Saving Tulagi | Plane Challenges BS Midway Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

Units at your disposal: Japanese fighter planes A6M "Zero" Enemy: hordes of American bombers B-17 (approx 24 planes) and dive bombers SBD "Dauntless" (approx 75) and torpedo planes TBF "Avenger" (approx 30), 2 cargo ships, landing boats Level of difficulty: 6

Primary objectives:

• Protect the airfield (1)
• Protect the destroyers (2)
• Protect the jetty buildings (3)
• Eliminate the landing fleet (4)

This scenario probably seems very difficult and finishing it almost impossible for some of you, because of hordes of enemies you must repel but... trust me, this mission can be completed. Take-off from your airfield with 4 flights (3 planes in each) of "Zero" fighters, armed additionally with bombs. You must have max. number of aircrafts in the air, but also in max. number of units, because you will have to face to many enemies and you should simultaneously attack as many of them as possible. [#1] After the take-off proceed with all of your planes to the south, to shoot down successive flights of enemy B-17 "Flying Fortress"bombers, systematically oncoming over your airfield from the south with an intention to bombard it. Your first task is to protect that airfield from destroying (1). These bombers always appear in two flights (3 planes in each) - I mean every wave of them consists of two such flights. You will see a few such pairs of flights (unfortunately I don't remember exactly how many, but mathematics prompts me that 4 :-)), approaching in short time intervals. After shooting down first ones focus on next. After sending to the ground every group of enemy planes, game displays a message, telling you how many squadrons (as a matter of facts these are flights) of them you have to take down yet. Attack every flight of bombers with two own. Start firing at them when you're already approaching them frontally, aim at the engines. It's also good to engage them at different angles - from below, top, side and behind finally. [#2] For the present, you shouldn't have bigger problems.

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When game displays a message that there's left only one, last flight of enemy bombers to shoot down, leave that task for two your flights and send rest of your aircrafts west, to the edge of a map. When bombers are gone, quickly send also these last two flights of your planes to the west edge of a map. If you know that you have sustained losses during the dogfight with American bombers, quickly switch to the airfield (cycling with Tab key works best for me) and take-off with next fighters, armed with bombs (this weapon will be very useful later) - you must have max. number of planes in the air and necessarily in four flights! After destroying enemy B-17s you'll see on the waters near the island two Japanese (so yours) destroyers, and in the air - successive flights of American planes (torpedo and dive bombers this time) approaching from west. Try to attack them as early as you can, I mean - near the left (west) edge of a map. Engage simultaneously as many as possible - every your flight dogfights with one enemy flight. The Americans have now an intention to sink both Japanese destroyers and you must protect these warships (2). [#3] Unfortunately you can't control these ships. You'll see a dozen or so groups of enemy planes - game all the time displays how many these flights (trios) left (after destroying each of them). And now starts the most difficult phase of a gameplay. At the moment when you see on screen a massage telling you that there's left only one (last) flight of enemy planes, attack him with only one yours. It's best to use such a small one (even consisting of one plane, literally) and additionally - the most advanced to the west one. Send rest of your aircrafts (these closer to the airfield and jetty buildings located further to the right (east)) towards the mentioned jetty buildings and even farther - to the right (east) edge of a map. If both Japanese destroyers are in good condition (almost free from damages) you can even risk leaving them without care and send all your flights to the east. And you can do it even earlier, when game informs you that there's left three flights of enemy planes trying to sink your warships. In spite of all, if the destroyers are in good state, they should survive. Or at least one of them - and that will do. Because now you must have your planes as close as possible to the right (east) edge of a map - since you'll see there next hordes (waves) of enemy planes, flying towards the jetty buildings to bombard and destroy these installations. You must protect the jetty buildings (3) now. If you have in the air four own flights of planes but incomplete (so you haven't got a max. number of planes in fact), then crash into the ground or ocean (yes, that's right!) the one which consists of only one plane and immediately take-off from the airfield with next planes (after such a kamikadze action you should have a place for one unit there) to fill gaps. Remember, you must always have in the air max. number of planes and in max. number of units. [#4] Thus, four flights - that's the key to success. Sorry for repeating this sentence 3rd time, but it's very important. Otherwise you won't complete this scenario, even if you're the best pilot in the world!

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If all goes according to the plan, you'll be well prepared to welcome worthily successive flights of enemy dive bombers - you have to face to a dozen or so of groups, approaching from the east (right) edge of a map in short time intervals. Attack them as close to this edge as you can. Every your unit fights only with one American unit. Additionally, when you're personally leading one of your flights, you can order your wingman to engage one group of enemies and destroy another by yourself (solo). [#5] Simply - you should simultaneously attack as many enemy units as possible and... all will be fine, the jetty buildings will survive American air raid. After destroying last waves of enemies (which is really very difficult if you have other plan) it's time to complete the last task. Now you will have to eliminate the landing fleet (4) which approaches the shore of your island from the south. However, it's a piece of cake now, ufff. Enemy landing forces consist of two cargo (troops) ships. They launch from time to time small landing boats, fully loaded with marines wishing themselves to get to the island. As you probably remember from previous missions these landing boats appear on the ocean till you destroy nurse ships. Thus, focus your attention on these big units first of all, and attack each of them with one your flight of fighter planes. Now you can finally drop bombs your fighters have taken at the beginning of a game. You can also strafe the decks of these cargo ships and fire at them using only your machineguns. In the meantime other two flights massacre small landing boats. [#6] After destroying all enemy ships, these small and these big ones, mission will end successfully. That was a real HARDCORE, especially the third phase of this scenario.

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