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(The Enterprise strikes back!)
 
(Initial entry. Still needs to be edited for improved reading in parts. Working on screenshots now.)
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Battle of Santa Cruz
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If this is your first time through the campaign and you're going for a gold medal, it's not recommended that you upgrade your Northampton to an Atlanta. Yes, you will be facing several squadrons of aircraft, but the Northampton and her 8" artillery guns are a much better choice when you're face-to-face with the Vanguard Force -- A flotilla of three Japanese battleships, escorted by two destroyers. In order to earn the Gold Medal, you'll need to sink at least one of the Battleships.
{{sidebar|float=right|width=175px|title=Unit Unlock|contents=Complete this mission to unlock the '''Allen M. Sumner''' advanced destroyer.}}
'''Primary Objectives'''
*Sink the Japanese Carrier ''Junyo''.
*Sink the Japanese Carrier ''Zuiho''.


Primary Objectives
'''Hidden Objectives'''
*Sink a Battleship from the Vanguard Force.


1. Sink the Japanese carrier Juyo.
==Protecting the ''Big E''==
2. Seek & destroy the Japanese carrier Zuiho.
You begin the mission with minimum control over the ''USS Enterprise''. She's being escorted by three Clemson-class destroyers (''Preston'', ''Maury'', and ''Cushing''), and is about to come under attack from Japanese strike planes.


Secondary Objectives.
Immediately launch two squads of Wildcat fighters and direct them in a northern direction from the ''Enterprise''. Eventually two squads of enemy attack planes will show up on radar. Send both of your Wildcat squads to take them out. Repeat for the next wave of the attack.
{{sidebar|float=left|width=210px|title=TBM Avengers|contents=For subsequent playthroughs of this mission, it's recommended you upgrade your Grumman TBF Avenger to their much-improved counterpart, the General Motors TBM Avenger. Armed with Tiny Tim rockets, they are, by far, the most effecient way to eliminate every enemy ship on this map. Do this on veteran, and you earn the ''"Take No Prisoners"'' achievement.
}}After the second wave is shot from the skies, you're notified that a friendly recon plane has spotted the ''Junyo'', and her two escort destroyers the ''Hayashio'' and ''Kuroshio''. At this point the Enterprise will now have four aircroft slots from which you can launch planes, and you are now able to man her flak guns.


None.
If you're playing on the Regular difficulty, you can land (or ditch into the ocean if you don't feel like waiting) both Wildcat squadrons, and put up nothing but attack planes to send towards the ''Junyo'' and sink her with a combined strike of Dauntlesses and Avengers. However, on Veteran difficulty, your attack planes will be ripped to shreds from a combination of the AA fire from the three ships, as well as the single squad of A6M Zero's that is constantly flying CAP around the Japanese Carrier.  


Hidden Objectives.
If you're playing on Veteran (without the TBM Avenger), leave at least one squad of Wildcats in the air. Right as you send in your attack aircraft for a bombing or torpedo run, have your squad of wildcats move ahead in front and target the Zeros. Even if your wildcats get shot down, this will distract the fighters long enough to keep them off your Avenger and Dauntless squads. Repeat until ''Junyo'' sinks beneath the waves.  


1. Sink a battleships from the Vanguard Force.
Once ''Juyo is sunk, the Battleship ''South Dakota'', and her two escort ships will arrive and be under you control. Immediately within range, are the Japanese heavy cruisers ''Takao'' and ''Tone''. Sink them both.  


Tip.
Direct your battleship and her escorts due north of their current position. You're going to cut off the "Zuiho'' before she can escape off of the eastern-most side of the map.  


If you have unlocked the Allen M. Sumner Class Destroyer (DD) choose it at the Unit Selection screen as it will give you superior anti air defense for the upcoming fight.
At this point you'll see a numerous number of incoming Japanese aircraft, all targeting your ''Enterprise''. Man your flak and shoot as many as you can down, applying damage control where neccessary.  


Once the scenario starts, immediately launch 2 Wildcat's for CAP (Combat Air Patrol). Use them to shoot down the incoming two waves of enemy bombers and then set them to defend your ships.After the last bomber in the 2nd wave is shot down, launch 1 Dauntless Dive bomber and 1 Avenger and send both of them to attack the Junyo as soon as she is spotted. By using a mix of low altitude torpedo planes and higher level dive bombers you force the enemy to split their fire and their CAP fighters to pursue two separate groups at two different altitudes.
==Scuttling the ''Hornet'' & Wounding the ''Vanguard Force''==
Around this time, you'll recieve a radio message that the ''Hornet'' has been critically damage. After she's been evacuated, you're charged with the task of scuttling her, so as to not let her fall into the hands of the Japanese. Take control of one of the two destroyers which are situated on either side of your now-barren carrier, and fire a full salvo of torpedoes into the ''Hornet's'' hull. Once she goes down, you will have unlocked the ''"Queen Sacrifice"'' achievement.


You need to replace your fighters with bombers, so as your attack aircraft are dealing with the Juno, issue orders to your Wildcats to land on the carrier one at a time. Or order your fighters to attack the CAP fighters over the Juyo (they will be shot down in short order, but you will probably take some of the enemy fighters with you) Or if you are impatient and do not mind killing your own men, you can crash all your fighters into the ocean. . After the first Wildcat has landed (or been destroyed) order up a Avenger and another Dauntless. Now you should have 2 Avengers and 2 Dauntless, do not worry much about air attack on your ships, as the Destroyer screen along with the AAA (Anti Aircraft Artillery) from the Enterprise should make short work of most of the incoming enemy aircraft.
Move your western-most fleet due north, and launch up four squadrons of your choice of attack planes from the Big E, and send them twoards the far northwestern side of the map. This is where the Japanese ''Vanguard Force'' will eventually appear. All you need is to do is sink a single one of the Battleships to accomplish the hidden objective for this mission. Do this with a combination of your aircraft, and your west-most fleet led by the ''Northampton''.


The Cruiser Takao and Tone will attack you now, so just use your aircraft to sink them. You also have the Battleship South Dakota, Cruiser San Juan, and destroyer Smith to aid you here. Next you should spot the approaching Cruiser Chikuma along with 3 escort Destroyers. Send all your attack aircraft to sink the Cruiser, and have your Battleship and 2 escorting ships intercept the incoming ships and sink them. Also you are going to be harassed by a lot of enemy aircraft, but your AAA on your ships should do well enough at keeping them at bay.
If you're not going for the ''"Take No Prisoners"'' achievement, then after you sink a Vanguard battleship it's relatively smooth-sailing. The final target, the Japanese carrier ''Zuiho'', will be cut off by the ''South Dakota'' you sent north earlier in the mission. Ignoring each one of her escort ships, fire salvo after salvo until , and your work is done .


At some point you will get a radio message stating that the Carrier Hornet has taken a hit and is dead in the water. The Hornet is flanked by 2 Destroyers that are now under your command. Have one of them put a few torpedoes into the Hornet to sink her, then have the destroyers join the Carrier Enterprise screening force.


Soon after sinking the Hornet you should have control of 5 ships led by the Cruiser Northampton along with 2 other Cruisers and 2 Destroyers. Keep them in the area where you found them and send all your attack aircraft to the area to find the enemy Battleships and sink them for the Hidden Objective. '''(Important: if you want to complete the Hidden Objective so you can get the Gold Metal, sink the enemy Battleships BEFORE you sink the Carrier Zuiho!)''' Once you spot the enemy armada, focus all your air and sea power that you have in the area on a specific Battleship until it is sunk, then focus on the next, and the next, until they are all sunk. If you do not focus your attack, the enemy Battleships will chew you up in short order. Let the A.I. handle the path your Carrier takes, as it will keep you away from the threat of the enemy Battleships.
{{Footer Nav|game=Battlestations: Pacific|prevpage=Battle of Cape Esperance|nextpage=Defence of Henderson Field}}
 
Once the Battleships are sunk send all your attack aircraft north in search of the Carrier Zuiho and bomb & torpedo her till she slips beneath the waves.
 
Congratulations, you have just beat the Japanese in the Battle of Santa Cruz and completed all the objectives for a Gold Metal!

Revision as of 18:17, 25 May 2009

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This page is a work in progress. It has sections which are incomplete or currently under construction. If you have knowledge of this game or subject, you can either help by editing it to add to or improve the page, or discussing it on the talk page.

If this is your first time through the campaign and you're going for a gold medal, it's not recommended that you upgrade your Northampton to an Atlanta. Yes, you will be facing several squadrons of aircraft, but the Northampton and her 8" artillery guns are a much better choice when you're face-to-face with the Vanguard Force -- A flotilla of three Japanese battleships, escorted by two destroyers. In order to earn the Gold Medal, you'll need to sink at least one of the Battleships.

Unit Unlock
Complete this mission to unlock the Allen M. Sumner advanced destroyer.

Primary Objectives

  • Sink the Japanese Carrier Junyo.
  • Sink the Japanese Carrier Zuiho.

Hidden Objectives

  • Sink a Battleship from the Vanguard Force.

Protecting the Big E

You begin the mission with minimum control over the USS Enterprise. She's being escorted by three Clemson-class destroyers (Preston, Maury, and Cushing), and is about to come under attack from Japanese strike planes.

Immediately launch two squads of Wildcat fighters and direct them in a northern direction from the Enterprise. Eventually two squads of enemy attack planes will show up on radar. Send both of your Wildcat squads to take them out. Repeat for the next wave of the attack.

TBM Avengers
For subsequent playthroughs of this mission, it's recommended you upgrade your Grumman TBF Avenger to their much-improved counterpart, the General Motors TBM Avenger. Armed with Tiny Tim rockets, they are, by far, the most effecient way to eliminate every enemy ship on this map. Do this on veteran, and you earn the "Take No Prisoners" achievement.

After the second wave is shot from the skies, you're notified that a friendly recon plane has spotted the Junyo, and her two escort destroyers the Hayashio and Kuroshio. At this point the Enterprise will now have four aircroft slots from which you can launch planes, and you are now able to man her flak guns.

If you're playing on the Regular difficulty, you can land (or ditch into the ocean if you don't feel like waiting) both Wildcat squadrons, and put up nothing but attack planes to send towards the Junyo and sink her with a combined strike of Dauntlesses and Avengers. However, on Veteran difficulty, your attack planes will be ripped to shreds from a combination of the AA fire from the three ships, as well as the single squad of A6M Zero's that is constantly flying CAP around the Japanese Carrier.

If you're playing on Veteran (without the TBM Avenger), leave at least one squad of Wildcats in the air. Right as you send in your attack aircraft for a bombing or torpedo run, have your squad of wildcats move ahead in front and target the Zeros. Even if your wildcats get shot down, this will distract the fighters long enough to keep them off your Avenger and Dauntless squads. Repeat until Junyo sinks beneath the waves.

Once Juyo is sunk, the Battleship South Dakota, and her two escort ships will arrive and be under you control. Immediately within range, are the Japanese heavy cruisers Takao and Tone. Sink them both.

Direct your battleship and her escorts due north of their current position. You're going to cut off the "Zuiho before she can escape off of the eastern-most side of the map.

At this point you'll see a numerous number of incoming Japanese aircraft, all targeting your Enterprise. Man your flak and shoot as many as you can down, applying damage control where neccessary.

Scuttling the Hornet & Wounding the Vanguard Force

Around this time, you'll recieve a radio message that the Hornet has been critically damage. After she's been evacuated, you're charged with the task of scuttling her, so as to not let her fall into the hands of the Japanese. Take control of one of the two destroyers which are situated on either side of your now-barren carrier, and fire a full salvo of torpedoes into the Hornet's hull. Once she goes down, you will have unlocked the "Queen Sacrifice" achievement.

Move your western-most fleet due north, and launch up four squadrons of your choice of attack planes from the Big E, and send them twoards the far northwestern side of the map. This is where the Japanese Vanguard Force will eventually appear. All you need is to do is sink a single one of the Battleships to accomplish the hidden objective for this mission. Do this with a combination of your aircraft, and your west-most fleet led by the Northampton.

If you're not going for the "Take No Prisoners" achievement, then after you sink a Vanguard battleship it's relatively smooth-sailing. The final target, the Japanese carrier Zuiho, will be cut off by the South Dakota you sent north earlier in the mission. Ignoring each one of her escort ships, fire salvo after salvo until , and your work is done .