Battlestations: Midway/Battle of the Vella Gulf

American Objectives
 * Destroy the Japanese Shipyards

Japanese Objectives
 * Destroy the American Shipyards

This battle is very similar to Steel Monsters, but the difference is that this battle features a lot of fast, light units versus the larger, more powerful ones of Steel Monsters. This battle features a LOT of PT boats, with each player having two to start with. Unfortunately there is no way of regaining them once they're down.

Each player is given a cruiser and two PT boats. The two players controlling the shipyards can deploy a destroyer each. Considering there are over 30 destroyers in reserve, this makes destroyers extremely expendable.

American Strategy
The Americans have a PT boat advantage - their Elcos can easily sink Gyoraiteis. Additionally their Elcos are more effective against ships - they can fire four torpedoes while the Gyoraitei can only deploy two. Unfortunately it is hard to use this to your advantage.

The first thing is, as with most multiplayer games, is to sink that which cannot be easily replaced. This namely refers to the enemy cruisers - once they're down, the enemy will be unable to deploy anything heavier than destroyers at you (which, in this map, are actually quite heavy).

The Japanese Kuma-class cruisers are quite easy targets for patrol boats, especially when captained by an inexperienced player who uses AA guns on them. The Kuma class, unfortunately, lacks flak cannons. Since it only sports machine guns, you can counterattack their machine guns with your own to protect yourself while you set yourself up with a torpedo run. Their artillery will then be your main threat, but the enemy will have a hard time hitting your small, swift, Elco.

That said, the enemy Tone-class heavy cruisers are something different. They have flak guns and are more like the Cleaveland-class cruiser than initially meets the eye. The best way to attack the Tone is to, as always, hit it from behind. If you can get a PT boat behind the Tone, it will be completely unable to hit you or turn away while you pound it with torpedoes. Enemy destroyers, however, can easily pick you off while you do this.

Japanese Strategy
The Japanese have one advantage they must use to their fullest to win. Don't fight PT boat to PT boat - you'll lose most of the time.

The advantage you must exploit are your massive amounts of torpedoes. All your ships carry them, whereas only the Cleaveland-class light cruisers and the Elco PTs carry them. The trick, therefore, is to get in as close as you can to the York-class - the American (or British, rather) heavy cruisers and torpedo spam until they go down. Meanwhile, your Gyoraiteis can harass (but probably not sink) the Cleavelands.

Always keep in mind though that the shipyards are your priority - if you can, punch through the enemy lines and hit their shipyard to reduce the number of destroyers they can field. Any damage done to them is permanent, so fire away while you can.

Torpedoes are often best used in the narrow straits where there is little room to manoeuvre. Additionally torpedoes can be reloaded at the shipyards when you need to, so go ahead and expend them. Never let a ship go down with torpedoes in its bays.