Battlestations: Midway/Battle of the Phillipines

American Objectives
 * Sink the Soryū
 * Destroy the airfield

Japanese Objectives
 * Sink the enemy carriers

You're quite evenly matched on this one, but the Japanese have a slight disadvantage in that they have an airfield which can't be moved. Additionally, movement for the Japanese is restricted in the many small islands until the Soryū moves out into open waters.

American Strategy
The Americans have the entire western side of the map uncontested, so they should take full advantage of this mobility and combine the two fleets to provide mutual protection from Japanese air raids. Always beware of the enemy submarine that spawns to the northeast of the northern fleet. Destroy it a few air-dropped depth charges or, if you're a sub-hunting ace, with a destroyer.

Once the two fleets are combined, you can have the destroyers move in on the enemy bases. Oftentimes the commander of the western US fleet will send a destroyer through the straits to attack the carrier from behind. While potentially devastating, it requires a lot of luck and distraction. If the enemy knows you're coming, they'll redirect everything you have and you'll be down a destroyer.

Target the carrier when you can with what bombers you can muster. Alternatively you can target the airfield, which isn't going anywhere, and reduce the enemy air power in half. Later, however, you'll have to hunt down the enemy carrier, which lengthens the match and thus gives the enemy a chance to catch up. Either way this is one heck of a naval/air battle, and all warships on this map have excellent anti-aircraft.

Japanese Strategy
The US is divided in two groups, so rally up a battle group with the airfield player and, if you're feeling lucky, launch a preemptive raid on one of the enemy fleets. They'll become almost impossible to take down once they merge up, so cause what damage you can.

Be careful of being attacked from the back by an American destroyer. The US players will often do this to try and get rid of the Soryū early. Don't let this happen and move the carrier out into open waters where it has plenty of room to manoeuvre.

If you spot a lot of planes headed your way, it's best to assume they're bombers and put up a massive fighter screen to nullify them. Then you can have the destroyers move in to take down the enemy carriers - similar to combined arms in other strategy games (which entails combining infantry and tanks for mutual protection).

If you can sink one of the enemy carriers and keep both your airbase and your carrier alive, then the battle severely tilts in your favour.

In the likely event you move the Soryū though, whatever you do, sacrifice a destroyer to stay with it. You need its sonar to detect the submarine the enemy will ultimately send at you. Destroyers aren't manoeuvrable as planes, so you'll want to use the destroyer's sonar to spot the target, then have your Judy dive bombers strike the sub down.

Also keep in mind that the carriers are your primary objective - try not to send too many dive bombers after the destroyers.