Choosing your aircraft. Each mission lists a recommended aircraft. It's the one the mission was designed around. Most missions let you choose any aircraft from your side. Guns can't hurt ships, so missions where you have to sink a ship only offer aircraft that carry bombs or a torpedo; the P-38 and P-40 carry neither and don't appear in them.
United States missions
Flight Training
Fly the nav ring, gun the two drones, bomb the hulk, return to base. Nothing here shoots back.
Objectives
- Fly through the NAV RING. It's about 1.9 km straight ahead, and a blue diamond points to it.
- Destroy both target drones: two unarmed Zeros, about 3 km north, a little higher than you.
- Bomb the moored hulk, a stationary cargo ship about 2.7 km to the north-north-west.
- Return to HOME BASE, about 1.1 km behind you (south).
Tips
- Do the objectives in order, and don't turn back toward home until the first three are ticked. Entering the home zone ends the mission straight away.
- Use the drones to learn the lead pipper. Get behind one, put the amber pipper on your sight, and fire short bursts.
- The hulk needs two bomb hits from the Wildcat. Make a shallow dive toward it with the orange IMPACT circle on the ship, press B, and pull up. Your bombs don't run out, so keep trying until it sinks.
- This is also a good time to try the cockpit view (C) and the look keys.
Torpedo Training
A practice hulk holds a slow patrol course north of here. Torpedoes are unlimited: take the Avenger in low and slow, lead the target the way the LEAD marker shows, and put it in her hull.
Objectives
None. It's open practice. The target is a large, very tough hulk (it won't sink quickly) steaming slowly north-north-east, 2.5 km ahead of you. Press R to start the run again.
Tips
- You start at 160 m. Ease down to 50–80 m straight away, and keep your speed under 378 km/h. The Avenger comes down slowly, so start early.
- Put the amber LEAD diamond on your sight, not the ship, and release at 300–800 m.
- Watch the torpedo's wake to see whether your lead was right. Then try from different angles: across her bow, from behind, and head-on.
- Try releasing too high on purpose and read the kill-feed message, so you'll recognise it under fire.
Solomons Patrol
Two A6M2 Zeros are inbound on the fleet anchorage from the north. Intercept and destroy both before they reach the naval zone.
Objectives
- Destroy both Zeros.
- Keep the Zeros out of the FLEET ANCHORAGE zone. The mission fails the moment either one enters it.
What you'll face
Two Zeros about 5 km north, slightly above you, heading straight for the fleet. The fleet zone is just behind you, so you have almost no space to give up.
Tips
- Fly north straight away at full throttle and climb a little. Meet them as far from the fleet as possible.
- Don't try to out-turn a Zero in a Wildcat. Fire on the head-on pass, keep going, then turn back once you have some distance.
- It's two against two. Let your wingman take one Zero while you work on the other, and if you get into trouble, fly toward your wingman.
- If a fight drifts south toward the fleet, deal with it quickly. A Zero that's only chasing you can still wander into the zone.
Coral Sea Strike
An enemy convoy is steaming for the anchorage. Sink at least one of the two transports (the destroyer escort is a bonus if you have bombs to spare), then return to Task Force 17.
Objectives
- Sink at least one transport, MARU 1 or MARU 2. The destroyer (ESCORT) doesn't count.
- Return to TASK FORCE 17, 2.5 km south of your start.
What you'll face
No fighters and no guns firing at you. The convoy is 3.7–4 km north, moving slowly. You start at 2,400 m, which is a perfect height for dive-bombing.
Tips
- One direct hit from the Dauntless sinks a transport, so its four bombs leave plenty spare for the second transport or the destroyer, which usually needs two. A Wildcat, Corsair or Hellcat has two bombs and needs both on the same transport. An Avenger's torpedo sinks one on its own.
- Use T to put the target box on a transport. Your wingman flies with you but doesn't bomb, so the sinking is all yours.
- Fly until the target is almost below your nose, roll in to a steep dive, put the IMPACT circle on the deck, release, and pull out. Don't leave the pull-out too late: the Dauntless is heavy.
- Don't head home until a transport has gone down. Entering the Task Force 17 zone ends the mission straight away, and it only counts as a win once the objective is ticked.
Dusk Strike
At last light, strike the Japanese anchorage. Their ships are vulnerable, but fighters will scramble quickly. Dive-bomb the cargo ships and neutralise the parked aircraft on the northern shelf. Your wingman will provide cover.
Objectives
- Sink the ships. At least one ship has to go down.
- Destroy all the parked enemy aircraft ashore.
What you'll face
The anchorage is about 2 km south-west of you, and every ship is stationary. There are two cargo ships, a destroyer and a battleship, with four Zeros parked on the shore nearby, each in a camouflaged revetment. The netting hides them from a distance, but it doesn't stop bullets. Two airborne Zeros start behind you to the north-north-east. Your Wildcat wingmen start well ahead of you, so for the first minute you're on your own.
Tips
- Check behind you (/) early. The Zeros come from behind, and they're the only thing that can end this mission.
- Your ammunition and bombs are unlimited, so there's no penalty for missing. A cargo ship is the easiest to sink.
- The parked Zeros are fragile. One short strafing burst each will do it. Line up several in a row and hit them all in one pass.
- A Dauntless sinks ships much faster than a Hellcat, but a Hellcat is far better against the Zeros. Choose based on which part you find harder.
- Leave the friendly truck on the shore alone. It's on your side and isn't a target.
Fleet Defense
Radar plots a strike package inbound on Task Force 58: Val dive bombers and a Kate torpedo bomber, with Zero escort. Get the Hellcat between them and the fleet, and shoot down the bombers before they reach release range, whatever it costs the escort.
Objectives
- Destroy the whole strike package, all five aircraft.
- Keep them off TASK FORCE 58. Any enemy aircraft entering the zone fails the mission.
What you'll face
Five aircraft about 5 km north: two Vals at 1,300 m, the Kate lower at 1,100 m, and two Zeros above them at 1,500 m. The fleet zone begins only about 100 m behind you.
Tips
- Go north immediately and climb. You need to meet them far from the fleet.
- Bombers first. The Vals and the Kate fly straight at the fleet, so they're easy to hit from behind. The Zeros can only fail the mission for you if they enter the zone, and they're usually busy chasing you.
- The Kate flies lowest and slowest. Don't lose track of it while you're fighting higher up.
- Don't turn with the Zeros. Use the Hellcat's speed, and let your wingman keep them busy while you go after the bombers.
- With the bombers down, clear up the escort at your own pace. Keep the fight north of the fleet.
Bougainville Sweep
Fighter sweep ahead of the strike groups. Two Ki-43 Oscars are reported over the channel. Clear them out.
Objectives
- Destroy both Oscars. There's no zone to protect and no return to base: the mission ends when they're down.
What you'll face
Two Oscars about 5 km north, slightly above you. The Oscar is the most agile aircraft in the game, and it's also the most fragile.
Tips
- This is the mission where you really learn boom and zoom. Climb above them, dive, fire a short burst as you pass, and keep your speed up as you climb away. Don't follow an Oscar into a turn, because you will lose.
- Oscars break apart after a few hits, so a short, accurate burst is enough.
- If one gets behind you, dive and accelerate away. The Corsair is nearly 180 km/h faster.
- Keep your wingman in the fight. Two against two is much easier than you on your own against two.
Airfield Strike
A volcanic island north of the patrol line hides a forward airstrip on its flat northern shelf, in the shadow of the peak at its southern tip. Strafe and bomb the three Zeros lined up beside the runway, then fight off the scrambling CAP before you RTB.
Objectives
- Destroy the three Zeros parked in a row along the north edge of the runway.
- Return to the TASK FORCE zone.
What you'll face
The airstrip is about 2 km ahead of you (south). Two Zeros patrol beyond it, about 5 km out. Only the three Zeros on the strip count. The hangars, huts, control tower, flak guns, trucks and the Zero in its revetment are scenery you can shoot up if you like. The ground units don't fire back, but the Zeros will.
Tips
- Deal with the fighters first, while you still have height and speed. Then come down for the airfield once the sky is clear.
- The three Zeros sit in a line along the runway, so one strafing pass down the strip can catch all of them. Each goes down after a short burst. Keep your bombs for a second pass if you miss.
- T steps through just the three Zeros that count, so use it to find the one you missed.
- The volcano's southern slope rises quickly. Don't circle low near it after a strafing run.
Ground Support
Recon spotted a motor-pool convoy dispersed alongside the airstrip on the northern island. Strafe and bomb the trucks and armour, then clear off the Zero CAP covering the field before you RTB.
Objectives
- Destroy the motor-pool convoy: four trucks and a building.
- Clear the Zero CAP (both Zeros).
- Return to the TASK FORCE zone, which is just behind you where you start.
What you'll face
The motor pool is about 1 km ahead of you, to the west-south-west. Two Zeros start about 4.4 km behind you (east), and their patrol takes them to the convoy. That means they'll arrive while you're busy strafing.
Tips
- You have two options, and both work. You can strafe quickly before the Zeros arrive, since the trucks are close. Or you can turn and meet the Zeros first, with your two Corsairs, while you still have your height.
- Trucks break up after a short burst, and you don't need bombs for them. Use the bombs on the building.
- If you're jumped during a strafing pass, pull up and fight straight away. The trucks aren't going anywhere.
- You start close to the home zone. Don't fly back over it until all three objectives are done.
Operation Vengeance
Intelligence has fixed Admiral Yamamoto's flight over Bougainville. You and your wingman have one fast pass to reach the bomber before its three Zero escorts can pin you down. The G4M Betty is the target. Break away once it is down.
Objectives
- Destroy Yamamoto's G4M Betty. It's the only objective, and the mission ends when it goes down, even if every escort is still flying.
What you'll face
The Betty is about 5.5 km straight ahead at 1,800 m, flying away from you. The three Zeros fly a little closer and higher, at around 1,950 m.
Tips
- Stay at full throttle. The P-38 is much faster than the Betty and will catch it quickly.
- Climb a little as you close in, so that you attack the Betty from slightly above. Diving through gives you speed to escape the escort.
- The Betty is big, slow and tough. Get close behind it and hold a long, steady burst on it rather than spraying from a distance.
- If the Zeros get on you first, don't turn with them. Extend straight away at full speed, let your wingman draw one off, and then come back for another pass at the Betty.
Midway Torpedo Run
A Japanese carrier is holding position north of the atoll. You carry one torpedo. Take the Avenger in low and slow, put it square into her hull, then egress. Zeros are up on CAP and a single Wildcat is flying cover for you. Let it tie them up, descend early and don't get caught high and slow.
Objectives
- Sink the carrier Akagi.
- Egress to TASK FORCE 16, about 4.6 km south of your start.
What you'll face
The Akagi is 2.5 km straight ahead, steaming slowly north-north-east. Two Zeros circle above her at about 1,400 m. A single Wildcat flies on your left wing and goes after the nearest Zero once they close.
Tips
- Descend immediately. You start at 160 m. Get down to 50–80 m and under 378 km/h before the Zeros notice you.
- Fly straight at the LEAD diamond. Don't dogfight: the Avenger loses every turning fight, and staying low forces the Zeros to fight the water as well as you.
- Release at 300–800 m, then turn south and stay low all the way home.
Submarine Hunt
A coastwatcher on Guadalcanal spotted an I-boat running on the surface at first light, recharging batteries and lining up on the resupply convoy. Catch her before she dives. Dive-bomb her, then RTB to Henderson Field.
Objectives
- Sink the submarine.
- Return to HENDERSON FIELD, 2.5 km south of your start.
What you'll face
A surfaced I-boat about 3.4 km north, heading slowly south-east. Nothing shoots at you. The challenge is accuracy: a submarine is only about 66 m long and 3 m wide, the smallest target in the game.
Tips
- You start at 1,800 m. Fly until she's nearly under your nose, then dive steeply. The steeper the dive, the steadier the IMPACT circle.
- She's fragile, so a bomb that lands close still does real damage, even if it doesn't hit her directly. Two near misses will usually finish her.
- Aim along her length rather than across it. Most misses land short or long, not to the side.
- Your wingman flies with you but doesn't bomb, so it's down to your own load: four bombs in the Dauntless, two in a fighter. Make each run count.
Moonlight Torpedo Raid
A Japanese carrier has been spotted moving under the cover of darkness. In the moonlight, your torpedo's wake is less visible, but so is your target. You must close to within 1000 m at low altitude for a successful drop. Beware of the carrier's destroyer screen.
Objectives
- Sink the carrier.
- Egress to the OPEN SEA zone, about 1.5 km south of your start.
What you'll face
The carrier is 4.5 km straight ahead, steaming toward you at speed, with a destroyer on each side of her. Two Zeros fly cover above. It's night, so the ships are hard to see.
Tips
- You're already at 150 m. Drop to torpedo height straight away. With the carrier coming toward you, the distance closes fast.
- Use T to make sure the carrier is selected, not a destroyer. Otherwise the LEAD diamond will be aimed at the wrong ship.
- Head-on, the carrier needs very little lead. Try to turn so you can hit her from the side, which gives a steadier run.
- The egress zone starts only about 500 m behind you. Don't turn back into it before the carrier is sunk.
The Turkey Shoot
Pure score attack: layered waves of attackers. Vals high, Kates low, Zeros escort. You and your wingmen, three Corsairs, hold the line. Destroy everything before they reach the fleet.
Objectives
- Destroy the entire strike package. That's the only objective. No zone can fail you here: the mission ends when every attacker is down, or when you are.
What you'll face
| Wave | When | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | At the start, 6.5–7 km north | 6 Vals (about 1,500 m), 2 Kates (about 800 m), 2 Zeros (about 1,700 m) |
| 2 | 15 seconds in, about 4 km north | 4 Vals, 2 Kates, 2 Zeros, at the same heights |
Tips
- That's ten Vals, four Kates and four Zeros, so you're outnumbered more than four to one. Your three Corsairs matter. Stay near them, and when something is on your tail, drag it across a Corsair.
- The second wave appears closer than the first, only 15 seconds in. Expect it to arrive while you're still meeting wave 1.
- Watch your ammunition. The Hellcat's 2,400 rounds sounds like a lot, but spread over 18 aircraft it's about 130 rounds each. Use short, close bursts only.
- The Vals and Kates don't dogfight, so they're easy kills from behind. The four Zeros are the real threat. Take them on when they come for you, and pick off bombers the rest of the time.
- Keep your height. Climbing back up after a low chase after a Kate costs you time and speed.
Wake: Kajioka Turned Back
Wake Island, 11 December 1941. At dawn Admiral Kajioka's invasion force closed to within a few thousand yards; Major Devereux held fire until the last moment, and the 5-inch guns of Battery L have just sunk the destroyer HAYATE. The force is turning away southwest. VMF-211's last four Wildcats are up with two 100 lb bombs each. Go after the retiring destroyers. KISARAGI is the rearmost, southwest of Wilkes.
This is Wake as it was in 1941, traced from the Marine Corps' own map of the island's defences. On the real day, Captain Henry Elrod's bombs hit Kisaragi and she blew up with all hands, the only time an amphibious landing was thrown back in the Pacific war.
Objectives
- Sink the destroyer KISARAGI. Only she counts; the rest of the force doesn't have to be sunk.
- Return over WAKE ISLAND AIRFIELD, about 2 km south of your start. You can fly over it on the way out; it only counts once Kisaragi is down.
What you'll face
You start at 2,400 m over the east side of the atoll. Kisaragi is about 8 km away, west-south-west (bearing about 245°), steaming slowly away to the south-west. The rest of the force is spread between her and the atoll, 4–6 km south and south-west of you: the light cruisers Yubari, Tenryu and Tatsuta, five more destroyers, two transports and two patrol boats. There are no enemy fighters. The danger is flak: every warship fires at you from about 3 km out, and the cruisers fire hardest.
Tips
- Press T until the target box sits on Kisaragi before you commit, so you're diving on the right ship.
- You have two 100 lb bombs. One hit on her deck sinks her. A near miss doesn't, but two near misses do.
- Don't fly straight and level near the fleet. The gunners lead you; rolling and pulling spoils their aim. Weave on the way in and come off the target turning.
- Go round the cruisers, not over them. Approach Kisaragi from the west, away from the rest of the force.
- Inside about 400 m the heavy guns can't track you, so the last part of a steep dive is safer than the approach.
Free Flight
Open sea, no objectives. Enemy fighters keep coming. A practice ground for dogfighting and just flying around.
There are no objectives, and it never ends. Shot-down enemies are replaced after a few seconds, and if you're shot down you respawn automatically. Use it to practise lead pursuit, breaks and boom-and-zoom, or to try every US aircraft against the Zero.
Imperial Japan missions
Coral Sea Interception
American dive bombers are inbound on the convoy, with Warhawks flying escort. Get the Zero between them and the transports. Every SBD you splash before it reaches the convoy is a ship that makes it home.
Objectives
- Destroy the American strike: both Dauntlesses and both Warhawks.
- Keep them off the CONVOY. Any American aircraft entering the convoy zone fails the mission. That includes the escorts.
What you'll face
You start right over your own convoy. The Americans are about 5 km south and heading straight for it: the Dauntlesses high at 2,300 m, and the Warhawks lower at 1,300 m.
Tips
- Turn south immediately and climb hard. The Zero climbs well, and you need to reach the dive bombers before they tip into their dives.
- Kill the Dauntlesses first. Once they're diving they're fast and hard to catch.
- The Warhawks can fail the mission too, if they follow the fight into the zone. Keep the whole fight south of the convoy.
- Never follow a Warhawk down in a dive. It will pull away and come back at you with speed to spare. Force it into a turning fight, where the Zero wins every time, or leave it to your wingman.
- The Zero is fragile. Don't exchange head-on fire with a Warhawk, which is far tougher than you.
Guadalcanal Intruder
An American destroyer is screening the transports off Guadalcanal. You carry one torpedo. Take the Kate in low and slow, put it square into her hull, then egress. Wildcats are up on CAP: descend early and don't get caught high and slow.
Objectives
- Torpedo the destroyer USS Hale.
- Egress to RABAUL, about 4.6 km south of your start.
What you'll face
The destroyer is 2.5 km ahead, heading north-north-east at a good speed. Two Wildcats circle at about 1,400 m.
Tips
- The Kate has the strictest drop limits in the game: under 70 m and under 342 km/h. You start at 160 m, so get down immediately.
- A destroyer is narrow and quick, so the LEAD diamond matters even more here. Release at 300–600 m to give her less time to move.
- The Kate is slow and fragile, and it can't dogfight. Stay low and keep going. After the drop, turn south and stay low all the way to Rabaul.
Dawn Strike (IJN)
At first light, strike the American anchorage. Their ships are vulnerable, but fighters will scramble quickly. Dive-bomb the cargo ships and neutralise the parked aircraft on the northern shelf. Your wingman will provide cover.
Objectives
- Sink one of the cargo ships.
- Destroy some ground targets.
- Return to RABAUL (shown on screen as Rabul), about 3.4 km west-north-west of your start.
What you'll face
The American anchorage is about 2–3 km to the south-south-east, with two cargo ships and a Liberty ship at anchor, and parked aircraft and a building on the shore nearby. Two Wildcats start about 6 km to the east-south-east. You have a second Val and two Zeros on your side.
Tips
- You start at only 1,000 m. That's enough for a shallow dive, but you'll be more accurate if you climb a few hundred metres on the way in.
- The Val carries three bombs. A cargo ship usually needs two good hits, so pick one ship (T) and concentrate on it. Don't split your bombs across all three.
- Strafe the parked aircraft with your guns. They're fragile.
- Let your Zeros deal with the Wildcats. The Val can defend itself a little, but it isn't a fighter.
- Check that both strike objectives are ticked before you head for Rabaul. It's west-north-west, back past your start point.
Wake: Silence the Guns
Wake Island, 21 December 1941. The first landing was thrown back by the island's guns. Now SORYU and HIRYU have come south to break the defences before the second attempt. Your target is the Marine 3-inch anti-aircraft battery dug in beside the airstrip: Battery E, four guns about 80 m apart.
The other side of the Wake story, on the same 1941 map. Every gun position is where the Marines' map puts it.
Objectives
- Destroy all four guns of Battery E, beside the airstrip. The other batteries, the machine-gun pits and the buildings don't count.
- Return to SORYU, about 3.5 km north-west of your start. Passing near her early doesn't end the mission; it only counts once Battery E is destroyed.
What you'll face
You start at 3,000 m north-west of the atoll. Battery E is about 7 km away, south-east (bearing about 130°), on the north side of the runway. Every battery on the island fires at you: Battery D's 3-inch guns on Peale, Battery F's on Wilkes, and Battery E itself, plus .50 cal machine-gun pits round the airstrip. The Marines' last two Wildcats are up near the airfield. You have two other Vals and three Zeros with you.
Tips
- One bomb destroys one gun. The guns are too far apart to get two with one bomb. You have three bombs for four guns, so use every bomb on a different gun and strafe the fourth. It takes a few passes with the Val's light guns.
- Use T to put the target box on each gun in turn. The box shows 3-INCH AA.
- Dive steep and straight. A long, shallow approach is what the gunners want. Inside about 300 m the 3-inch guns can't track you, but the machine guns can.
- Pull out over the lagoon, not over the strip, and keep turning between runs.
- Let your Zeros deal with the Wildcats.
Free Flight (IJN)
Open sea, no objectives. American fighters keep coming. A practice ground for dogfighting and just flying around.
The Japanese side's dogfighting practice. You're alone against three Wildcats that keep coming back. This is the best place to learn how to turn-fight in the Zero or Oscar.
Quick reference
| Mission | Side | Aircraft | Wingmen | Opposition | Main danger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight Training | US | Wildcat | — | 2 passive drones, 1 hulk | None |
| Torpedo Training | US | Avenger | — | Practice hulk | None |
| Solomons Patrol | US | Wildcat | 1 | 2 Zeros | Zone breach |
| Coral Sea Strike | US | Dauntless | 1 | 3 ships (sink 1 transport) | Your own dive |
| Dusk Strike | US | Hellcat | 2 | 2 Zeros, 4 ships, 4 parked Zeros | Zeros from behind |
| Fleet Defense | US | Hellcat | 1 | 2 Vals, 1 Kate, 2 Zeros | Zone breach, outnumbered |
| Bougainville Sweep | US | Corsair | 1 | 2 Oscars | Getting drawn into a turning fight |
| Airfield Strike | US | Corsair | — | 2 Zeros, 3 parked Zeros | Bounced while strafing |
| Ground Support | US | Wildcat | 2 | 2 Zeros, 5 ground targets | Bounced while strafing |
| Operation Vengeance | US | P-38 | 1 | 1 Betty, 3 Zeros | Getting pinned by the escort |
| Midway Torpedo Run | US | Avenger | 1 | Carrier, 2 Zeros | Caught high and slow |
| Submarine Hunt | US | Dauntless | 1 | 1 submarine | A tiny target |
| Moonlight Torpedo Raid | US | Avenger | — | Carrier, 2 destroyers, 2 Zeros | Darkness, fast closure |
| The Turkey Shoot | US | Hellcat | 3 | 10 Vals, 4 Kates, 4 Zeros | Numbers, ammunition |
| Wake: Kajioka Turned Back | US | Wildcat | 3 | 12 ships with flak | Flak, picking the right ship |
| Free Flight | US | Wildcat | 2 | Endless Zeros | None (practice) |
| Coral Sea Interception | IJN | Zero | 1 | 2 Dauntlesses, 2 Warhawks | Zone breach, the Warhawk's dive |
| Guadalcanal Intruder | IJN | Kate | — | Destroyer, 2 Wildcats | Caught high and slow |
| Dawn Strike (IJN) | IJN | Val | 3 | 2 Wildcats, 3 ships | Heading home too early |
| Wake: Silence the Guns | IJN | Val | 5 | 2 Wildcats, island flak | Flak, a long shallow dive |
| Free Flight (IJN) | IJN | Zero | — | Endless Wildcats | None (practice) |