Battlestations: Pacific/The Road to Hawaii

In the alternate timeline that is the Japanese campaign, this map introduces the Japanese to kamikaze aircraft.

Primary Objectives

• Assist in the capture of Alpha Base.
• Down all C-47s before they deploy paratroopers.
• Kamikaze the USS Dorothea L. Dix and the American LST.
• Kamikaze the enemy ammunition ship.

Secondary Objectives

• Sink the freighters USS Knox and USS Ormsby.

Hidden Objectives

• Destroy the enemy radio station and all defences on its island.

The westernmost island contains your secret objective.

Limited Respawns

Your squadron will respawn only a few times; if you use up all your aircraft, you will fail the mission. Considering your aircraft will not always immediately turn into kamikazes (see below), you'll want to conserve your planes as much as possible.

The mission first seems fairly straightforward - assist the invasion force. In an A6M Zero (or a Shinden) your objective is to eliminate as many targets as possible. Target all defences near the enemy base to pave the way for Daihatsus to take the island. Amongst the targets include batteries, patrol boats, and various air defences. Destroy as many highlighted targets as possible, and let the Daihatsus handle the rest.

Flying west over the island, you can locate a pair of freighters attempting to escape. These freighters are completely unarmed, aside from a single machine gun each, and can be strafed easily for the silver medal.

Patch 1.2

The radio tower is correctly labelled "Radio tower" instead of "Unknown Building" as of Patch 1.2.

This is also the ideal time to eliminate the radio station. You have access to your tactical map - search the small island chain for a large tower labelled "Unknown Building" and destroy it. Check the rest of the island and neutralize all air defences on it as well for the gold medal. Ensure none remain standing - use your TacMap and order your squadron to target each air defence battery in turn and destroy it.

Late Kamikazes

Following the TBF Avenger cutscene, your aircraft may not seem to turn into kamikaze aircraft. Ram the landing ships anyway.

Once the enemy base has been captured, the enemy begins deploying C-47s from the west and south in an attempt to recapture your newly acquired base. Make use of the Full Throttle power to zip across the map in a hurry and disable the C-47s. There are two waves of C-47s with three C-47s per wave. Each is escorted by a squad of Lightnings. Try not to waste time dogfighting the Lightnings - make head-on passes to eliminate one or two, then chase down the Skytrains.

Gotcha now!!

The enemy fleet goes out with a bang.

Around this time, a cutscene kicks in. A squad of TBF Avengers charges the carrier Kaga, shattering its flight deck. Your superiors, faced with the imminent capture of the island via a troop transport and an LST, give the order to kamikaze both ships and secure the island. This should be a no-brainer - simply fly your aircraft into the enemy transports to proceed. Also on site is the USS Iowa - ignore it. Your priority targets are the USS Dorothea L. Dix and its LST escort. You only have a few squadrons to complete the mission with, so don't bother targeting the Iowa.

The rest of the fleet, apparently inspired by your "skill and determination", orders your group to kamikaze the main enemy fleet - consisting of the USS Yorktown, the USS Enterprise, and an ammunition ship carelessly sandwiched in between. This is the hardest part of the mission, as enemy anti-aircraft fire can bring down lone kamikaze aircraft easily. This is why it is important to hang onto your aircraft during the first few phases. A single kamikaze aircraft, however, can quickly ram the ammunition ship. The resulting explosion annihilates the two enemy carriers, completing the mission.