Heroes Of The Pacific - Strategy Guide (Page 02)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Heroes Of The Pacific - Strategy Guide (Page 02).

The 75mm cannon on this plane has a lot of range and stopping power, but a very
slow reload time. Try to take out enemies at a distance, as you will get cut to
pieces if they surround you. It is better to keep turning in one direction
during a dogfight than trying to change direction, your plane is not responsive
enough. Your gunners will take out a lot of enemy planes, but they will require
you to at least damage several enemy planes.

Don't ever shoot at any of the Japanese ships, they will scramble fighters onto
you and the damage will mount up rapidly.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Find Japanese Fleet
2. Photograph 1st Japanese fleet
3. *Sink Decoy Destroyer [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]
4. Photograph 2nd Japanese fleet
5. Return to Midway
6. Land at Midway Jetty

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7

1. Take off from your base and fly to the waypoint. After the cutscene, you
will see the first of the 3 Japanese fleets in front of you.

2. Fly towards them, keeping an eye out for the zeros that are coming in from
the right.
Try to stay between 1700m and 1600m away from the target battleship, and your
camera bar will start filling up.
Once you have taken the photos, head for the waypoint that opens up. There are
3 Petes between you and the waypoint, take them out as they fly towards you.
Fly through the waypoint to the next area.

3. This next group is the "fake" group that is set up as a trap. However, you
can take them out fairly easily so it backfires on the Japanese. It is a bunch
of fishing trawlers tightly packed around a destroyer. Fly towards it until
you are told to take the destroyer. Salvo off a bunch of torpedos from outside
its flak range. Either take out the 2 Petes that will come after you or ignore
them until after you've sunk the boats. Finish off any remaining trawlers
with your gun, then deal with the Petes if your gunners haven't already. Now
fly to the waypoint to the next area.

4. Head in towards the fleet. Don't get too close to the escorts at the edge of
the group, and ignore the 2 Zeros that are over the fleet as you head in - they
are moving away from you, and if you go after them, you're wasting valuable
time. Head down the RH edge of the fleet, and get a lock on the nearest escort
ship or a plane on the back of it, so that you can get a distance to the fleet.

5. When the photo bar is full, turn to the North and head for the waypoint.
Some Petes will come towards you - take them out if you can, but don't get
obsessed with dogfighting them, as the fleet will catch up and start firing flak
at you. Pass through the waypoint back to midway. 2 Zeros will attack from
behind, you need to take them out as they will damage you too much if you run
for the base. This should not be too hard.

6. Once you've flown near the island, you will be shown a cutscene demanding
you identify yourself. After it finishes, fly through the landing rings near
the seaplane base, and the mission ends.


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5b. DEFEND MIDWAY
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In this mission you have to defend Midway from hundreds of Japanese planes. You
have a choice of planes, and depending on your playing style you may want to go
for a plane with lots of guns, or lots of armour. If you've been completing
levels on ACE, you should have both the Spitfire and the Yak-3 available, but
both of them are a little flimsy, so if you're no good at avoiding damage, you
may want to go with the Corsair.

Getting the secondary objective for this level can be hard on ACE, you may need
to come back and get the secondaries at a lower difficulty level - you'll still
want to complete the mission on ACE to get the 6 Upgrade Points. It will also
be a lot easier if you come back with one of the more heavily armed special
planes. When you are going for the bonus points, it's a good idea to keep your
wingmen "formed up."

OBJECTIVES:
1. Intercept Japanese Scouts [destroy 18 Zeros]
2. Protect Oil Tanks [Destroy incoming Vals]
3. Protect Airfield Buildings [Destroy incoming Kates and Bettys]
4. Protect USS Kitty Hawk [Destroy incoming Kates.]
5. *Destroy 50 Japanese Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]
6. *Destroy 100 Japanese Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8

1. Get off the runway as quickly as possible and head south for the yellow
blips. 18 Zeros are coming in to attack the planes still on the runway. You
have to take these out as quickly as possible to avoid the runways getting
blocked by
destroyed planes. Tell your wingmen to engage at will. If you are successful,
the B26 bomber son the runway will take off and assist with shooting down any
Jap planes that come into their range.

2. Form your wing up and head west. Several huge formations of Japanese planes
are heading in. Your job is to take out the formation of Kates that is heading
for the fuel complex on Midway. The planes are still 10km off at this stage,
so get over there and take out as many as you can before they get close to
their target. There's a group of zeros off to the SW, you can attack them if
you like but it does tend to get them annoyed, and they'll come after you. Once
you've reached them, tell your wingmen to engage at will. Use short, bursts of
fire with a break in between to prevent your guns overheating, and fire rockets
into the denser formations to inflict more damage. To avoid incurring too much
damage yourself, try attacking from below the formation to avoid the rear
gunners.

3. After you've routed the Vals, switch your target to a formation of Kats that
is following close behind. They are heading for the airfield. Try not to get
too carried away and ram them. If you run out of Objectives, keep shooting
other Japanese planes nearby. They're all good targets. After a cutscene
showing Stuart accidentally shooting Murphy's plane, head to the N and attack
the squadron of Betty Bombers that are heading in. Try to avoid taking too much
damage from their guns, don't hang around in the focus of the squadron's guns
or you'll get chopped into dog food. You don't have to kill all of them to get
the formation to break off the attack, and I don't recommend you go after the
escaping bombers as they are tough and you may need every bit of health later.

4. Now a group of Kates will fly in, heading for the USS Kitty hawk and the
seaplane base. You have to take them out before they drop any torpedos. Killing
all of them completes the mission

5 & 6. The easiest place to get a lot of kills in during the section where the
large formations of planes are heading in towards Midway. With a powerfully
armed plane on a low level, 80 kills is not that hard to get in that section.
100 kills is possible if you work at it, even before the Bettys turn up.



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5c. BATTLE OF MIDWAY
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This is your first mission in the Avenger, and it's worth spending upgrade
points on it. You'll get more guns, armour, and rockets.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Fly to Japanese Fleet
2. Sink 3 Escort Destroyers
3. *Shoot down 10 CAP Zeros. [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]
4. Torpedo Akagi's Rudder
5. Sink Akagi
6. *Shoot Down 20 CAP Zeros [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8

1. Take off and Fly NW to the waypoint. After you warp to the next area, you
will have to attack a bunch of Vals that are heading for the US fleet. When
they are killed, a cutscene will be shown showing a failed attack on the IJN
fleet by
Dog Wing's planes. Head towards the fleet, don't follow the Kates that are
heading S.
There are also other groups of US planes attacking the other nearby carriers
[Soryu, Kaga.] Ignore that group it has no bearing on your mission.

2. You now have the objective to sink 3 Escort Destroyers on one side of the
Akagi, opening the way for the Dive Bombers. These destroyers are moving, and
will swerve occasionally, so you'll have to get reasonably close to hit them.
Each time you drop, I'd advise you to turn around and get the hell away from
the fleet until your torpedo has reloaded.
This is the only way to avoid taking a lot of damage, especially if you get too
close to the Akagi, which is covered in AA guns. You can try ordering your
wingmen to take out the escorts, but they are not very reliable, generally you
are lucky if they sink 1/3. If you like, you can also sink the front Cruiser,
but that doesn't get you anything extra [except less exposure to flak]

3. The secondary objective of "Kill 10 Cap Zeros" is quite difficult. These
A6M5 zeros are more armoured and harder to kill. You can try and take a few out
on the deck of the Akagi with your rockets, but this tends to get you shot up
by the Akagi's AA guns. Also, watch your throttle, you can stall this plane
while trying to dogfight.

4. Your next objective is to fire a torp into the rudder of the Akagi to slow
it down. If you get in right behind, it's much easier to hit, as you don't need
to lead the target. Make sure you keep your distance though, as a good couple
of hits from flak can take %50 of your health in a flash.

5. Once you've slowed it, there will be an attack on the Akagi by Dive Bombers.
They damage it further, but you are sent back in to finish it off. Two torpedos
will do the job. After you sink it, you'll see a cutscene of the other carriers
being attacked by the other squadrons.

6. Good luck with this objective, I'd say it's pretty near impossible to do on
ACE level. Complete the mission first, then come back on a lower level and
concentrate on blasting the CAP zeros. It can be pretty tempting to go for the
ones on the deck, but balance that with the amount of damage you are taking.
The best time to go for the 20 is probably after you have trashed the rudder.
Once you sink the Akagi, it's mission over.




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5d. SINK THE MIKUMA
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This mission can be done with a fighter or a dive bomber. I suggest a
rocket-armed fighter in spite of the fact that dive bombers do more damage. You
need the extra guns... go for something a little tough, like a Corsair.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Fly to HIJMS Mikuma
2. *Protect Catalina by destroying 3 Zeros. [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]
3. *Destroy 20 Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]
4. Destroy Rufes
5. Destroy Port and Starboard AA directors
6. Destroy Bridge
7. Destroy 3rd Front Turret
8. Drop bomb into Mikuma Magazine.
9. Return To Enterprise
10. Defeat Japanese Ace

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 8

1. Take off and head NW towards the waypoint.

2. On the way, you will encounter a Catalina under attack by Zeros. Strafe all
three of them to get their attention off the PBY and then take them out. This
is worth one bonus Upgrade Point. Continue on to the waypoint.

3. As you fly in towards the Mikuma, you'll run into a bunch of Vals and Zeros.
You can ignore them and fly over the top, or stop and start cutting into the
secondary goal of "Destroy 20 planes." When you eventually complete that
goal, you'll earn one bonus Upgrade Point.

4. After the cutscene with Ox's death, you'll be given "Destroy Rufes" as a
primary objective. They are still on the deck of the Mogami cruiser, but that
won't last long. The easiest [and coolest] way to do this is to fly in high and
fast, dive down towards the deck and lob a 1000lb bomb square into the middle
of them. This can take the whole squadron out at once. Alternatively, flying in
and strafing with rockets and guns will do the trick.

5. Once the Rufes are gone, yo are expected to bomb or strafe either side of
the ship until the AA directors are destroyed. One well-placed 1000lb bomb can
take them both out at once, or use the easier approach of rockets and guns.
When using GP bombs, you can aim them by flying towards your target and
releasing then pulling up at the last second.

6. Once the AA batteries are dead, go after the bridge. This is pretty flimsy,
so hit it with some gunfire and a few rockets.

7. Now you have to hit the 3rd Front turret with bombs & rockets. I'd suggest
bombs as it's much tougher than the bridge.

8. Now you are expected to sink the Mikuma - In spite of the instructions, you
can pretty much aim anywhere, and it will take a couple of heavy bombs or quite
a few rockets to finish the job.

9. On the way back to the US fleet, you can stop and shoot a few more planes,
put them towards the 20 you need for the secondary objective. Unfortunately the
Rufes don't count towards this total.

10. As you are returning to fleet, you are tailed by a Japanese Ace out for
revenge, with 2 wingmen accompanying.
He is flying the most agile and heavily armed variant of the Zero, the A6M8.
Defeat him and his wingmen to complete this mission. As this plane turns on a
dime, watch out for collisions, he is the biggest turn fighter of all the Aces.
At least he doesn't have any rockets, that's one plus. But still, if you see
him turn towards you, it might be a good idea to dive suddenly out of his arc
of fire - he has pretty nasty guns, regardless, and you won't be able to take
too
many passes. The mission completes after you kill him.




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6. GUADALCANAL
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After Midway you unlock the Lightning, and if you've just completed it on ACE,
you unlock the P47 Thunderbolt.
The "Jug" is a tough plane, with 8 x .50cal MGs, but I prefer the Lightning,
especially when modified. It has a huge bomb load, 4 x .50cal MGs plus a
cannon, and when modified can carry 10 rockets as well. And it's FAST!

PS, the Hispano 20mm Cannon on the 2nd and 3rd versions of the Lightning is
way, way more effective than the 37mm cannon on the earlier version - it has a
very slow fire rate. Upgrade as soon as you can.

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6a. STRIKE AT GUADALCANAL
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This mission can be pretty hard at ACE level, you don't have a lot of time to
complete each objective. It's also pretty hard if you don't bring a plane with
rockets or bombs.

I'd also set your guns to ground attack mode.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Fly To Guadalcanal
2. *Destroy Japanese Supply convoy [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]
3. Destroy Grounded Planes [8 x Tony Fighters]
4. Destroy 8 x AA positions.
5. Protect C-47s
6. Protect Paratroopers [Destroy Japanese Tanks and MG nests around Airbase]
7. Protect 8/16 Landing Craft [Destroy 16 Raidens and 8 Anti-Ship guns]

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7

1. Fly to the waypoint off in front of you when you take off.

2. To the right of the waypoint, there is a Japanese supply convoy trying to
sneak ashore. There are 6 landing craft, 2 patrol boats and the Submarine that
is the leader of the group. Take them out on your way tot he waypoint for one
bonus Upgrade Point.

3. Once you've passed through the waypoint, you will be shown a cutscene of the
airfield on Guadalcanal. There are several Zeros taxiing to take off, and a
large group of 8 parked Tony fighter queued up behind, ready to take off after
them. Hit your warspeed and burn towards the airfield as fast as you can,
heading directly for the Tonys. You can take out 2 of the AA guns from
objective 4 as you approach the field [they are on a close bearing to the
Tonys.]
I usually sic my wingmen onto a third AA gun. Attack the densely packed group
of Tonys with bombs and rockets, and if you can come back for a second pass try
to hit a few of the Zeros as well.

4. Once you've wiped out the fighters on the ground, finish off the remaining
AA guns around the base. There are 2 x C-47s transports inbound full of
paratroopers, and you need to ensure all the guns are gone before they arrive.
If you get the chance, blast a few of the MG nests near the base while you are
at it, it will save you time later.

5. When you've finished off the AA guns, form up your wingmen and head out
towards the C-47s. They will shortly come under attack by Japanese fighters.
You need to hold these off until the planes can drop the troops. Take out any
Japanese fighter you see on the way over to them.

6. This next section can be pretty hard on ACE or if you are in an unmodified
Lightning. There are 2 MG nests at the W end of the runway, one at the E end of
the runway, Plus one in the central area and another near the northern end
of the taxiway to the hangars. Tanks will come out of the forest from the NE, W
and SW. If you can hit the tanks while they are clustered with a 1000lb bomb or
two, you can take out the whole group.
Don't get carried away strafing and crash into the ground, it is a common cause
of death here.  Also, watch out for Jap fighters, they can strip a lot of
damage off you while you are busy attacking the ground forces. One the
paratroopers conquer the base, this objective will complete.

7. You are now required to defend the landing craft that are coming in with
reinforcement to complete our takeover of the area. There will be a short lull
in the fighting while the first wave of Japanese fighter arrives, I usually use
this to take out the 2 flak guns along the coast - they will be shooting at you
later otherwise.
3 waves of 4 Raiden fighters will come in and attack the boats. Use your
wingmen to help, either on defend or engage at will orders. As the 3rd Wave is
arriving, the 3-inch shore guns will start firing on your boats.
Head inland and attack the 8 guns with rocket and bombs in a long pass along
the beach. You should be able to take them out quickly, and get back to
attacking the Raidens. A 4th wave has just arrived. Keep fighting until the
troops announce they have seized the landing site. The mission now ends.



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6b. TOKYO EXPRESS
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You unlock the B26 Marauder for this mission, a heavy maritime patrol bomber.
Upgrade it if you've got the points spare, as it doubles the firepower of
several of your gunners to 2 x .50cal MGs and you also get to carry rockets,
which will come in really handy at the end of the mission.

In this mission you have to take out a lot of Japanese shipping convoys.
Whether you go torpedoes, 500lb or 1000lb bombs is a matter of personal
preference, but I find the 4 x 1000lb bombs work best. Set your guns to ground
attack, also.

You've got a time limit on this mission, so don't take too long. There's also a
long time between checkpoints, so try to avoid dying as you'll end up doing big
chunks of the mission again.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Take off, fly to target area.
2. Investigate unidentified ships.
3. Fly to Radar Contacts
4. Sink 3 Supply Ships in 1st Convoy
5. Sink 2 Supply Ships in 2nd Convoy
6. *Sink 5 Destroyers [SECONDARY GOAL]
7. Sink 3 Supply Ships in 3rd Convoy.
8. Sink 4 Supply Ships in 4th Convoy.

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7

1. Take off and head for the waypoint. This will take you to the target areas
where the convoys were last sighted.

2. Head west to identify the surface blips on your radar. When you get close
enough, you'll find out that it's a mixed taskforce of Australian and US Ships.
They will warn you about a large seaplane seen in the area.

3. After this cutscene, more blips will appear on the radar. Fly towards the
closest one. Sic your wingmen onto a Rufe that appears on the radar.

4. When you are close enough the group will be revealed as a Japanese convoy.
Approach from an angle where you are lined up with the convoy, either direction
is good. Press select several times to bring up your Norden bombsight,
and as you get the sights lined up on each ship, drop a bomb or two [or
alternatively use torpedoes.] If you set this up right, you'll be able to take
out the whole group in one bombing run. Remember to lead the target if you are
bombing from a long way up. You only have to hit the supply ships.

5. Head back towards the unidentified grey blips. You should be able to
visually see which convoy is closest, head towards that. It should be a convoy
with 2 Supply ships and one destroyer. As they are parallel to each other, it
is harder to get them all in one pass. Try coming in low, but watch out for
flak from the destroyer. This plane isn't very agile, so don't start thinking
you're a dive bomber, that's a sure fire way to end up in the drink.

6. You will be given the secondary objective here to 'sink 5 destroyers."
You'll find 1-2 destroyers accompanying several of the convoys. Take them out
as you see them.

7. The next convoy you go for is open, I usually go for the one nearby that has
2 Supply ships and 7 patrol boats. Take out the 2 Supply ship sand move onto
the next group.

8. The next closest group has 3 Supply ships and 2 destroyers, and a patrol
boat. Take out the big units and move on to the next group.

9. The next group should be the one that has 4 supply ships sailing in
parallel, plus 2 destroyer escorts. Try to take out the destroyers first to
avoid taking damage while you finish off the supply ships. Once you destroy the
last transport, the convoy killing section of the mission is complete. There
are 2 other unidentified blips out there, but you don't need to investigate
them.

10. Your escorts head home, and you will now be shown via cutscene that a huge
Japanese "Emily" flying boat has entered the area. Your orders are to shoot it
down. It is tough as an old boot, and covered in 20mm guns.
Firing a salvo of rockets as it flies towards you will help put a dent in its'
massive health bar. Ignore its' escort fighters to begin with.
Your main hazard here is that both planes are so sluggish to turn, it makes
them keep running into each other. Try to avoid getting too carried away when
playing "chicken."
The mission will end once you have shot it down.




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6c. BACKS TO THE WALL
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This mission is a 2-part mission, first you have to defend the Enterprise from
Japanese air attacks, and then defend the Guadalcanal base from a combined
naval and air assault. Pick plane that balances aerial firepower with ground
attack weapons.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Fly to Enterprise
2. Defend USS Enterprise
3. Intercept 27 Kate Torpedo Bombers
4. *Personally Destroy 20 Kate Bombers
5. Intercept Val Dive Bombers
6. Intercept Zero Kamikazes
7. Return To Guadalcanal.
8. Defend the airfield.
9. Sink Heavy Cruiser
10. Sink Remaining Ships
11. Destroy incoming 9 Kates

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7


1. Take off from the base and fly N to the waypoint.

2. You'll now be told to defend the Enterprise, taking especial notice of enemy
bombers. No bombers arrive for a bit, so warm up by shooting a few Zeros.

3. A group of 9 Kates will start flying in from the E, head over towards them
with your wingmen in tow. Attack and destroy as many as you can. The next 9
will come in from the W quite quickly, so don't waste too much time dealing with
each wave. Use rockets to help increase the carnage. The final group of 9 in
this attack will fly in from the SE, get into them ASAP as them may just have
enough time to reach the fleet and drop torps, depending on what plane you
are flying.

4. If you manage to kill 20 of them yourself, you will be awarded with one
bonus Upgrade Point.

5. Now several groups of Vals dive bombers attack, three waves, all from the
NE. Watch out for Zeros accompanying them as they can strip quite a lot off you
if they focus their attacks. Once you've killed all the Vals, head north and get
ready for the next attack that will commence shortly.

6. A wave of Kamikazes comes out of the north, on a course to ram the
Enterprise. Use all your resources to attack these guys as they cause massive
damage on a hit. Keep your speed up when chasing them, they come in fast. And
try to use short, controlled burst, as your guns will overheat quickly.

7. After a short pause, you will be ordered back to Guadalcanal. Head for the
waypoint.

8. The next section of this mission is all about ensuring the airfield
survives. Defend it at all costs.

9. Now you will be ordered to sink the Furutaka, a Mikuma-class cruiser that is
shelling the airbase. Use 1000lb bombs to send it to the bottom. It will take
around 4 x 1000lb bombs to sink.

10. Go after the other ships next. They are not as tough, and will sink after 2
x 1000lb bomb hits. Try to get them quickly, as a wave of Kate bombers starts
heading for the airfield while you are still attacking these guys.

11. After the ships, attack the Kates with your weapons and your wingmen. Try
to take as many out as you can before they get over the base.  Watch out for
fighter escorts, they are quite aggressive Zero A6M5c models and will damage
you severely if ignored.

12. The last attack is a wave of Bettys from the N. Head out there with your
wingmen and bring as much firepower as you can to bear on them, as these guys
take a lot of knocking down. Use rockets as well if your guns overheat.
Try to get them before they get too close to the base, as you can successfully
kill them but still lose the mission if they have already dropped their bombs.
Once you've defeated this wave, the mission will end.



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7. GILBERT ISLANDS
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The next two missions take place over a heavily fortified Japanese held island.
If you have just completed Guadalcanal on ACE level, you'll have been awarded a
Tempest.

This heavily armoured, fast and heavily armed plane is a favourite of many
players. But you wont get to use it straight away as your first mission has you
locked off to a special recon lightning.

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7a. RECON
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This mission has you taking pictures of ten areas on the island that HQ wants
more intelligence about. In order to take a picture, you must loiter over the
area at low speed and low altitude. But doing that will get you exposed to
AA fire. The best way to complete this mission, especially on ACE, is to fly in
short dashes of warspeed between each target area, this will limit your
exposure. [And, after a time, all of the AA guns on the island start activating,
so the faster you can get each picture, the better.]

You can get a picture in a single pass if you fly slowly over the target,
otherwise you may have to fly over it in a circle.

You are allowed to blow up a few things on the island, but if you damage any of
the recon targets, the Japanese will move them [therefore making your pictures
useless.] Try to avoid getting trigger-happy and limit any strikes to the
targets listed below.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Fly to Betio
2. Photograph LZ1
3. *Destroy 20 Japanese Planes [SECONDARY OBJECTIVE]
4. Photograph LZ2
5. Photograph LZ3
6. Photograph LZ4
7. Photograph HQ building
8. Photograph Hangars
9. Photograph Pier
10. Photograph Naval Guns
11. Photograph Ammo Dump
12. Photograph Tank Repair Yard
13. Return to USS Enterprise
14. Defeat Japanese Ace
15. Land on USS Enterprise

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7

1. Take off from your carrier and head NE to the waypoint.

2. You'll now be facing the island, the first recon target is off ahead and to
your right. There is a group of about 7 Japanese planes between you and it. I
find it is bets to ignore them and burn by underneath them at low altitude
and under warspeed. If you don't shoot at them, they will not see you [for now.]

3. The secondary objective you have been given is to shoot down 20 Japanese
planes. You can get nine of these on the ground by destroying the concrete
revetments along the N edge of the runway. Do not hit any of the steel
buildings on the south edge as they are a recon target.
The rest of the planes can be gotten later when you've gotten the photos, but
you must get the 20 kills before leaving this area or the objective is failed.

4. The second LZ is on the N cost nearby, head over to it via the runway and
bomb those planes in the revetments as you go over. [You can get them in one
pass with 4 x 500lb bombs or use rockets as well.]

5. Third LZ is on the N coast, past the pier. Get over there as fast as
possible.

6. The final landing zone is just a bit further along the N coast. Don't bother
speeding up, you may overfly it.

7. Next recon target is the HQ in the centre of the island. By now, you should
see AA guns starting to fire at you. Gain a bit of height as you head back
towards the centre of the island and shoot the AA gun to the right of the
central building. Now zoom back in low, slow down and take the photo.

8. Head left and pass over the hangars for the next recon shot.

9. Turn back and hit your warspeed, zoom out to the end of the pier for the
next picture. Stay low, more guns will now open fire.

10. Head back towards the island, on the south coast there are some heavy naval
guns that Fleet Command need photographed. You can shoot the AA guns in the
centre between the runways as you go.

11. The next objective is the ammo dump at the W end of the island.

12. Now your last recon photo is the Tank repair yard towards the E end of the
island. The guns will be taking a chunk out of your hide by now on the higher
levels, there's not much you can do about this except get out of there as
quickly as possible

13. Head out over the lagoon to the north. A checkpoint will be activated, now
you have to decide whether you've got enough health to go for the secondary
objective or not. There is a bunch of A6M5c Zeros loitering over the lagoon to
the north, attack them if you've got the guts but don't do it near the shore or
the AA will cut you to pieces. Use your Lightning's superior speed to run for
the waypoint if you find yourself under concerted attack that you can't
handle.

14. As you head back to the Enterprise, you will find yourself under attack
from another Ace of the 13th Squadron. He is flying a Ki-102-C Randy, a heavy
twin-engine fighter with powerful cannons and a rear gunner. He is also
accompanied by 4 Tony fighters. Watch out for his frontal attacks as his 55mm
cannon can cause massive damage. Once you kill him, you'll get a cutscene
showing him being shot down.

15. Head for the waypoint that will take you back to your fleet. Fly through
the landing rings to land and complete the mission.




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7b. A MILLION MEN...
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You mission is to attack the Japanese Defences on the north shore of the
lagoon, in the area to the E of the pier. Other units will target other areas.

You are suppressing the Japanese defences to assist 2 separate waves of Marines
who are assaulting the beach.

Pick a plane that has a large weapons load and that is tough.  Tempest or
Lightning would be ideal. I personally would never pick a dive bomber here.

Set your guns to ground attack mode. It is up to you whether you prefer 4 small
bombs or 2 big 1000lb ones.

OBJECTIVES:
1. Fly to Betio
2. Defeat Japanese Squadron [destroy 28 planes]
3. *Personally Destroy 10 Japanese Planes
4. Fly To Betio
5. Defend Amphtracks
6. Destroy Pier Guns. [Destroy 3 naval guns]
7. Destroy 9 Tonys
8. Destroy 2 Sea Barriers
9. Destroy 5 Shore Pillboxes
10. Destroy 2 Tank barriers
11. Defend USS Washington
12. Destroy 2 naval guns
13. Defend Higgins Boats
14. Destroy 9 Tonys
15. Defend Troop Transports
16. Destroy 9 Jill Torpedo Bombers.

Max Number Of Upgrade Points: 7

1. Fly to the waypoint in front of you when you take off. Once you've gone
through it, you will see a cutscene of Tom Stuart returning to base with an
engine problem.

2. You will now be ambushed by a squadron of Randy and Tony fighters. You and
your squadron must shoot them all down to continue.
Try not to take too much damage here, as you will need it later. They are
coming in from four different directions, I usually tell my wingmen to engage
at will.

3. If you can personally destroy 10 of the attacking Randys, you will be
awarded one bonus Upgrade Point.

4. After the squadron is defeated, there is a brief argument amongst your
squadron about whether Stuart is a traitor or not. Murphy makes some
allegations... the truth will be revealed later. The waypoint opens up to the
NE, fly through it to reach the island.

5. As you fly in, you should be able to see a bunch of blue blips in the
channel into the lagoon. These are the troops you are supposed to protect. As
you can see, they are already attracting fire from the shore guns. they are in
"amphtracks", a sort of amphibious tractor used for landings.

6. The first defences you need to take out are 3 naval guns on the pier.
Rockets or one well placed 1000lb bomb will do it. Around now, I usually fly
over the airfield and take out all of the planes in the concrete revetments
with a few well-placed bombs before the next wave shows up.

7. A wing of 9 Tonys will fly in from the south and start strafing your
amphtracks. Take them out before them damage too many of your troops.

8. If you finish off the Tonys quickly, you will have some time free before the
next objective comes up. I use it to knock out any AA near the target areas, or
you can blast the shore near the landing site to clear some enemies in advance.
Eventually the amphtracks will get to a series of barriers placed in the ocean
and call for you to clear the way. Rockets or guns will suffice, no need to
risk dropping a bomb on your troops.

9. There are now 5 concrete pillboxes that need to be blasted up on the
shoreline. The Amphtracks will keep moving towards the shore the whole time.

10. 2 Tank barriers on the beach now must be blasted to allow the amphtracks to
climb up the shoreline.

11 & 12. Now the marines will disembark, and you'll get a message from the USS
Washington - one of several US battleships to the south. They are having a hard
time shelling 2 Naval guns on the south shoe and need you to take them out.
If you take too long, one of the US battleships will be sunk and that is a
mission failure.  Take out the 2 guns with large bombs before moving on to the
next objective.

13 & 14. You'll now get the objective "Defend Higgins Boats" - a second wave of
US troops is inbound aboard landing craft. Their first enemy is a bunch of 9
Tonys, but if you have bombed the revetments, you'll have already dealt with
this objective. If so, you've got some free time before the next objective, so
shoot some Tonys or blow up some ground targets. Eventually the Higgins boats
will get stuck on coral due to low tide, and the marines will jump over the side
and keep moving in.

15 & 16 You are now expected to save the large troop transports moored with e
main fleet off the island from a group of "Jill" torpedo bombers that will take
off from the large hangars on the island. Make repeated passes over the
2 large hangars, blasting each Jill as they come out. The Jill is faster,
tougher and better armed than the Kate, you don't want to let them off the
ground if you can help it. The mission will complete as soon as you have
destroyed all 9 Jills.




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8. MARIANAS ISLANDS
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The Marianas missions all take place out at sea, nearby the Marianas Islands.

If you've just completed the Gilbert Islands on ACE, you will have unlocked the
P51 Mustang. A lot of people love the Mustang, but I think it's a bit
under-armed.

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8a. Rescue the Usurper.
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This mission is another one in the Catalina. You are being sent to rescue a spy
that we had slipped in amongst the Japanese. He has been shot down while trying
to rejoin our fleet.