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Primary Objectives

  • Destroy all Zeroes
  • At least one Lightning must survive (to eliminate all Zeroes)
  • USS Enterprise and USS Iowa must survive
  • Sink the enemy cargo flotilla and all escorting warships

Secondary Objectives

  • Destroy all Heavy Fortresses before the Iowa arrives (10 minutes)

Hidden Objectives

  • Destroy all enemy airfields

This mission is quite easy, and is essentially the American version of Might of the Yamato.

Struck by Lightning[edit]

Lightnings are to Zeros as sharks are to salmon.

Your first task is to take three squadrons of P-38s and engage a massive air force of Zeroes. The first thing you'll notice though is that the P-38 handles smoothly - very smoothly. It also has an ungodly turn radius, and is extremely small to boot. Its twin-tails leave a gaping hole that allows enemy fire to pass through it. Its wings are short and stubby, preventing them from being an easy target.

In short, this is a walk in the park.

Treat this like you would any other dogfight - down all the enemy aircraft while keeping at least one of your planes alive (for now). Don't worry about anything else - just bask in the glory that is the Lightning. You'll never want to fly Wildcats or even Zeroes after experiencing the Lightning.

Take down all ten squads of Zeroes to move onto the next phase.

The Enterprise[edit]

SBDs can safely bomb the heavy fortresses.

Your next task is, so it seems, to eliminate all heavy fortresses before the Iowa arrives. Your Lightnings are still in the area, and they become very useful around this time to protect the Enterprise and your SBDs from air attack. Lightnings eat Zeroes for breakfast, as you previously saw, so just send them at the target you want down and they'll annihilate it.

In the meantime, start launching dive bombers and send them directly towards the enemy Heavy fortresses. They look like ordinary fortresses, but are bigger, badder, and generally a bigger pain. They can cause quite a lot of damage to the Iowa, so don't try using destroyers against them. About two squads of SBDs can take care of a fortress.

Destroyers always make for good screens against enemy air.

In the meantime, you'll notice you've received a ton of reinforcements from the south in the form of one carrier, a destroyer, a heavy cruiser and three battleships. Unfortunately you won't be controlling these, but they remain useful in distracting the enemy to the south instead of towards you. In fact, you shouldn't have to even bother escorting the Enterprise at all, especially if you manage to destroy the enemy airfields. Worst case scenario, you can keep a squad of Lightnings surrounding it. You can always head south toward the two friendly battleships to rely on their protection as well.

Speaking of the airfields, the first thing you'll notice is that there are three on the map. One the reinforcements quickly takes care of, and another is in shelling distance of the Iowa when it arrives. The final airfield is away from the battle, so you're going to need to deploy dive bombers against it. Fortunately, once the Enterprise is done taking out the enemy fortresses (generally two squads per fortress, although possibly more - if you can't see the fortresses on the map at first, zoom in to maximum view in order to see them.) have it send all four squads of dive bombers at the farthest enemy airfield in order to complete the hidden objective. Escort them, naturally, with Lightnings - their usefulness is outshone only by the Iowa.

While the Iowa is blowing things up, launch divebombers against destroyers - aiming at the magazines - to lower the number of torpedoes the enemy can launch at the Iowa.

The Great Iowa Turkey Shoot[edit]

A Japanese cruiser is sunk before it can even return fire.
A Kuma tries to attack the Iowa, without much luck.

Once the fortresses are done, the Iowa moves in and you're given command of her and her two escorting destroyers. By now the Japanese have realized that the Iowa is a bigger threat than the Enterprise could ever be, so they'll send bombers against the Iowa instead. If you've taken out the far airfield, then good. If not, now's the time to do so.

All you have to do now is lodge as many rounds as you can into the enemy ships and send them to the bottom. If you've played Might of the Yamato already, you'll know what to do. Simply sail in and blast everything to pieces. Use those three massive world-resounding cannons to sink the heavy cruisers at long distance, and once you're close the only thing that can hurt you are torpedoes.

Once you smash the enemy convoy, then all that's left is to mop up the enemy escort fleet to call it a day.