign mode, you should have some upgrade points to spend here. You can upgrade your Warhawk if you like [you get another 4 x .30 cal machineguns added], but you'd be better off saving the points for the next plane. This mission can be completed on ACE even in the basic P-40. OBJECTIVES: 1. Kill 4 Pete Seaplanes [Scouts] 2. Defend Wildcats [Save 5/11] 3. *Personally Destroy 8 Petes. [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. There are 2 groups of 2 Pete seaplanes doing a recon mission over your base. They will fly around the island before heading back to their fleet. The first group is directly ahead of you to the W on takeoff, the other is over the lagoon to the N. They are weak and you have plenty of time to take them out. 2. Once you've killed the Petes, hit the throttle and head towards the NE of Wake. A bunch of wildcats being pursued by 2 more squadrons of Petes will shortly enter the area. You need to catch them and attack the Petes before too many wildcats are shot down. Try and take them out as quickly as possible 3. If you can kill 8 Petes from the attacking group, you will be award a secondary objective worth 1 upgrade point. Once the Wildcats have gotten close enough to the island, the Petes will break off and you'll get a "Mission Success." Beware of a small group of Petes coming from the East, they will often attack you and distract you from your objective Avoid approaching the enemy fleet or attacking the air cover of Petes over it, or they will break off and harass you until they are taken out or kill you. ******************************************************************************** 2b. Wake Up Call ******************************************************************************** You unlock the Wildcat for this mission, a much better plane than the P-40 Warhawk. Time to spend some of your upgrade points - ungraded Wildcats have 500lb GP bombs and Rockets on the later model, the F4FM-2. They also have 4 or 6 .50cal MG's depending on model type. Set your guns to Ground Attack in the workshop screen also, it is very useful in this mission when strafing boats. OBJECTIVES: 1. *Kill 4 Zeros attacking Kuka Point Guns [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 2. Sink 5 Landing Craft at NW or SW Beach 3. Sink 5 Landing Craft at SW or NW Beach 4. *Sink 8 Landing Craft to E [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 5. Defend Airfield - Kill 3 Waves of 4 Betty bombers. 6. Seek and Destroy Enemy Mini-sub. Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. After takeoff, head W towards the landing craft groups. As you are approaching, a radio call tells you that the guns at Kuka Point have been targeted by Zeros. Keep flying W towards these 3 Zeros, although feel free to bomb or fire rockets at the landing craft or the Zero overflying them on the way there. Don't get distracted however, you don't have a lot of margin to get the Zeros before they reach the target. Once you've taken them out, the guns at Kuka point return the favour by shelling the Jap destroyer that is escorting the landing craft. This earns you one Upgrade Point as a bonus. 2. Attack the landing craft at the NW or SW beach with your available weapons. Don't worry about the destroyer, as the guns will take it out. You can bomb it if you like but there's no bonus for it. 3. Once you've sunk the first group of landing craft, go and clear out the other western beach. 4. After the first 2 groups, you can help the other wing of planes with a group of landing craft about 7km to the E. This is a secondary objective and completing it earns you one Upgrade Point as a bonus, but it does also means you've got to fly quite a long way from the direction the bombers will come from. Don't take too long sinking this group. 5. Head W-NW. You'll be warned over the radio that bombers are inbound. There are 3 waves of heavy G4M2 Betty bombers, with the first wave of four coming in first to attack the AA guns around your airbase. The next 2 waves of four follow them in to drop bombs on to the base itself. If too many base buildings are destroyed, you fail the mission. Bettys have defence guns on the front, and on both sides, tail and roof. You can attack from underneath, but that is not an easy position to get into. Try to avoid getting caught in the focus of more than one gunner or plane. There are a few Zeros hanging around that may try to harass you. Take them out only if necessary, you don't want to get distracted from pumping bullets into the heavy bombers. Nearby Wildcats will help deal with those annoying zeros 6. Once you've killed all the Bettys, you get a message that an enemy mini-submarine is trying to sneak into the lagoon. It's planning to attack the seaplane base. Fly low over the sea to the W of the small inlet into the lagoon and you will spot it. It's about halfway along the southern beach, the near the inlet with the bridge] Now that you've found it, take it out. This ends the mission. ******************************************************************************** 2c Evacuate The Admiral ******************************************************************************** This can be a difficult mission on ACE when you get to the Seaplane sections. If you are having trouble, try the F4F-4 version of the Wildcat, the extra 2 x .50cal MG's deal out more damage than the F4FM-2, esp. seeing as it's pretty hard to hit a Zero with a rocket, which is the F4FM-2's main advantage. Also, you can try and draw off some of the attackers by shooting them, which will reduce the admiral's damage, but might just result in you getting killed. OBJECTIVES: 1. *Destroy Southern Landing Force [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 2. Sink 8 Landing Craft at NW beach. 3. Defend The Admiral's Jeep. 4. Defend Seaplane Base [Destroy 2 Vals] 5. Defend Seaplane [Destroy 2 Vals] 6. Defend Seaplane [Destroy 18 Zeros.] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. On your way to attack the landing group at the NW beach, you fly over the Southern Invasion force. 8 Jeeps are heading down the road to the air base, and 4 tanks are destroying a complex of buildings near the landing site. Destroy all 12 of these vehicles quickly, and don't worry about the beached boats. This earns you one Upgrade Point as a bonus. 2. Fly over to the NW beach and attack the landing craft there. Once you have repulsed the attack, head towards the main "city" area back near the airbase. You'll be needed here soon enough. 3. This is a multi-part objective. You must defend the Admiral while he drives to the Seaplane base for evacuation. First, you will need to attack and destroy the jeeps hassling the Admiral. They split into 2 groups before reforming near the end of town. Try to get them as quickly as possible, but be careful throwing bombs around as if you miss and hit the Admiral, its "Mission Failed." Try to have the jeeps all destroyed by the time the Admiral gets to the end of town, as you've got a second task. Now, you must fly out to the North and destroy a solitary Kate bomber that is going to take out a bridge in the Admiral's path. You don't have a lot of time, so work quickly. 4. After you kill the Kate, polish off any remaining jeeps if you haven't taken them out already and head W. There are 2 Val Dive bombers heading in to attack the base, and you don't have a lot of time to take them out before they drop. If the base is hit, it's "Mission Failed." 5. There may be a brief lull in the fighting here as the Admiral drives the rest of the way to the base. Watch out for Pete seaplanes that will eventually turn up and attack you directly. They have a nasty tendency to ram you, so don't play chicken. There are also several Zeros around that you can engage if you want. Eventually, the Admiral boards the plane and 2 Vals are vectored on to it. You must destroy both of them before they drop their bombs on the Catalina - it can't leave until the engines are fired up. 6. As the Catalina takes off, a wave of 6 Zeros comes in across the lagoon. Try and hit as many of them as possible on the way in - they will then attack you instead of focusing on the Admiral. The Admiral heads off to the east, over the incoming Japanese fleet. A further group of 6 Zeros attacks, in staggered groups of 2. Try and take them out as they turn up, you don't want too many attacking the Admiral at once. Finally, a further bunch of 6 Zeros arrives, again in groups of 2, but closer together this time. Once you've taken these out, the mission ends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. MARSHALL ISLANDS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the start of this campaign you unlock the Corsair, a wicked heavy duty fighter that will come in handy for the next few levels. If you've just completed Wake Island campaign on ACE, you've also been awarded the Spitfire as a special bonus plane. The Corsair is tough and can carry quite a load of weapons. It is the "authentic" plane that the US was using at this point in the war. But the Spitfire, especially the upgraded models, is fast, manoeuvrable and armed with 4 x 20mm cannons. However, the spitfire's speed comes at the expense of armour. You'll have to decide what to spend your upgrade points on. ******************************************************************************** 3a. Attack On Taroa ******************************************************************************** For this mission, you want to be flying something that's got bombs, and ideally rockets too. There are several options, but the default is the Corsair. You should spend some of your upgrade points to unlock the higher models, as the ability to carry 1000lb GP bombs and 8 rockets can be very handy. This is also the first mission where you get to command your wingmen. It is useful, but not mandatory, to know the ideal use for these guys in each mission where they are featured, but don't rely on them too much to complete important objectives. It is worth setting your guns to "ground attack" alignment for this mission. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to Taroa 2. Destroy Radar Tower 3. *Destroy 6 bombers on the ground. [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Destroy 12 AA guns before C-47s arrive. 5. Defend C-47s [Destroy 12 Zeros] 6. Land, Steal Enemy Zero 7. Return to Carrier [Fly to Waypoint] 8. Destroy Japanese Ace [J2M7 Raiden] 9. Land on the Lexington Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Take off from your carrier and fly to the waypoint directly ahead of you. Waypoints simulate time elapsing as you fly to your destination - this one will warp you to the Taroa area. After the zone cutscene, you'll see the island in front of you with about four zeros between you and Taroa. Either sic your wingmen onto them using the "attack" command or shoot them down yourself if you want to practice using your new plane. Keep heading toward the island either way. 2. As you fly towards Taroa, you will be ordered to destroy the South Radar tower on a small off-shoot to the south of the main island. You can attack this directly yourself, or use your "next objective" button to target it and then send your wingmen after it with the "attack" command. This frees you up to go after the grounded planes in the middle of the island, but you may have to turn around and come back for the radar tower if your wingmen don't get it. 3. There are 4 concrete revetments/hangars full of planes in the central area, and a 5th one at the end of the runway that points to the NW. Using guns, bombs and rockets, you should be able destroy all of these in one or two passes. Concentrate first on the 2 groups of 3 bombers, one group in the central area and the other group at the end of the NW runway. These 6 bombers are marked with orange secondary objective markers. There are also zeros in the other hangars that are worth destroying [a bird on the ground is worth 2 in the air] but don't earn any upgrade points. 4. By now you should have destroyed the radar tower [or your wingmen have] and you will now be told to destroy 12 AA guns before 2 C-47 transport planes full of US paratroopers arrive. The guns are spaced out mostly around the edge of the island, but here is one in the centre near where the runways cross. You'll need to attack these yourself, your wingmen will only be able to get one or two at most. It can be useful to set them on "engage at will" orders as that keeps enemy planes off your back while you take out the AA. You only have a couple of minutes so don't take too long. 5. Callahan's group will head north to attack some zeros that are after the C-47s, after a minute or so you will be ordered south to attack several groups of 2-3 Zeros inbound for them also. Take your wingmen with you and order them after the objective planes while you also attack. Try not to get too distracted by other zeros that attack you and focus on the target planes, but at the same time, be careful you don't get shot up too much. Try to keep them as far as possible from the C-47s as the Zeros can be deadly, and its a "mission fail" if either C-47 is shot down. Once again, you can distract Zeros by shooting at them and get them to break off from attacking the transports. It is also worth heading south before you are ordered to. 6. Once you've killed the 12 Zeros, and while you are waiting for the transports to arrive, knock off a few more Zeros to keep your skills up. You'll see a cutscene of the paratroopers landing, and there will be a short firefight on the ground while they take control of the base. Keep killing Zeros, and eventually you will be told that the ground forces have captured an enemy zero. Landing rings will appear leading to the NW runway, fly through both of them to land and swap to the Zero. It's an incredibly light and agile planes, armed with 2 x MGs and 2 x 20mm Cannons, but is made of wood and has no armour for the pilot. 7. Once you've taken off, fly W towards the waypoint. If you like, you can practice your gunnery skills on a few Zeros on the way, but try to avoid taking too much damage. Once you enter the waypoint, you will be taken to the next area. 8. Shortly after entering the area, you will be challenged by a Japanese Ace, Kazuya Yamashita, of the elite 13th Squadron. He is flying a new Japanese plane, the Raiden [J2M7 "Jack"] and is accompanied by 2 Wingmen. You will have to kill them all. Aces have special attack patterns; watch out for him charging at you as he will often fire rockets. He also has a turbo [shows a blue effect when being used] that he uses to get away from you before turning sharply and launching a fresh attack. Try to weave and duck as much as possible, use short bursts of warspeed to get away from his gun arcs, and it may be worth taking out his 2 wingmen before concentrating on the Ace. 9. Once you've defeated the Ace, fly to the W towards a waypoint. You will be taken back to the carrier, so fly through the landing rings to complete the mission. ******************************************************************************** 3b. Rescue The P.O.W.s ******************************************************************************** This mission requires a fair amount of precision ground attacks; it is recommended that you take a plane that has rockets, unless you're particularly good at aiming bombs. Also you should set your guns to Ground Attack. OBJECTIVES: 1. *Personally Destroy 4 Zeros [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 2. Destroy Radio Tower 3. Defend Landing Craft [Destroy 4 patrol Boats] 4. Defend Commandos 5. Destroy 2 Tanks 6. Destroy 2 MG nests 7. Destroy Gate 8. Destroy 6 Guard Towers 9. Destroy Prison Walls 10. Destroy 2 Betty Bombers 11. Destroy IJN Snipers 12. Destroy Naval Mines 13. Destroy 4 Patrol Boats 14. Wait for Landing Craft to leave. Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. When you take off, there are 4 Zeros attacking from the S. Tell your wingmen to "form up" so that they don't open fire, and destroy these Zeros yourself - it is worth a bonus Upgrade Point. 2. Once the Zeros are dealt with, head for the island. The first thing you will be told to destroy is a Radio tower on the summit of the closest hill. You can send your wingmen after it, but I find you can blast it yourself faster and the wingmen are better used in "engage at will" mode to keep fighter numbers down. 3.Approaching through an inlet to the SW of the atoll, 2 US Landing Craft are under attack by 4 patrol boats. You or your wingmen must destroy them before they sink the US craft. Once you've sunk the patrol boats, use the time you have before the boats land on the beach to suppress the AA position in this area. There are three around the rim of the crater, spaced around the main Japanese base. There is also one on the island where the two bridges connect. Taking these out now will prevent them damaging you over the course of this mission. 4. The "Defend Commandos" objective takes place over several elements as the troops advance up the hill to the POW camp. The first is below. The longer it takes to removes these obstacles, the more damage the commandos take. If they die, it's mission over. You can complete a lot of these next few objectives out of order, by bombing the base and surrounding area heavily. 5. The US troops are now pinned down by 2 IJN tanks. Destroy the tanks, and be careful not to drop bombs into the commandos. 6. As they move up the hill, the US troops are blocked again by a couple of Machinegun nests at the top of the path. Take these out to allow them to move on. 7. Just past those gun positions, there is a gatehouse in the wall. Blast the gates to clear a path for your commandos. 8. Now you must take out the 6 Guard Towers that ring the POW camp. Blast them with bombs, guns or rockets, don't worry about the cell block, you can take that out at the same time if you're using 1000lb bombs. Once all six towers are burning, your troops will move in. Try not to get too carried away, it is pretty easy to try too hard to nail a target and end up pulling up into the crater walls. 9. If you haven't blown the cellblock already, do it now. Try not to hit your guys. Once it's broken open, the Commandos will head back down the hill to the landing craft. 10. As the troops head back, 2 Betty bombers fly in from the SSW. They are targeting the landing craft, and will carpet-bomb the boats if you let them get too close. You can sic your wingmen onto them, but that can be risky as they don't always kill them in time. 11. After you've dealt with the bombers, the troops should be coming down the hill. They will be stopped about 3/4 of the way back to the boats by Japanese Snipers hiding in the village. Flatten the area with bombs, but as usual be careful not to hit any troops. 12. When the commandos make it back to the boat, they will head N under the bridge. This area has been mined by the Japanese. You will have to shoot the mines until they explode. You can start taking the out while the troops are still heading for the boat or wait until they are highlighted with yellow objective markers. You only have to take out the mines in the middle section, the other are not a threat. 13. Once past the mines, the Landing craft will start patrolling a series of waypoints while you hunt down and sink 4 IJN patrol boats that are blocking the boats escape to the N. Watch out for enemy planes, you will be under attack by Raiden "Jack" fighters which pack more punch than a Zero. 14. Once you've sunk the boats, the Landing Craft resume their path to the N. Coming in to intercept them are 2 Japanese Asasio class destroyers. These are armed with flak and several 20mm cannons, so stay away from them until you are told to attack. Your order will come to attack the stern of the IJN ships and try to damage them until they are driven off. Target the yellow boxes on the stern of each ship. It is possible to destroy them with guns or rockets, but a direct hit with a bomb will be more effective. 15. Once the destroyers are disabled, you can't hurt them any further. Stay away to avoid getting shot, and then wait for the landing craft to leave the area to complete the mission. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. CORAL SEA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You've just unlocked the TBD Devastator, and if you've completed Marshall Campaign on ACE, you've also unlocked the Focke Wulf FW-190A-8 [for Multiplayer - as an Axis plane, you can't use this yet in the single player campaign.] The next two levels will train you in the use of Torpedo Bombers and Dive Bombers. ******************************************************************************** 4a TORPEDO LESSONS ******************************************************************************** This mission can be incredibly difficult on the high levels, mainly because your plane has one measly .50cal MG on the front and one .30cal for a gunner. This means you absorb a lot of damage if you get involved in too many dogfights. The main key to the mission is reducing the damage you absorb, firing your torpedo from outside the enemy's flak range and correctly leading the target is a skill you will have to learn to defeat this on a high difficulty level. Do not get carried away diving down to torpedo height, this bomber is not as responsive as a fighter, you can end up hitting the deck very easily. Remember to get all of your elements "green" on the sight before firing. Sudden slowdowns and violent turns can throw your torpedo right off, it will only work if conditions are right. Also, the Devastator stalls pretty easily so avoid trying to climb too steeply unless you've got a good head of speed up. OBJECTIVES: 1. Sink Target Transport Ship 2. Fly to D2 Fuel Submarine 3. Destroy 2 Refuelling Rufes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Sink D2 Submarine 5. Sink I400 Carrier Sub. Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. You've got to fly towards the target ship, drop down low into the "green" area and drop your speed right back. A good pilot with a bit of practice can hit the target ship from miles away, pretty much immediately after you take off. Careful however, if you miss three times, it's a "Mission Failure." After you've fired, "riding" the torp using your weapon view button may be a good idea, as you can se how much you've missed by if you make a mistake. And it's less boring that waiting for your torp to get there. 2. Head back towards the Lexington, as you approach a waypoint to the south will open up. Fly to the waypoint and go through. Keep flying towards the red blips on the radar. 3. Eventually the next objectives will activate. You are supposed to sink the D2 Seaplane Tender sub that is currently refuelling 2 Rufe Sea Planes [A Zero variant, with floats.] I find the easiest way to kill these Rufes is to fire a torpedo aimed at the orange objective markers, and not go too close until it hits. This prevents the Rufes from activating and taking off before you can hit them on the water. If aimed correctly, this will also damage the D2 Sub. 4. To finish off the D2, you will have to carefully aim the torpedo at it as there are 2 other subs on either side, trying to shield it from you. Aim towards the front of the sub when you lead the target, as the flanking subs have left a gap towards the front. 5. Shortly after the D2 sinks, a huge I400 Aircraft Carrier sub will surface and launch planes to attack you. Try to ignore the planes as much as possible and go for the sub, as it can keep launching planes for each one you take out. It takes 5 Torpedos to sink, and has quite a good flak battery than can cut you to pieces if you get too close. You will have to keep hitting it from as far away as possible, then turn around and flee out of its range while your torpedo reloads. Keep doing this until it dies. ******************************************************************************** 4b. SCRATCH ONE FLAT TOP ******************************************************************************** This mission unlocks the SBD-2 Dauntless Dive Bomber. If you have any upgrade points to spare, it is recommended you use them on this plane, as the larger bombs loads [Especially the 1000lb bombs] make it a much more effective weapon. The Dauntless does not have a lot of guns, but it's better than a Devastator at least with 2 x .50cal MGs. Remember, Dive bombs do twice as much damage as GP bombs do to ships. But they are harder to use, requiring you to get the correct angle and speed of dive before releasing. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to Japanese Fleet 2. *Destroy 7 Pete Scouts before they warn fleet [SEONDARY OBJECTIVE] 3. Sink 4 Destroyers [Shoho's escorts] 4. Destroy 2 AA Batteries on Shoho. 5. Sink the Shoho 6. Return to Carrier 7. *Shoot Down 8 Strike Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE.] 8. Protect Destroyers while they evacuate Lexington. [Destroy Vals & Kates] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. You start on the deck as a large formation of 3 US squadrons forms up. Take off and head for the Waypoint, watch out that you don't ram any US planes as there is a lot of activity. 2. As you approach the IJN fleet, a group of 7 Pete Scouts sees you and heads back to warn their fleet. You have to take all of these guys out before they get too far, as if you don't a large group of Zeros will be scrambled as CAP cover for the IJN fleet. Set your wingmen on "break formation" and use your guns carefully - on high levels, gun overheating is the main thing that makes it hard to get all these guys in time. Killing all of them earns you 1 bonus Upgrade Point. 3. As you approach the Shoho, a cutscene is played showing the other wings breaking off to attack other nearby Jap carriers. [These are outside your mission zone, so don't try to follow them.] Your first target is now the Shoho's 4 escort destroyers, in order to strip its AA coverage and protection. Start climbing to over Cloud level and get ready to dive onto the destroyers. Use your radar to line them up, and then dive from up high. Line them up the target with you sight, and wait until the HUD markers go green for dive angle and speed. If you are carrying 1000lb bombs, and line up you run correctly, you can destroy 2 ships with one bombing pass. But if you are less confident with your bombing, its worth dropping you entire load, aimed slightly apart, on each pass at a destroyer. Use warspeed to climb back up to attack height and repeat until all destroyers are sunk. If you have the time, it is also worth throwing a bomb or 2 at the Shoho's deck, as you can take out a number of planes before they take off and join the fight. Also a good general "trick feature" when dive bombing, is that if you are committed to the dive and unlikely to pull up in time, you can avoid a crash by going to "bomb view" - the game will automatically level you out. It doesn't work every time, but can get you out of a pickle. 4. Once the escorts are dead, you are supposed to target the AA batteries on both sides of the ship. Try to approach from a shallower angle than normal, and aim bombs into the middle of either side of the ship. If you keep missing, use bomb view to see what the problem is. If you don't seem to be doing any damage, you may be hitting the wrong side of the ship. Another trick is to drop more than one bomb, spread slightly, or to wait until the last minute before dropping. 5. After you kill the AA batteries, you will see a cutscene of your devastator squadron attacking the Shoho with torpedoes. Your mission now is to finish it off with a few bombs into the deck. Aim for whatever part of the ship you like. It will take multiple hits even with 1000lb bombs. 6. Now you must head for the waypoint to the W, and return to the fleet. 7. When you get back to the US area, you run into a bunch of Japanese strike planes that have been up to no good. You are ordered to shoot down as many of these attack planes as possible within a short time limit to prevent any repeat occurrences, at least by those particular planes. If you can personally shoot down 8 of these, it is worth 1 bonus Upgrade Point. If you have problems with your wingmen shooting too many down, get them to form up. Also, on the higher levels, use short controlled bursts, as gun heat is once again an issue. 8. Eventually you will be ordered to return to the fleet. When you get there, you find that the Lexington has been damaged and is sinking. 2 destroyers are evacuating the carrier's men, but they are under attack from Japanese strike planes. You must destroy any Vals and Kates that come flying in. Watch out that they don't ram you, they are very single-minded. AA from the ships will help. After a few minutes, the commander will announce that all the men are cleared off the Lexington, and the destroyers will scuttle it with torpedoes. Mission Ends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Midway -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************************************** 5a. MIDWAY PATROL ******************************************************************************** Your first mission in the Catalina. It will take some adjustment to your flying style - this big, heavy plane stalls easily and has no warspeed so you can't run away from threats. The 75mm cannon on this plane has a lot of range and stopping power, but a very slow reload time. Try to take out enemies at a distance, as you will get cut to pieces if they surround you. It is better to keep turning in one direction during a dogfight than trying to change direction, your plane is not responsive enough. Your gunners will take out a lot of enemy planes, but they will require you to at least damage several enemy planes. Don't ever shoot at any of the Japanese ships, they will scramble fighters onto you and the damage will mount up rapidly. OBJECTIVES: 1. Find Japanese Fleet 2. Photograph 1st Japanese fleet 3. *Sink Decoy Destroyer [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Photograph 2nd Japanese fleet 5. Return to Midway 6. Land at Midway Jetty Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Take off from your base and fly to the waypoint. After the cutscene, you will see the first of the 3 Japanese fleets in front of you. 2. Fly towards them, keeping an eye out for the zeros that are coming in from the right. Try to stay between 1700m and 1600m away from the target battleship, and your camera bar will start filling up. Once you have taken the photos, head for the waypoint that opens up. There are 3 Petes between you and the waypoint, take them out as they fly towards you. Fly through the waypoint to the next area. 3. This next group is the "fake" group that is set up as a trap. However, you can take them out fairly easily so it backfires on the Japanese. It is a bunch of fishing trawlers tightly packed around a destroyer. Fly towards it until you are told to take the destroyer. Salvo off a bunch of torpedos from outside its flak range. Either take out the 2 Petes that will come after you or ignore them until after you've sunk the boats. Finish off any remaining trawlers with your gun, then deal with the Petes if your gunners haven't already. Now fly to the waypoint to the next area. 4. Head in towards the fleet. Don't get too close to the escorts at the edge of the group, and ignore the 2 Zeros that are over the fleet as you head in - they are moving away from you, and if you go after them, you're wasting valuable time. Head down the RH edge of the fleet, and get a lock on the nearest escort ship or a plane on the back of it, so that you can get a distance to the fleet. 5. When the photo bar is full, turn to the North and head for the waypoint. Some Petes will come towards you - take them out if you can, but don't get obsessed with dogfighting them, as the fleet will catch up and start firing flak at you. Pass through the waypoint back to midway. 2 Zeros will attack from behind, you need to take them out as they will damage you too much if you run for the base. This should not be too hard. 6. Once you've flown near the island, you will be shown a cutscene demanding you identify yourself. After it finishes, fly through the landing rings near the seaplane base, and the mission ends. ******************************************************************************** 5b. DEFEND MIDWAY ******************************************************************************** In this mission you have to defend Midway from hundreds of Japanese planes. You have a choice of planes, and depending on your playing style you may want to go for a plane with lots of guns, or lots of armour. If you've been completing levels on ACE, you should have both the Spitfire and the Yak-3 available, but both of them are a little flimsy, so if you're no good at avoiding damage, you may want to go with the Corsair. Getting the secondary objective for this level can be hard on ACE, you may need to come back and get the secondaries at a lower difficulty level - you'll still want to complete the mission on ACE to get the 6 Upgrade Points. It will also be a lot easier if you come back with one of the more heavily armed special planes. When you are going for the bonus points, it's a good idea to keep your wingmen "formed up." OBJECTIVES: 1. Intercept Japanese Scouts [destroy 18 Zeros] 2. Protect Oil Tanks [Destroy incoming Vals] 3. Protect Airfield Buildings [Destroy incoming Kates and Bettys] 4. Protect USS Kitty Hawk [Destroy incoming Kates.] 5. *Destroy 50 Japanese Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 6. *Destroy 100 Japanese Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. Get off the runway as quickly as possible and head south for the yellow blips. 18 Zeros are coming in to attack the planes still on the runway. You have to take these out as quickly as possible to avoid the runways getting blocked by destroyed planes. Tell your wingmen to engage at will. If you are successful, the B26 bomber son the runway will take off and assist with shooting down any Jap planes that come into their range. 2. Form your wing up and head west. Several huge formations of Japanese planes are heading in. Your job is to take out the formation of Kates that is heading for the fuel complex on Midway. The planes are still 10km off at this stage, so get over there and take out as many as you can before they get close to their target. There's a group of zeros off to the SW, you can attack them if you like but it does tend to get them annoyed, and they'll come after you. Once you've reached them, tell your wingmen to engage at will. Use short, bursts of fire with a break in between to prevent your guns overheating, and fire rockets into the denser formations to inflict more damage. To avoid incurring too much damage yourself, try attacking from below the formation to avoid the rear gunners. 3. After you've routed the Vals, switch your target to a formation of Kats that is following close behind. They are heading for the airfield. Try not to get too carried away and ram them. If you run out of Objectives, keep shooting other Japanese planes nearby. They're all good targets. After a cutscene showing Stuart accidentally shooting Murphy's plane, head to the N and attack the squadron of Betty Bombers that are heading in. Try to avoid taking too much damage from their guns, don't hang around in the focus of the squadron's guns or you'll get chopped into dog food. You don't have to kill all of them to get the formation to break off the attack, and I don't recommend you go after the escaping bombers as they are tough and you may need every bit of health later. 4. Now a group of Kates will fly in, heading for the USS Kitty hawk and the seaplane base. You have to take them out before they drop any torpedos. Killing all of them completes the mission 5 & 6. The easiest place to get a lot of kills in during the section where the large formations of planes are heading in towards Midway. With a powerfully armed plane on a low level, 80 kills is not that hard to get in that section. 100 kills is possible if you work at it, even before the Bettys turn up. ******************************************************************************** 5c. BATTLE OF MIDWAY ******************************************************************************** This is your first mission in the Avenger, and it's worth spending upgrade points on it. You'll get more guns, armour, and rockets. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to Japanese Fleet 2. Sink 3 Escort Destroyers 3. *Shoot down 10 CAP Zeros. [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Torpedo Akagi's Rudder 5. Sink Akagi 6. *Shoot Down 20 CAP Zeros [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. Take off and Fly NW to the waypoint. After you warp to the next area, you will have to attack a bunch of Vals that are heading for the US fleet. When they are killed, a cutscene will be shown showing a failed attack on the IJN fleet by Dog Wing's planes. Head towards the fleet, don't follow the Kates that are heading S. There are also other groups of US planes attacking the other nearby carriers [Soryu, Kaga.] Ignore that group it has no bearing on your mission. 2. You now have the objective to sink 3 Escort Destroyers on one side of the Akagi, opening the way for the Dive Bombers. These destroyers are moving, and will swerve occasionally, so you'll have to get reasonably close to hit them. Each time you drop, I'd advise you to turn around and get the hell away from the fleet until your torpedo has reloaded. This is the only way to avoid taking a lot of damage, especially if you get too close to the Akagi, which is covered in AA guns. You can try ordering your wingmen to take out the escorts, but they are not very reliable, generally you are lucky if they sink 1/3. If you like, you can also sink the front Cruiser, but that doesn't get you anything extra [except less exposure to flak] 3. The secondary objective of "Kill 10 Cap Zeros" is quite difficult. These A6M5 zeros are more armoured and harder to kill. You can try and take a few out on the deck of the Akagi with your rockets, but this tends to get you shot up by the Akagi's AA guns. Also, watch your throttle, you can stall this plane while trying to dogfight. 4. Your next objective is to fire a torp into the rudder of the Akagi to slow it down. If you get in right behind, it's much easier to hit, as you don't need to lead the target. Make sure you keep your distance though, as a good couple of hits from flak can take %50 of your health in a flash. 5. Once you've slowed it, there will be an attack on the Akagi by Dive Bombers. They damage it further, but you are sent back in to finish it off. Two torpedos will do the job. After you sink it, you'll see a cutscene of the other carriers being attacked by the other squadrons. 6. Good luck with this objective, I'd say it's pretty near impossible to do on ACE level. Complete the mission first, then come back on a lower level and concentrate on blasting the CAP zeros. It can be pretty tempting to go for the ones on the deck, but balance that with the amount of damage you are taking. The best time to go for the 20 is probably after you have trashed the rudder. Once you sink the Akagi, it's mission over. ******************************************************************************** 5d. SINK THE MIKUMA ******************************************************************************** This mission can be done with a fighter or a dive bomber. I suggest a rocket-armed fighter in spite of the fact that dive bombers do more damage. You need the extra guns... go for something a little tough, like a Corsair. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to HIJMS Mikuma 2. *Protect Catalina by destroying 3 Zeros. [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 3. *Destroy 20 Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Destroy Rufes 5. Destroy Port and Starboard AA directors 6. Destroy Bridge 7. Destroy 3rd Front Turret 8. Drop bomb into Mikuma Magazine. 9. Return To Enterprise 10. Defeat Japanese Ace Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. Take off and head NW towards the waypoint. 2. On the way, you will encounter a Catalina under attack by Zeros. Strafe all three of them to get their attention off the PBY and then take them out. This is worth one bonus Upgrade Point. Continue on to the waypoint. 3. As you fly in towards the Mikuma, you'll run into a bunch of Vals and Zeros. You can ignore them and fly over the top, or stop and start cutting into the secondary goal of "Destroy 20 planes." When you eventually complete that goal, you'll earn one bonus Upgrade Point. 4. After the cutscene with Ox's death, you'll be given "Destroy Rufes" as a primary objective. They are still on the deck of the Mogami cruiser, but that won't last long. The easiest [and coolest] way to do this is to fly in high and fast, dive down towards the deck and lob a 1000lb bomb square into the middle of them. This can take the whole squadron out at once. Alternatively, flying in and strafing with rockets and guns will do the trick. 5. Once the Rufes are gone, yo are expected to bomb or strafe either side of the ship until the AA directors are destroyed. One well-placed 1000lb bomb can take them both out at once, or use the easier approach of rockets and guns. When using GP bombs, you can aim them by flying towards your target and releasing then pulling up at the last second. 6. Once the AA batteries are dead, go after the bridge. This is pretty flimsy, so hit it with some gunfire and a few rockets. 7. Now you have to hit the 3rd Front turret with bombs & rockets. I'd suggest bombs as it's much tougher than the bridge. 8. Now you are expected to sink the Mikuma - In spite of the instructions, you can pretty much aim anywhere, and it will take a couple of heavy bombs or quite a few rockets to finish the job. 9. On the way back to the US fleet, you can stop and shoot a few more planes, put them towards the 20 you need for the secondary objective. Unfortunately the Rufes don't count towards this total. 10. As you are returning to fleet, you are tailed by a Japanese Ace out for revenge, with 2 wingmen accompanying. He is flying the most agile and heavily armed variant of the Zero, the A6M8. Defeat him and his wingmen to complete this mission. As this plane turns on a dime, watch out for collisions, he is the biggest turn fighter of all the Aces. At least he doesn't have any rockets, that's one plus. But still, if you see him turn towards you, it might be a good idea to dive suddenly out of his arc of fire - he has pretty nasty guns, regardless, and you won't be able to take too many passes. The mission completes after you kill him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. GUADALCANAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Midway you unlock the Lightning, and if you've just completed it on ACE, you unlock the P47 Thunderbolt. The "Jug" is a tough plane, with 8 x .50cal MGs, but I prefer the Lightning, especially when modified. It has a huge bomb load, 4 x .50cal MGs plus a cannon, and when modified can carry 10 rockets as well. And it's FAST! PS, the Hispano 20mm Cannon on the 2nd and 3rd versions of the Lightning is way, way more effective than the 37mm cannon on the earlier version - it has a very slow fire rate. Upgrade as soon as you can. ******************************************************************************** 6a. STRIKE AT GUADALCANAL ******************************************************************************** This mission can be pretty hard at ACE level, you don't have a lot of time to complete each objective. It's also pretty hard if you don't bring a plane with rockets or bombs. I'd also set your guns to ground attack mode. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly To Guadalcanal 2. *Destroy Japanese Supply convoy [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 3. Destroy Grounded Planes [8 x Tony Fighters] 4. Destroy 8 x AA positions. 5. Protect C-47s 6. Protect Paratroopers [Destroy Japanese Tanks and MG nests around Airbase] 7. Protect 8/16 Landing Craft [Destroy 16 Raidens and 8 Anti-Ship guns] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Fly to the waypoint off in front of you when you take off. 2. To the right of the waypoint, there is a Japanese supply convoy trying to sneak ashore. There are 6 landing craft, 2 patrol boats and the Submarine that is the leader of the group. Take them out on your way tot he waypoint for one bonus Upgrade Point. 3. Once you've passed through the waypoint, you will be shown a cutscene of the airfield on Guadalcanal. There are several Zeros taxiing to take off, and a large group of 8 parked Tony fighter queued up behind, ready to take off after them. Hit your warspeed and burn towards the airfield as fast as you can, heading directly for the Tonys. You can take out 2 of the AA guns from objective 4 as you approach the field [they are on a close bearing to the Tonys.] I usually sic my wingmen onto a third AA gun. Attack the densely packed group of Tonys with bombs and rockets, and if you can come back for a second pass try to hit a few of the Zeros as well. 4. Once you've wiped out the fighters on the ground, finish off the remaining AA guns around the base. There are 2 x C-47s transports inbound full of paratroopers, and you need to ensure all the guns are gone before they arrive. If you get the chance, blast a few of the MG nests near the base while you are at it, it will save you time later. 5. When you've finished off the AA guns, form up your wingmen and head out towards the C-47s. They will shortly come under attack by Japanese fighters. You need to hold these off until the planes can drop the troops. Take out any Japanese fighter you see on the way over to them. 6. This next section can be pretty hard on ACE or if you are in an unmodified Lightning. There are 2 MG nests at the W end of the runway, one at the E end of the runway, Plus one in the central area and another near the northern end of the taxiway to the hangars. Tanks will come out of the forest from the NE, W and SW. If you can hit the tanks while they are clustered with a 1000lb bomb or two, you can take out the whole group. Don't get carried away strafing and crash into the ground, it is a common cause of death here. Also, watch out for Jap fighters, they can strip a lot of damage off you while you are busy attacking the ground forces. One the paratroopers conquer the base, this objective will complete. 7. You are now required to defend the landing craft that are coming in with reinforcement to complete our takeover of the area. There will be a short lull in the fighting while the first wave of Japanese fighter arrives, I usually use this to take out the 2 flak guns along the coast - they will be shooting at you later otherwise. 3 waves of 4 Raiden fighters will come in and attack the boats. Use your wingmen to help, either on defend or engage at will orders. As the 3rd Wave is arriving, the 3-inch shore guns will start firing on your boats. Head inland and attack the 8 guns with rocket and bombs in a long pass along the beach. You should be able to take them out quickly, and get back to attacking the Raidens. A 4th wave has just arrived. Keep fighting until the troops announce they have seized the landing site. The mission now ends. ******************************************************************************** 6b. TOKYO EXPRESS ******************************************************************************** You unlock the B26 Marauder for this mission, a heavy maritime patrol bomber. Upgrade it if you've got the points spare, as it doubles the firepower of several of your gunners to 2 x .50cal MGs and you also get to carry rockets, which will come in really handy at the end of the mission. In this mission you have to take out a lot of Japanese shipping convoys. Whether you go torpedoes, 500lb or 1000lb bombs is a matter of personal preference, but I find the 4 x 1000lb bombs work best. Set your guns to ground attack, also. You've got a time limit on this mission, so don't take too long. There's also a long time between checkpoints, so try to avoid dying as you'll end up doing big chunks of the mission again. OBJECTIVES: 1. Take off, fly to target area. 2. Investigate unidentified ships. 3. Fly to Radar Contacts 4. Sink 3 Supply Ships in 1st Convoy 5. Sink 2 Supply Ships in 2nd Convoy 6. *Sink 5 Destroyers [SECONDARY GOAL] 7. Sink 3 Supply Ships in 3rd Convoy. 8. Sink 4 Supply Ships in 4th Convoy. Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Take off and head for the waypoint. This will take you to the target areas where the convoys were last sighted. 2. Head west to identify the surface blips on your radar. When you get close enough, you'll find out that it's a mixed taskforce of Australian and US Ships. They will warn you about a large seaplane seen in the area. 3. After this cutscene, more blips will appear on the radar. Fly towards the closest one. Sic your wingmen onto a Rufe that appears on the radar. 4. When you are close enough the group will be revealed as a Japanese convoy. Approach from an angle where you are lined up with the convoy, either direction is good. Press select several times to bring up your Norden bombsight, and as you get the sights lined up on each ship, drop a bomb or two [or alternatively use torpedoes.] If you set this up right, you'll be able to take out the whole group in one bombing run. Remember to lead the target if you are bombing from a long way up. You only have to hit the supply ships. 5. Head back towards the unidentified grey blips. You should be able to visually see which convoy is closest, head towards that. It should be a convoy with 2 Supply ships and one destroyer. As they are parallel to each other, it is harder to get them all in one pass. Try coming in low, but watch out for flak from the destroyer. This plane isn't very agile, so don't start thinking you're a dive bomber, that's a sure fire way to end up in the drink. 6. You will be given the secondary objective here to 'sink 5 destroyers." You'll find 1-2 destroyers accompanying several of the convoys. Take them out as you see them. 7. The next convoy you go for is open, I usually go for the one nearby that has 2 Supply ships and 7 patrol boats. Take out the 2 Supply ship sand move onto the next group. 8. The next closest group has 3 Supply ships and 2 destroyers, and a patrol boat. Take out the big units and move on to the next group. 9. The next group should be the one that has 4 supply ships sailing in parallel, plus 2 destroyer escorts. Try to take out the destroyers first to avoid taking damage while you finish off the supply ships. Once you destroy the last transport, the convoy killing section of the mission is complete. There are 2 other unidentified blips out there, but you don't need to investigate them. 10. Your escorts head home, and you will now be shown via cutscene that a huge Japanese "Emily" flying boat has entered the area. Your orders are to shoot it down. It is tough as an old boot, and covered in 20mm guns. Firing a salvo of rockets as it flies towards you will help put a dent in its' massive health bar. Ignore its' escort fighters to begin with. Your main hazard here is that both planes are so sluggish to turn, it makes them keep running into each other. Try to avoid getting too carried away when playing "chicken." The mission will end once you have shot it down. ******************************************************************************** 6c. BACKS TO THE WALL ******************************************************************************** This mission is a 2-part mission, first you have to defend the Enterprise from Japanese air attacks, and then defend the Guadalcanal base from a combined naval and air assault. Pick plane that balances aerial firepower with ground attack weapons. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to Enterprise 2. Defend USS Enterprise 3. Intercept 27 Kate Torpedo Bombers 4. *Personally Destroy 20 Kate Bombers 5. Intercept Val Dive Bombers 6. Intercept Zero Kamikazes 7. Return To Guadalcanal. 8. Defend the airfield. 9. Sink Heavy Cruiser 10. Sink Remaining Ships 11. Destroy incoming 9 Kates Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Take off from the base and fly N to the waypoint. 2. You'll now be told to defend the Enterprise, taking especial notice of enemy bombers. No bombers arrive for a bit, so warm up by shooting a few Zeros. 3. A group of 9 Kates will start flying in from the E, head over towards them with your wingmen in tow. Attack and destroy as many as you can. The next 9 will come in from the W quite quickly, so don't waste too much time dealing with each wave. Use rockets to help increase the carnage. The final group of 9 in this attack will fly in from the SE, get into them ASAP as them may just have enough time to reach the fleet and drop torps, depending on what plane you are flying. 4. If you manage to kill 20 of them yourself, you will be awarded with one bonus Upgrade Point. 5. Now several groups of Vals dive bombers attack, three waves, all from the NE. Watch out for Zeros accompanying them as they can strip quite a lot off you if they focus their attacks. Once you've killed all the Vals, head north and get ready for the next attack that will commence shortly. 6. A wave of Kamikazes comes out of the north, on a course to ram the Enterprise. Use all your resources to attack these guys as they cause massive damage on a hit. Keep your speed up when chasing them, they come in fast. And try to use short, controlled burst, as your guns will overheat quickly. 7. After a short pause, you will be ordered back to Guadalcanal. Head for the waypoint. 8. The next section of this mission is all about ensuring the airfield survives. Defend it at all costs. 9. Now you will be ordered to sink the Furutaka, a Mikuma-class cruiser that is shelling the airbase. Use 1000lb bombs to send it to the bottom. It will take around 4 x 1000lb bombs to sink. 10. Go after the other ships next. They are not as tough, and will sink after 2 x 1000lb bomb hits. Try to get them quickly, as a wave of Kate bombers starts heading for the airfield while you are still attacking these guys. 11. After the ships, attack the Kates with your weapons and your wingmen. Try to take as many out as you can before they get over the base. Watch out for fighter escorts, they are quite aggressive Zero A6M5c models and will damage you severely if ignored. 12. The last attack is a wave of Bettys from the N. Head out there with your wingmen and bring as much firepower as you can to bear on them, as these guys take a lot of knocking down. Use rockets as well if your guns overheat. Try to get them before they get too close to the base, as you can successfully kill them but still lose the mission if they have already dropped their bombs. Once you've defeated this wave, the mission will end. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. GILBERT ISLANDS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next two missions take place over a heavily fortified Japanese held island. If you have just completed Guadalcanal on ACE level, you'll have been awarded a Tempest. This heavily armoured, fast and heavily armed plane is a favourite of many players. But you wont get to use it straight away as your first mission has you locked off to a special recon lightning. ******************************************************************************** 7a. RECON ******************************************************************************** This mission has you taking pictures of ten areas on the island that HQ wants more intelligence about. In order to take a picture, you must loiter over the area at low speed and low altitude. But doing that will get you exposed to AA fire. The best way to complete this mission, especially on ACE, is to fly in short dashes of warspeed between each target area, this will limit your exposure. [And, after a time, all of the AA guns on the island start activating, so the faster you can get each picture, the better.] You can get a picture in a single pass if you fly slowly over the target, otherwise you may have to fly over it in a circle. You are allowed to blow up a few things on the island, but if you damage any of the recon targets, the Japanese will move them [therefore making your pictures useless.] Try to avoid getting trigger-happy and limit any strikes to the targets listed below. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to Betio 2. Photograph LZ1 3. *Destroy 20 Japanese Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Photograph LZ2 5. Photograph LZ3 6. Photograph LZ4 7. Photograph HQ building 8. Photograph Hangars 9. Photograph Pier 10. Photograph Naval Guns 11. Photograph Ammo Dump 12. Photograph Tank Repair Yard 13. Return to USS Enterprise 14. Defeat Japanese Ace 15. Land on USS Enterprise Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Take off from your carrier and head NE to the waypoint. 2. You'll now be facing the island, the first recon target is off ahead and to your right. There is a group of about 7 Japanese planes between you and it. I find it is bets to ignore them and burn by underneath them at low altitude and under warspeed. If you don't shoot at them, they will not see you [for now.] 3. The secondary objective you have been given is to shoot down 20 Japanese planes. You can get nine of these on the ground by destroying the concrete revetments along the N edge of the runway. Do not hit any of the steel buildings on the south edge as they are a recon target. The rest of the planes can be gotten later when you've gotten the photos, but you must get the 20 kills before leaving this area or the objective is failed. 4. The second LZ is on the N cost nearby, head over to it via the runway and bomb those planes in the revetments as you go over. [You can get them in one pass with 4 x 500lb bombs or use rockets as well.] 5. Third LZ is on the N coast, past the pier. Get over there as fast as possible. 6. The final landing zone is just a bit further along the N coast. Don't bother speeding up, you may overfly it. 7. Next recon target is the HQ in the centre of the island. By now, you should see AA guns starting to fire at you. Gain a bit of height as you head back towards the centre of the island and shoot the AA gun to the right of the central building. Now zoom back in low, slow down and take the photo. 8. Head left and pass over the hangars for the next recon shot. 9. Turn back and hit your warspeed, zoom out to the end of the pier for the next picture. Stay low, more guns will now open fire. 10. Head back towards the island, on the south coast there are some heavy naval guns that Fleet Command need photographed. You can shoot the AA guns in the centre between the runways as you go. 11. The next objective is the ammo dump at the W end of the island. 12. Now your last recon photo is the Tank repair yard towards the E end of the island. The guns will be taking a chunk out of your hide by now on the higher levels, there's not much you can do about this except get out of there as quickly as possible 13. Head out over the lagoon to the north. A checkpoint will be activated, now you have to decide whether you've got enough health to go for the secondary objective or not. There is a bunch of A6M5c Zeros loitering over the lagoon to the north, attack them if you've got the guts but don't do it near the shore or the AA will cut you to pieces. Use your Lightning's superior speed to run for the waypoint if you find yourself under concerted attack that you can't handle. 14. As you head back to the Enterprise, you will find yourself under attack from another Ace of the 13th Squadron. He is flying a Ki-102-C Randy, a heavy twin-engine fighter with powerful cannons and a rear gunner. He is also accompanied by 4 Tony fighters. Watch out for his frontal attacks as his 55mm cannon can cause massive damage. Once you kill him, you'll get a cutscene showing him being shot down. 15. Head for the waypoint that will take you back to your fleet. Fly through the landing rings to land and complete the mission. ******************************************************************************** 7b. A MILLION MEN... ******************************************************************************** You mission is to attack the Japanese Defences on the north shore of the lagoon, in the area to the E of the pier. Other units will target other areas. You are suppressing the Japanese defences to assist 2 separate waves of Marines who are assaulting the beach. Pick a plane that has a large weapons load and that is tough. Tempest or Lightning would be ideal. I personally would never pick a dive bomber here. Set your guns to ground attack mode. It is up to you whether you prefer 4 small bombs or 2 big 1000lb ones. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to Betio 2. Defeat Japanese Squadron [destroy 28 planes] 3. *Personally Destroy 10 Japanese Planes 4. Fly To Betio 5. Defend Amphtracks 6. Destroy Pier Guns. [Destroy 3 naval guns] 7. Destroy 9 Tonys 8. Destroy 2 Sea Barriers 9. Destroy 5 Shore Pillboxes 10. Destroy 2 Tank barriers 11. Defend USS Washington 12. Destroy 2 naval guns 13. Defend Higgins Boats 14. Destroy 9 Tonys 15. Defend Troop Transports 16. Destroy 9 Jill Torpedo Bombers. Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Fly to the waypoint in front of you when you take off. Once you've gone through it, you will see a cutscene of Tom Stuart returning to base with an engine problem. 2. You will now be ambushed by a squadron of Randy and Tony fighters. You and your squadron must shoot them all down to continue. Try not to take too much damage here, as you will need it later. They are coming in from four different directions, I usually tell my wingmen to engage at will. 3. If you can personally destroy 10 of the attacking Randys, you will be awarded one bonus Upgrade Point. 4. After the squadron is defeated, there is a brief argument amongst your squadron about whether Stuart is a traitor or not. Murphy makes some allegations... the truth will be revealed later. The waypoint opens up to the NE, fly through it to reach the island. 5. As you fly in, you should be able to see a bunch of blue blips in the channel into the lagoon. These are the troops you are supposed to protect. As you can see, they are already attracting fire from the shore guns. they are in "amphtracks", a sort of amphibious tractor used for landings. 6. The first defences you need to take out are 3 naval guns on the pier. Rockets or one well placed 1000lb bomb will do it. Around now, I usually fly over the airfield and take out all of the planes in the concrete revetments with a few well-placed bombs before the next wave shows up. 7. A wing of 9 Tonys will fly in from the south and start strafing your amphtracks. Take them out before them damage too many of your troops. 8. If you finish off the Tonys quickly, you will have some time free before the next objective comes up. I use it to knock out any AA near the target areas, or you can blast the shore near the landing site to clear some enemies in advance. Eventually the amphtracks will get to a series of barriers placed in the ocean and call for you to clear the way. Rockets or guns will suffice, no need to risk dropping a bomb on your troops. 9. There are now 5 concrete pillboxes that need to be blasted up on the shoreline. The Amphtracks will keep moving towards the shore the whole time. 10. 2 Tank barriers on the beach now must be blasted to allow the amphtracks to climb up the shoreline. 11 & 12. Now the marines will disembark, and you'll get a message from the USS Washington - one of several US battleships to the south. They are having a hard time shelling 2 Naval guns on the south shoe and need you to take them out. If you take too long, one of the US battleships will be sunk and that is a mission failure. Take out the 2 guns with large bombs before moving on to the next objective. 13 & 14. You'll now get the objective "Defend Higgins Boats" - a second wave of US troops is inbound aboard landing craft. Their first enemy is a bunch of 9 Tonys, but if you have bombed the revetments, you'll have already dealt with this objective. If so, you've got some free time before the next objective, so shoot some Tonys or blow up some ground targets. Eventually the Higgins boats will get stuck on coral due to low tide, and the marines will jump over the side and keep moving in. 15 & 16 You are now expected to save the large troop transports moored with e main fleet off the island from a group of "Jill" torpedo bombers that will take off from the large hangars on the island. Make repeated passes over the 2 large hangars, blasting each Jill as they come out. The Jill is faster, tougher and better armed than the Kate, you don't want to let them off the ground if you can help it. The mission will complete as soon as you have destroyed all 9 Jills. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. MARIANAS ISLANDS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Marianas missions all take place out at sea, nearby the Marianas Islands. If you've just completed the Gilbert Islands on ACE, you will have unlocked the P51 Mustang. A lot of people love the Mustang, but I think it's a bit under-armed. ******************************************************************************** 8a. Rescue the Usurper. ******************************************************************************** This mission is another one in the Catalina. You are being sent to rescue a spy that we had slipped in amongst the Japanese. He has been shot down while trying to rejoin our fleet. Take torpedoes as your weapon load, using bombs on these targets would mean that you have to fly into their AA range. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to search area 2. *Destroy 10 planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 3. Sink 3 Japanese light cruisers. 4. Rescue Usurper 5. *Sink I400 Carrier Sub [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 6. Return to US fleet 7. Destroy 2 Emilys 8. Return to US Fleet. Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. Take off and head for the waypoint to the next area. 2. If you can destroy 10 planes, you will receive one bonus Upgrade Point. When you enter the new zone, you should be able to see three ships, and 2 Petes hang about directly ahead of you. Take them out with your main gun, and get the other 8 later once you've cleared away the destroyers. 3. About the same time as one of your crewmen sees a flare marking the position of the usurper, the three Yubari light cruisers below become active targets. Sink them all with torpedoes, it will take at least 3 hits each. Stay out of their AA range if you can or you will take massive damage. 4. After you have destroyed the ships, fly through the landing rings to land and pick up usurper. 5. You will now be shown an I400 Carrier sub surfacing and launching Petes to come after you. It will take around 6 torps to destroy. Try and knock off a few Petes that are floating around to get your secondary objective and to keep overall damage down. Stay the hell back from the I400 when firing torps, its' AA will most likely kill you otherwise. 6. Head for the waypoint, try and knock off any planes before you get too close to them. 7. As you are flying to the waypoint, 2 Emilys turn up to attack you. They must be defeated before you can leave. They bring several zeros, back towards the waypoint. Try not to get too hung up on shooting the zeros down as it is more important to take the Emilys down as much as possible from a distance. Watch out for collisions, neither plane is very agile. 8. Once you've defeated them, head for the Fleet 9. Land next to US cruiser to finish mission. ******************************************************************************** 8b. Final Revenge ******************************************************************************** This mission is based around the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" that happened during this period of the war, when a vast force of under-trained and poorly equipped Japanese airmen when sent up against the best battle-hardened pilots the US had on their side. The results were high kill ratios to the US in what was probably the last nail in the coffin of the Imperial Japanese air forces. You'll need to hit both air and sea targets in this mission, pick a tough fighter with guns and heavy bombs. The new Hellcat you have unlocked is good, but you should upgrade it to get the extra 2 x 20mm cannon, 1000lb bombs and rockets. Some people might pick a dive bomber, but they're also known as "sieves" or the "swiss cheesers" after a short time in battle. OBJECTIVES: 1. Defend US Fleet 2. Repel 7 Bomber Waves [destroy 63 mixed bombers.] 3. *Personally Destroy 100 Planes. [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Fly to Japanese Fleet 5. Destroy Japanese Fighters [destroy 80 fighters] 6. Save 16 US Bombers [defend 16/32 US bombers] 7. Destroy AA on Hiyo. 8. *Sink 3 Japanese Destroyers [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 9. Sink The Hiyo 10. Fly to US fleet Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. This main objective takes part over the next few objectives. You have to fend off multiple attacks on the US fleet, if too many ships are sunk, or a carrier, you will get a Mission Failed. 2. You have to destroy 7 large waves of Betty and Judy bombers inbound from different directions. There's usually about 9 in each group. First group [Bettys] comes from the N and is preceded by a wave of A6M8 Zeros. Ignore those guys and go after the bombers. Set your wingmen to engage at will or form them up, it is up to you. You will need to use your rockets as well as be accurate to avoid overheating when firing if you are on a high level, as the Bettys in particular take a beating before they flame out. The next 2 waves are Judy dive bombers, watch out for their rear gunners. 4th Wave is Bettys again, from the NW. 5th wave is Judys from the N. During these attacks, you may come under attack from Randys - don't ignore these guys, they can be pretty dangerous if they catch you in their guns. The next 2 waves come in much faster, while you are still dealing with the Judys. A group of Bettys comes form the NW, and another group of Bettys form the SW. There's guys are dangerous because of their timing and because they carry a large bomb load. Try not to RAM too many of them, it's a common cause of death here! 3. During this defence period, if you can kill 100 planes you get one bonus Upgrade Point. Most likely you will not get the point until later during the mission, at least on the higher levels. It might be possible on Rookie. 4. Fly N to the waypoint or hang around and shoot a few more stragglers. These guys will be wiped out fairly quickly by the other US planes so if you want a piece of the action, get in fast. Once you fly through the waypoint, the Jap Fleet will be in front of you. 5. You are now told to destroy the CAP cover the Japanese fleet has flying about overhead. Set you wingmen to "engage at will" or "defend" depending if you want them to hang around near the US bombers or not, and then attack the enemy planes yourself. They are made up 80 Ki-102A Randys and Zeros, but at least they are at a low level of training so you should be able to cut them to pieces. 6. You are also expected to keep 16/32 US bombers alive during his stage. The Bombers will not move in on the IJN fleet until you have knocked out the fighter cover and competed the next objective. 7. You must now attack the AA directors on the side of the Japanese aircraft carrier Hiyo, clearing the way for your bombers to move in. There are four AA directors, and while you are supposed to aim for them directly, I find the best strategy is just to lob 1000lb bombs at the middle of the deck - splash damage will usually take out both sides. It is quite easy to take out all the AA with 2 x 1000lb bomb hits in the centre of the deck. 8. After you take out the Hiyo's AA, you will be given the option of sinking three Japanese destroyers as another secondary task. Thee are 4-5 circling the fleet, you only have to sink 3. Ignore the Mikuma heavy cruiser. Completing this awards you one bonus Upgrade Point. 9. Your bomber waves move in and damage the Hiyo to about %20 health. You are now expected to finish it off. Take out the destroyers before heading up to bombing altitude, then dive down and blow the Hiyo out of the water. It will take quite a few hits. Before sinking the Hiyo, or immediately afterwards [before returning to the fleet], make sure that you shoot down any remaining planes to get your bonus point for objective 3. 10. After you get the cutscene showing the Hiyo sinking, head back tot he waypoint that leads to the US fleet. On the way back, you will see a cutscenes showing the rest of the squadron being forced to leave you behind in order to go and help the US fleet that has come under attack. You are then attacked by a Japanese Ace, but heroically Tom Stuart flies out to save you at the expense of his own life. Mission ends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. PHILIPINES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've just completed Marianas on ACE, you've unlocked the P61-Black Widow. This plane kicks serious butt, due to its speed, toughness, 4 x 20mm cannons, and 4 x .50cal MG turret. Add to this a prodigious bomb load. It's one of my personal favourites even if it doesn't carry rockets and is about as agile as a pig. [The turret helps with that, if you can keep turn fighting near an enemy for long enough, it will pretty much take them out.] ******************************************************************************** 9a. Steal Prototype Jet ******************************************************************************** A cool mission if a little tricky. The initial part of the mission has you flying a Japanese fighter and escorting in a stolen Japanese bomber packed full of explosives. The idea is to avoid getting detected by the enemy, and if you are detected, kill the one that saw you as quickly as possible. Once you get there, the bomber will detonate in the enemy base, and during the resulting confusion, you can steal a prototype jet the Japanese have been lent by the Germans. You begin the level in a J2M2 Raiden "Jack" fighter, it's worth spending the points to upgrade this to the 4th upgrade, the J2M7, even though you don't really get to use the rockets... but it has got a cool paint job. You should have plenty of points spare anyway. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to Homonhon 2. Protect Betty Bomber 3. *Avoid Detection [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. *Destroy 10 Japanese Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 5. Steal Prototype Me262 6. Return to US fleet 7. Defeat German Ace 8. Land on USS Enterprise Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. Take off and head towards the waypoint. Notice the Betty bomber with the blue arrow over it, that's being flown in by Zak Cunningham. Don't shoot it. 2. Once you arrive near the island, you are given the objective "protect betty bomber" - the enemy planes will try and shoot the bomber down once they identify it, if it is killed, that is a mission failure. 3. To "avoid detection" you must avoid or kill any Japanese plane that comes sniffing around you or the bomber, up until you have safely stolen the Jet. If they see you, you have 30 seconds to take them out before they sound the alarm. I find the best approach is to hang back near the bomber, at low speed, and kill any Japanese plane that comes within 1000m. You have to be especially aggressive once they turn yellow and become objectives, as that means that they've worked out there's something not right about you and will shortly call their base and sound the alarm. You'll be warned about this in a VO that "you better shut him up before he lets the cat out of the bag." The best approach is to use your "closest target" function by pressing and holding the relevant button to get a lock on each enemy as it comes into the proximity of the bomber. There's an order in which they come towards the player. Usually, a Pete comes in from slightly off to the right as you approach the island. Take him out. There are three more Petes in a line roughly off to the NW, take out each one as they come close, or you can go after them aggressively. There's a fourth and fifth one off further to the W, you have to get both these guys as they will eventually attack the bomber. He'll yell out if they have a go. Keep up with the bomber, the next plane you should encounter is a Pete coming in from the island side of the bomber. Shortly after that, another 2 Petes will come in from the W side. You should be SW of the island by now, the last 2 planes you will encounter are a pair of closely grouped Randys directly ahead of the bombers path. Get these guys as skilfully as possible, as they are harder to shoot down than Petes and are much more likely to survive long enough to alert the base. Zak will now lock onto the base... a final A6M8 Zero may have tailed him, if so, try to kill that before Zak finishes his VO and triggers the cutscene. If you are detected, you may as well give up and restart, esp. on the higher levels, as every plane now activates and comes after you with bloodthirsty intentions. The amount of damage you'll take quickly mounts up and the Me262 is not a very tough plane. 4. In order to get this objective, you have to kill 10 Japanese Planes before you are detected. You can do it after you steal the jet, but if you've been following the section above, you should have the objective by the time you kill the pair of Randys. 5. Steal the Me262 is now your objective. Landing rings have opened up near the base, fly through these as quickly as possible to land and swap over to the Jet. 6. Take off, hit your warspeed and burn off to the S towards the Waypoint. Once you have flown a short way, you will be told via radio that a second Me262 has been detected. 7. It's a German Ace, in an advanced Me-262-E, and he's going to try and shoot you down. Turn around and head back to engage him, but try not to do it over AA emplacements on Homonhon Island or over the Yubari Light Cruiser in the harbour. If you get a message about an "enemy spy" it means the other planes have seen you and will join in the fight. When fighting the Ace, he is a real "Burn and Turn" kind of guy. His favourite strategy is to hit the afterburners, zoom a few thousand metres away, and then turn around and fly directly back at you, firing rockets and the massive 55mm M-Geschoss cannon he has mounted on his nose. Be careful not to ram him, he will not flinch when playing chicken. If you can get off his rear quarter and get a good deflection shot, leading the target correctly, you can do about 1/3 damage to him with a long burst of cannon fire before he breaks off and burns away. Once you've killed him, hit your throttle and head S for the waypoint back to the fleet. 8. Fly through the landing rings to land on the carrier and complete the mission. You'll now be able to access the Me262 for Multiplayer games. ******************************************************************************** 9b. The Musashi ******************************************************************************** This mission has you out to sink the biggest battleship afloat, the Musashi. Named after a famous samurai, it and its sister ship Yamato were the 70,000 ton monsters of their day. But with advent of air power, the battleship was fast becoming obsolete. You have a choice of Dive Bombers of Fighter in this mission. Personally, I think either you're crazy or REALLY enjoy dive bombing if you choose the former. It just doesn't have enough forward firepower to deal with the planes, esp. if you're on a high difficulty level. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to the Musashi. 2. Destroy Attacking Japanese Planes [Destroy 36 Raidens] 3. *Personally Destroy 10 Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Destroy Musashi's Rudder 5. Protect 5 Torpedo Bombers 6. Protect 5 Dive Bombers. 7. Destroy Musashi's Bridge 8. Protect 5 Dive Bombers 9. Destroy Musashi AA Batteries [destroy 2 Batteries] 10. Sink The Musashi Max Number Of Upgrade Points:7 1. Take off and fly NE to the waypoint. 2. After you enter the new area, there is a group of 36 Japanese fighters between you and the Musashi. They will all need to be killed before you can then fly one to the next waypoint. 3. If you can shoot down 10 planes personally in this mission, you will be awarded 1 bonus Upgrade Point. Try to avoid flying directly into the pack, you're bound to collide with something when the enemy squadron breaks up in different directions. If you're having problems getting to them before your wingmen shoot them, order them to form up. 4. Now you must bomb the rear section of the ship to damage its propulsion. This is pretty straight forward, even though the Musashi is sailing a S-pattern. There's a few Rufe seaplanes giving cover to the Musashi, you can take these on yourself to get the secondary goal, or leave them tot he other fighters - they shouldn't cause you much trouble. Don't get too distracted, as the Musashi is moving out of your range and will get away if you take too long. 5. Now a group of Raidens comes flying in after the Avengers in your squadron. Protect them from the attack by shooting at the Raidens that are attacking. After a while, the Avenger will launch their torpedoes at the Musashi then return to the US fleet for more munitions. 6. Following the Avengers, you must protect a group of at least 5 Dive Bombers as they launch the next attack on the Musashi. Once again, the attackers are a group of Raidens/Jacks. Take out as many as you can, until the group launches its attack. 7. Because the Musashi keeps dodging, Callahan sends you in to strike the bridge. I form up my wingmen here, as they help draw AA fire from you, and their rear gunners can help cover you from any planes that get on your six. Head for the Musashi. I find that wive 2 x 1000lb dive bombs, you don't have to be that precise and it will do the job nicely. If you're in a fighter, you may find rockets easier. 8. Now, again, you must protect another wave of dive bombers, as they make another run on the Musashi. You won't need to kill many fighters, just hold them off for a while until the bombs are dropped. 9. Your next task is destroy the AA batteries on the Musashi. Fly in from the dies, lead the target slightly and drop your bomb load. If you're good, you can take out both batteries in one run [at least if you're using 1000lb dive bombs.] You could also use rockets, but it will take a lot more hits. 10. After you've disabled the AA, your next task is to finish off the Musashi in combination with the other wings. Keep hitting it with everything in your arsenal until it sinks. It will take multiple runs, even with the other wings helping. Once you sink it, the mission completes. ******************************************************************************** 9c. The Battle Of Samar Sea ******************************************************************************** In this mission, you are part of a US fleet that is unfortunately enough to run headlong into an oncoming heavy Japanese surface group. Heavily outgunned, the US ships turn and run. You job is to try and hold back the IJN ships so that your fleet can get away. Fail, and they will be blasted by the big guns of the Japanese battleships. You have to do this mission in a Catalina, unfortunately - make sure you load it with torpedoes as bombs are useless here, you don't want to fly that pig over the Japanese boats or you will get shot to pieces. I'd also set your guns on ground attack mode. This mission can be very frustrating, you just have to stick with it. OBJECTIVES: 1. Investigate fleet to NW 2. Attack IJN Fleet 3. *Personally destroy 10 Japanese planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] Max Number Of Upgrade Points:7 1. Take off from the water and follow your 2 friends out to the NW. Callahan will eventually identify the fleet as Japanese and all hell will break loose. 2. You are now order to attack the fleet with torpedoes. Stay as far out as you can, and I find it's easier to make the first attack from directly in front as you don't have to lead the enemy ships. Don't attack the one on the far right at the front of the enemy fleet, it is invulnerable [it gets taken out by one of your destroyers on a suicidal charge, later.] You have to keep hitting them until enough collective damage is dealt out that the fleet turns around. Some people prefer to come around the back and go after the destroyers that are much easier to sink, rather than deal with the heavy cruisers and battleship Yamato at the front of the fleet. I have no preference. Try to avoid wasting any torpedoes, they take forever to rearm. If you take too long, the Yamato and the cruisers will eventually start sinking your carriers with their main guns. This is a mission failure. 3. As you approach the enemy, you can see a bunch of orange secondary objective marker on the launch rails. These are a bunch of Rufe seaplane fighters. Try and hit one or two as they take off. You'll have to keep knocking these off at a fairly regular pace during the mission if you want any chance of getting ten of them before the fleet turns around. ******************************************************************************** 9d. The End of the Kido Butai ******************************************************************************** The battle of Leyte Gulf spelt the end for the Japanese "Kido Butai" or combined force. With the sinking of their last fleet carrier and the decimation of their remaining pilots, the writing was on the wall for the Japanese imperial ambitions. As this mission has both Air and sea targets, I usually go with a plane that has firepower and a decent bomb load - a Black Widow or a Hellcat. Tempest mark VI with the 47mm vickers tank killing guns can be useful for taking out air targets quickly also. OBJECTIVES: 1. Locate Japanese Fleet 2. Protect US carriers 3. *Destroy 20 Enemy Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Destroy Nishizawa Ace 5. Sink Enemy Carriers [Sink 2 Enemy Carriers] 6. *Sink 1 Enemy Cruiser. [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8 1. Take off and head for the waypoint. As you are flying out there, be prepared to turn to the right as a Japanese strike squadron appears. 2. You have to protect the carriers from this group. The leading group is of new Frank fighters and that is the first target you are given to take out. The second attack wave is comprised of Bettys, they will come in from the W. They will most likely manage to make it into your fleet and drop their loads, at least on the higher difficulty levels, you have to make sure you at least thin out 4-5 to reduce damage inflicted on the fleet. The third wave is a wave of Kamikazes - you will see them take out the USS Saint Lo in a cutscene. A succession of waves of scattered Judys and Franks come in over the next few minutes, take them all out. Watch out for the Franks, when you attack the Judys several of them will peel off and come after you. 3. If you can kill 20 fighters during this phase of the mission you will be awarded one bonus Upgrade Point. 4. A Japanese Ace will now challenge you in a cutscene. Take him out to move to the next section. He's not that tough, and has no special attacks, but is quite hard to hit. You can sic your wingmen onto him for added damage. After you've killed him, head N to the waypoint. 5. You can now see the enemy fleet in front of you. 2 Carriers are in the centre surrounded by escorts firing AA. The other squadrons will target 2 other carriers, your job is to sink the ones in front of you. It can be worth knocking off a few escorts quickly to reduce the AA coverage, but don't waste too much time. As soon as you've sunk the second Carrier, the mission will end. 6. Also in this areas are 2 Mogami class Heavy Cruisers, if you can sink one of them, you will be awarded one bonus Upgrade Point. You can sink the other one too, but you get no extra reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. IWO JIMA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, the end is now in sight, The last three missions are set over the island of Iwo Jima, one of the final strongholds barring the way between the Allied forces and the Japanese mainland. If you've just completed Philippines on ACE, you'll have unlocked the P80A Shooting Star, the first jet fighter the US produced. It's fast and has a good load of bombs and rockets, but lacks firepower being only armed with 6 x .50cal MGs. I'd stay with the heavier, tougher propeller based planes for these next few missions. ******************************************************************************** 10a. Kamikazes Inbound ******************************************************************************** Why anyone would want a dive bomber here is beyond me, stick to something that's got guns and a good ground attack capability. It's also worth getting something that has rockets as there's a lot of anti-betty action in this mission. In this mission you are defending the USS Saratoga from a concerted Japanese attack with Kamikazes, normal bombers, and 2000lb rocket-powered "Baka Bombs" being piloted by volunteers. OBJECTIVES: 1. Defend USS Saratoga 2. Intercept Kamikaze Zeros [Destroy 9 Zeros.] 3. *Destroy 100 Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Intercept Kamikaze Bakas [destroy 9 Bettys or Bakas] 5. Destroy 9 Judys 6. Intercept Kamikaze Bettys [Destroy 7 Bettys] 7. Intercept Kamikaze Vals [Destroy 9 Vals] 8. Intercept Kamikaze Bakas [Destroy 9 Bettys or Bakas] 9. Attack South Airfield 10. Destroy Grounded Franks [Destroy 18 Franks] 11. Destroy Grounded Zeros [Destroy 18 Zeros] 12. Destroy Grounded Judys [Destroy 18 Judys] 13. Destroy Airfield Control Tower. 14. Destroy Hangars [Destroy 3 Hangars] 15. Destroy Fuel Supplies [Destroy 7 Oil Tanks] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. You have to keep the USS Saratoga alive throughout this mission. Several attacks are launched on it and its escorts, try to keep them all alive as you need all the Flak coverage you can get. 2. The mission starts with a cutscene showing a Kamikaze taking out a US carrier. You must take off ASAP and get after the next wave of incoming Kamikazes that are coming in from the SSW. They have a couple of Frank escorts, don't ignore those guys or they will chop you to pieces. 3. During the course of this mission, if you can shoot down 100 enemies you will be awarded one bonus Upgrade Point. 4. The next wave is a V shaped formation of Betty Bombers carrying MXY-7 "Ohka" [Cherry Blossom] rocket-powered suicide gliders. Each one of these "baka bombs" as the Allies called them ["baka" means "stupid" in Japanese] carries a 2000lb high explosive warhead in the nose. After being launched from the Betty "mothership" they would glide to the target, engage their rockets and go into a 800kph terminal dive capable of sinking any US ship it hits. You best bet is to head out meet them and engage the Betty with rockets and guns before they can launch. Follow any that are launched and blast them before they get into your fleet. As you approach, a group of Franks is following up the Bettys. You can hit one or two of these before the Bettys arrive, but don't get too carried away. Use your wingmen to assist you. Don't charge directly into/through the Bettys as you will take a large amount of damage from the focus of all nine planes' defence gunners. I find approach from above or below, and from the side to get a good run along the V of the formation seems to work well. 5. A wave of Judys now comes in from the N, head out that way and go after them. There s a group of Franks off to the island side of them, these Franks will come after you once you attack the Judys. I recommend you go after them first or send your wingmen after them, if they focus on you you'll take a lot of damage. You can't afford to ignore any enemy that targets you here. And once you are going for the Judys, stay out of the focus of their rear gunners. 6. Now 7 Bettys will come from the S to attack the fleet. These Bettys are packed full of explosive and will try and ram you ships. Watch out for a Frank or two accompanying them. 7. The next wave is 9 old Vals, approaching from Iwo Jima. Wipe these guys out and get ready for the next group. 8. This next attack is tough - three separate groups of 3 Bettys, each carrying Bakas. They are coming in from the E, SW and NW of the fleet. Take out each group and once again try to avoid taking too much damage from gunners, by choosing your approach and attack angles carefully. If they launch [and they probably will] and you end up going after the bakas, careful when approaching from in front as they have an unexpectedly high closing speed and will often run into you. I usually go for the NW group, then the SE. 9. Now you are ordered to attack the airfield. There's three large groups of planes on the ground here, some well placed bombs and rockets can take out a large number on the ground. 10. The first group to attack is a group of 18 Franks which are beginning to take off. A few bombs will get the majority, finish the rest with strafing or bombs. 11. Now move on to the 18 Zeros parked nearby on the tarmac. 12. The final group are he Judy dive bombers parked near the hangars. 13. The last few objectives involve shutting this base down once and for all. First target is the control Tower, take it our and the AA gun next to it. 14. Your next ground targets are the 2 steel hangars and the nearby set of concrete revetments. 15. The final target in this mission is the 7 oil tanks dotted around the base. Blast these to complete the mission. ******************************************************************************** 10b. The Landing ******************************************************************************** In this mission you fly a heavy bomber, the B25 Mitchell, armed with the ground support package that includes a 75mm cannon. You should upgrade it, it's worth the points to get the extra rockets and armour. Set your weapons to ground attack mode. OBJECTIVES: 1. Mark Gun Bunkers [Fly over 10 Gun bunkers, drop flares.] 2. Destroy hangars [Destroy 4 hangars] 3. *Destroy 21 Grounded Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE] 4. Defend Landing Craft [Defend 12 Higgins Boats] 5. Destroy Shore Guns [Destroy 7 Shore guns.] 6. Defend the USS Missouri 7. Sink Kamikaze Mini-subs [destroy 5 Kaiten piloted torpedos] Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Take off from the Carrier and head for Iwo Jima, You will see a bunch of targets light up. These are large armoured gun batteries, and the only way to take them out is to mark each one with green smoke flares. Once this is done, the US battleships off the shore will pound the bunkers to rubble with their powerful 16" guns. Mark all 10 bunkers and try to avoid taking too much damage - it can be worth destroying any AA you see on the way. To drop a flare you have to be going right over the bunker, really slowly. Use warspeed in between targets, and brake hard. 2. You now have to launch attacks on the various air bases on the island. At each one, there is usually 1-2 steel hangars to destroy. Blast these however you see fit. 3. At each airfield, there are several grounded planes, often in concrete revetments or parked on taxiways. Blast these with your rockets and 75mm gun, in conjunction with your MGs. 4. You now must defend a wave of landing craft as they move in. A number of targets are assigned to you for this objective. Once the boats reach the shore, you will move onto objective 6. 5. First, you must destroy 7 shore guns along the S coast of the island. These can be gotten in one long pass along the beach from NE to SW. 6. Out at sea, periscopes have been spotted heading toward the US battleship Missouri. These are "kaiten" piloted torpedoes, each carrying a massive warhead guided by a volunteer pilot. You must defend the Missouri from these, if it is sunk, it's a mission fail. 7. There are five Kaitens converging in a circle on the Missouri. Take them all out with whatever weapon you choose to complete the mission. ******************************************************************************** 10c. Raise The Flag ******************************************************************************** The final mission of the game - you are given a Bearcat fighter here, which should immediately be upgraded to get the version that has 4 x 20mm cannon and the wicked paint job. In this you first have to attack an airfields defences to clear the way for a bombing run, then provide ground support to US troops climbing Mt. Suribachi. Set you guns to ground attack. Its a difficult mission to complete on ACE, mainly due to damage/attrition - you can often end up too wounded to survive the confrontation with the final Japanese Ace in his Shinden. You can try picking a heavier plane, such as a Black widow, but you need speed at the start of this mission to get over to the Northern Airfield in time. OBJECTIVES: 1. Fly to Iwo Jima 2. Destroy AA before B25s Arrive [Destroy 11 Guns around N. Airfield.] 3. Protect Airfield Buildings 4. Destroy Enemy Ground Forces [Destroy 30 tanks] 5. *Intercept Commander's Jeep [Destroy 3 Jeeps] 6. Protect Assault Vehicle 7. Protect Marine Advance to Mt. Suribachi. 8. Destroy Communications Centre 9. Destroy Power Station 10. Breach Fortress Wall 11. Destroy Ammo dump 12. Shoot Down Japanese Ace. Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7 1. Take off and fly to the waypoint, it will take you to Iwo Jima. 2. Once you arrive, you are given the target of taking out all the AA around the N airfield before US bombers launch a raid. It's a tight time limit, you may need to practice until you can hit them all in a smooth order. I usually start with the ones on the E shore before moving inland to the ones around the runways. As yo approach the island, you can see a runway in front of you with several Franks on it. I usually bomb this on my way to the first AA gun, but alternatively you can attack it once all the AA guns are down [if you get any spare time before the B25s arrive.] 3. the next objective you are given is to help US forces defend the S airfield. Several large groups of Japanese tanks are moving S to attack the US base. If you let them get too close, they will destroy US buildings which is a Mission Failure. 4. Take out the IJN tanks guys with large bombs while they are still concentrated, you can take out 14 at a time if you get to them before they separate. However you do it, keep blasting them until all are dead. 5. Three Jeeps, travelling in different directions, will now leave the burning ruins of the N airfield. Take them all out to earn one bonus Upgrade Point. 6. A truck full of marines leaves the US base and heads S along the central road. You have to protect this. The first 2 enemies that need blasting are 2 MG nests, one on either side of the road about halfway to the sea. All bad guys that are targets get objective markers. The next dangers are a pair of tank barriers, and on the other side 3 MG nests that have you under fire. 2 are near the wrecked armoured gun bunker, the other one is towards the NW coast. Finally, you must blast a complex of gates, guard towers and 2 MG nests that blocks the path on the Mt Suribachi. Careful you don't bomb your truck here. Shortly after this, the truck will hit a mine and the marines will move off on foot. 7. While you are doing this section and the rest of the level, at regular intervals a pair of Randys or Franks will turn up from the N. Watch out as their 30mm cannons can do a lot of damage at this level. This section is about speed - the faster you can kill enemy positions, the less damage your Marines will take. As the marines move along the path up the mountain, they will first encounter a MG nest on the overlooking slope that needs to be taken out. There are three AA guns up in the crater, you should take out the one sitting on the dirt - the other 2 are invulnerable [they are part of the "boss" for this area.] At regular intervals, Japanese Infantry [5 groups] will come out of the base and charge down the path at your Marines. Use guns to take these guys out, stay close to avoid leaving your troops exposed for too long. The 2nd MG post is next to the path, near the beach. 3rd MG nest is around the corner on the S tip of the island. The 4th MG nest is at the next turn in the path, up near the crater. The final MG is just at the crater entrance. Once you've cleared this, the base itself becomes a target. 8. Try and finish these targets as quickly as possible, damage on the Marine is piling up. Drop bombs on the Communications Centre to the R of the crater until it dies - should take 3 x 1000lb bombs or 5-6 x 500lb bombs. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DROP ON THE MARINES! 9. Now do the Power Station on the LH side of the crater. This should reduce the amount of Flak you are taking. 10. Finally, smash a hole in the fortress wall with 3-4 1000lb bombs. This will open up a hole right through to the ammo dump. 11. Now, get a bomb or several rockets the breach to set off a cutscene showing the base being destroyed, and the marines heading for the summit. They will no come under attack by Shun Ogawa, the final Japanese Ace. You jump in to take on the advanced Japanese fighter [J7W Shinden] and the final fight of the game begins. 12. The Shinden has 4 x 30mm cannons and a load of rockets, it turns hard and fights aggressively. There is no good strategy for killing it except "fly hard" - remember to get out of the way if you see it coming towards you with guns and rockets blazing. Once you've killed it, the game ends. It is possible for the other US planes on this level to get involved, but not reliably. It's a help when it happens however. Watch out that it doesn't try to suck you into diving towards it, it has a tendency to pull up sharply and if you're in a heavy plane, SPLAT! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFTERMATH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've just completed Iwo Jima on ACE, you've unlocked the "Blohm & Voss PV.215" - a German X-plane that was under construction at the end of the war. A wicked little jet fighter in upgraded form, with 6 x 30mm cannon and a rear turret with 2 x 20mm. Now all of the Japanese planes are unlocked for single player play. If you've been playing ACE level Single player only and not upgrading the Japanese Planes, you should have 70-80 upgrade points left over after you complete the game. Spend all these on your new Axis Planes, and you'll still have 6 points left over. Congratulations! You made it! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR/CREDITS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by Dr. Gonzo, who may or may not in fact be the Lead Designer of this game. V1.0 Completed on 5th November 2005. Thanks To Simon and Grigor for additional notes. Fly on!