1: Elco PT Boat





Speed: 50 knots
Weapons:
AA: .50 cal machine gun x2, 20 mm machine gun x1
Torpedoes : Torpedo tube x4
Depth charges : x1
Rating: 1/2

Strong against : Submarines, Cargo ships (AK), LST's, torpedo bombers, Gyoraiteis
Weak against : Warships, high flying planes, Fighters

Elco is fast and agile little ship, and despite it's poor armor (or lack of it) can handle some tasks like sinking some lightly armed targets, anti sub duties or as a little AA backup platform. Imho japaneese PT boat is better overall in all these duties, but battle between Elco and Gyoraitei will most likely be won by Elco due to bigger compliment of machine guns. Best utilized as a submarine hunter due to its speed and being too shallow to be hit by torps, exept that our little boat is nothing more but annoyance to the enemy, not a real threat. Best tactic to use them is in large numbers.

1: Gyoraitei





Speed: 50 knots
Weapons:
AA: 5'' flak x1, 13mm machine gun x1
Artillery: 5'' cannon x1
Torpedoes: torpedo tube x2
Depth charges: x1

Strong against: Submarines, Cargo ships
Weak against: Warships, fighters, PT boats
Rating: 2/2

The Gyoraitei is suprisingly a very useful asset thanks to it's onboard cannon. First of all - it's a nightmare to every american submarine. NIGHTMARE. Fast, cannot be struck by torps cause it's too shallow, and when sub is on surface it can strike him with torps and it's massive cannon. Those who played Crucial cargo mission know what I'm talking about. Elco is much less a threat to submarine than Gyoraitei. Next thing is that Gyoraitei's cannon is also a flak gun- meaning that in numbers they can serve you as AA backup, which is effective and fast to re-position where it is needed the most. That's all it's useful for- lack of torpedo attacking power (only 2), and lack of armor renders Gyoraitei useless against warships, but still it has more use in real battle than it's american counterpart.

1: Clemson-class





Speed: 40 knots
Weapons :
AA: 20mm machine gun x1, 40 mm Bofors x1
Artillery: 4'' cannon x4
Torpedoes : Twin-torpedo tube x4
Depth Charges: x2

Strong against : Submarines, cargo ships, LST's, PT boats
Weak against : Everything else
Rating : 1/5

Clemson is most likely the first destroyer you get your hands on in this game, unfortunately nothing good can be told about this unit. Weak artillery with small amount of low-calibre guns, underwhelming torpedo suite, and AA is a complete joke . Combine that with weak armor and you get the clemson - in my opinion worst destroyer in the entire game. It's japaneese counterpart is roughly the same but has better cannon arrangement compared to clemson, which makes it a little bit better. Clemson struggles really, I mean, REALLY hard to find it's place in the battlefield. Use it as a meatshield, to hunt down subs, aaaaaaand that's it. Everything this ship does, Fletcher does better and faster.


2: Fletcher-class




Speed: 40 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20mm machine gun x4, 28mm quad machine gun x1, 5'' flak x5
Artillery: 5'' gun x 5
Torpedoes: Triple-torpedo tube x2
Depth charges : x2


Strong against: Aircraft, Minekaze-class destroyers, Submarines, PT boats,
Weak against: Everything heavier
Rating: 3/5

Unlike it's brother, Fletcher is actually useful asset in your fleet. It's very good for it's class AA suite makes it great escort ship. Using them as anti aircraft screen via formation settings is one of the best things you can use them for, and use them plenty that way. In anti-sub duty performs just like other destroyers. It's guns, while low calibre, can dish out some damage to thinly armored targets, making Fletcher capable of going toe-to-toe with Fubuki class - it's japaneese counterpart. Overall Fletcher is the best destroyer allies has to offer, best utilized as an escort or sub hunter. Using them on their own, without heavier ships can be risky and may result in quick trip to Davy Jone's locker- all because of their poor armor.

1: Minekaze class



Speed: 40 knots
Weapons:
AA: 13mm machine gun x2
Artillery: 4,5'' cannon x4
Torpedoes: torpedo tubes
Depth charges: x2

Strong against: Submarines, PT boats, Transports (AK), LST's
Weak against: Aircraft, every bigger warship
Rating: 2/5

Minekaze is an non-playable destroyer, but don't worry - it's not impressive at all. Basicaly it's just japaneese clemson, a little bit better because it's cannons are arranged in superposition - meaning all 4 can fire when broadside, compared to clemson's 3. Exept that little difference it controls, behaves, and fight like clemson which means - it's trash. It will lose every 1vs1 with anything other than a Patrol boat, clemson class or barely armed cargo ship. AA battery is still basically non existent and even when we take it into consideration - it consists only of two machine guns. That means high-flying dive bombers are more than happy bombing the living sh*t out of minekaze. Since minekaze is non-playable you only encounter it as an adversary- and sinking one isn't especially difficult.


2: Fubuki class





Speed: 40 knots
Weapons:
AA: 13mm machine gun x2, 25mm triple machine gun x2, 5'' flak x6
Artillery: 5'' double turret x3
Torpedoes: double torpedo tube x3
Depth charges: x2


Strong against: Destroyers, Submarines, Aircraft
Weak against: Heavier warships
Rating: 4/5

Fubuki is very good destroyer, and it's in fact superior compared to it's american couterpart : the Fletcher class. This is thanks to it's one extra cannon, better AA suite and more convenient turret placement. Only thing it can suffer from is that destruction of one of his turrets knocks out 1/3 of his firepower instead of Fletchers 1/5, but weapon repairs are quick so who cares. Best options to utilize Fubuki is as an AA screen or as an escort / sub hunter. Fighting bigger warships is unadvised, unless in great numbers but it will result in huge losses - use it for direct combat as last resort. And that's pretty much it - good as an escort and AA protection to your more valuable vessels.


3. Shimakaze class






Speed: 45 knots
Weapons:
AA: 13 mm machine gun x2, 25mm triple machine gun x2, 5'' flak x6
Artillery: 5'' double turret x3
Torpedoes: double torpedo tubes x3
Depth charges: x2


Strong against: Submarines, Destroyers, Aircraft
Weak against: Heavier warships
Rating: 5/5

Shima is hands down best Destroyer in the game, and it's a shame it only appears in Battle of Sibuyan Sea multiplayer map. It's the only destroyer that sails at 45 knots, which is almost as fast as PT boat! The rest is identical to the Fubuki class, but speed buff alone makes it more capable sub hunter than any other destroyer in game, and those 5 knots may seem like nothing, but it's significant boost. Utilize it exactly the same as you utilize Fubuki.

1: Atlanta class





Speed: 30 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20mm machine gun x11, 5'' flak x16
Artillery : 5'' twin turret x8
Torpedoes: Triple torpedo tube x2

Strong against: Aircraft, Destroyers, Light cruisers, Carriers
Weak against : Subs, Anything heavier
Rating: 3/4

Allies have better light cruisers in their fleet than japaneese. Atlanta is a great light cruiser, unfortunately you rarely command them. Their most famous feature is absolutely terrifying AA suite, that can shred Aircraft into tiny pieces very quickly. I mean seriously - aircraft is for it like grass for weedwacker. Another notable feature of atlanta is the ability to make destroyers disappear solely by looking at them. The whopping amount of guns turns them into scrap metal in seconds, and their armor is too thick to give it's prey chance to hurt them seriously. In a few words Atlanta melts everything smaller and weaker, and cannot do anything against opponents with thicker armor.

2: Cleveland class







Speed: 30 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20mm machine gun x3, 40 mm Bofors x4, 5'' flak x12
Artillery: 6'' triple gun turret x3, 5'' gun x12

Strong against : Aircraft, Destroyers, Light cruisers, carriers
Weak against : Subs, Heavier opponents
Rating: 4/4

Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the best light cruiser in the entire game. Like Atlanta it's best utilized as an AA platform (homever Atlanta is superior in this role), and Destroyer hunter. Cleveland homever can engage wider range of targets because it has bigger guns, guns that deal some good amount of damage. Combine it with fast reload and boom- you got the recipe for succes. Very useful ship, performs great as a backup, but it has one major weakness- poor armor. Under sustained fire Cleveland quickly sinks, so don't charge with it too much or you will loose it very quickly. Fun fact is that despite of having depth charges onboard, it cannot use them. Unfortunately.

3: De Ruyter







Speed: 30 knots
Weapons:
AA: 28mm quad cannon x 5
Artillery: 6'' twin turrets x3, 6'' turret x1

Strong against: Destroyers
Weak against: Aircraft, anything heavier
Rating: 2/4

De Ruyter is a non-playable ship that appears exclusively in Battle of Java sea challenge as an adversary. It has rather thin armor, but good guns. AA is quite strange, consisting of a single platform with quad machine guns, but there are no aircraft in this mission so you will not see it's AA in action. It's basically very undergunned Cleveland, nothing special about this ship because it has only one short appearance in the whole game.

1: Kuma class





Speed: 30 knots
Weapons:
AA: 13 mm machine gun x4
Artillery: 5,5'' x7
Torpedoes: torpedo tubes x6

Strong against: Destroyers
Weak against: Cruisers and anything bigger, aircraft
Rating: 1/4

I present to you the only IJN light cruiser in the game and simultaneously the worst one. Kuma is in fact a pathetic excuse for a light cruiser, being obliterated by anything other than a destroyer. Artillery is just a few destroyer grade guns. AA suite consists of sailors armed with bows and arrows - it does nothing. And on the bow it has an AA blind spot which is like a huge gate for aircraft with the bright glowing neon sign "BOMBER ENTRANCE". Aircraft do whatever they want to with Kuma, just like other warships. Kuma can only reliably take out destroyers, but when outnumbered let's say 3 to one, Kuma is the one receiving a*-whopping. The only redeeming fact about it may be it's armor, which is suprisingly thick for a light cruiser, but who cares if you don't have any serious attacking power. Kuma also has torpedoes but forget about them - with their ridiculous arrangement you will hit nothing.

1:York class





Speed: 28 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20 mm machine gun x4, 5''flak x4
Artillery: 8'' twin turret x3
Torpedoes: Triple torpedo tube x2

Strong against: Destroyers, Light cruisers, carriers, Lightly armored ships
Weak against: Aircraft, Battleships, other CA's, subs
Rating: 1/4

Being weakest heavy cruiser in the game, York is painfully undergunned compared to other ships it's class. Guns are good quality, but they lack numbers. AA is rather weak, Aicraft should have no problem to drop bombs on your head and deliver fresh torpedoes everytime they see York. It is the only allied CA that has torpedoes, but seriously, 3 per side? They are very situational, in fact if they were not onboard you could barely tell the difference. York is best used against light cruisers and destroyers- It's where it performs best. Do not engage other CA's solo - you will certainly go to the bottom.

2: Northampton class





Speed: 28 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20 mm machine gun x4, 28 mm quad machine gun x2, 5'' flak x4
Artillery: 8'' triple turret x3

Strong against: Destroyers, cruisers, carriers
Weak against: Battleships, subs, large number of aircraft
Raring: 3/4

Northampton is very good warship. It's cannons can damage even battleships - and that's something. AA suite is rather weak - sometimes it will bring some birds down, but do not rely on it too much -CAP fighters or Fletcher escort is advised when attacked by enemy bombers. Northampton operates like a pocket battleship - it's heavily armored, has good guns, and it's helpless against submarines. Nice and universal ship - true joy to use, but don't get too confident when commanding it - it's still not a battleship.

1: Tone class





Speed: 28 knots
Weapons:
AA: 5'' flak x8, 13 mm machine gun x4, 25 mm triple machine gun x6
Artillery: 8'' double turret x 4
Torpedoes : torpedo tubes x12

Strong against: Light cruisers, carriers, destroyers
Weak against : Battleships, subs, anything behind it
Rating: 2/4

Let's start IJN hevy cruisers section with the weakest one. Being the worst japaneese CA doesn't mean Tone is weak warship - unless you approach it from behind, then it's attacking power is equal to that of a commercial cruise ship. Tone is known for it's blind spot on the stern, because it is the only ship in game that has this weakness. Originally that space was designed to carry seaplanes, but since you can't launch seaplanes in Midway - you get what you get. AA is average, nothing special, nothing to rely solely on. Cannons are good, but lacks numers other japaneese cruisers has to offer. Torpedoes might come in handy in close encounters. Good armor. That's it, it will serve you well but do not let anyone sail behind you.


2: Mogami class






Speed: 28 knots
Weapons: 5'' flak x8, 13 mm machine gun x2, 25 mm triple machine gun x12
Artillery: 8'' double turret x5
Torpedoes: torpedo tube x12

Strong against: Anything except battleships and submarines
Weak against: well... battleships, submarines
Rating: 4/4


These bad boys together with the Takao class are the best heavy cruisers in game - heavy armored, armed, and reeeeallly fun to play. Again as with all Japaneese heavy cruisers AA is average, it's nothing good in general. Care is needed to be taken to be positioned with our broadside to the incoming air raids because on the bow we have only 2 small machine guns which- you guessed it- does nothing. We have one extra barrel compared to our American counterpart Northampton, which gives us edge in 1vs1 battle. The powerful torpedo armament allows these cruisers take out battleships in certain circumstances, and gives upper hand in close ranged combat against any allied warship.


3: Takao class





Speed: 28 knots
Weapons:
AA: 5'' flak x8, 13 mm machine gun x2, 25 mm triple machine gun x12
Artillery: 8'' double turret x5
Torpedoes: torpedo tube x12

Strong against: Anything except battleships and submarines
Weak against: Look above
Rating: 4/4

Takao is almost identical to the Mogami- only differences are different ship model and slightly different turret arrangement on the bow, but this changes nothing. Use it exactly the same as mentioned cruiser.

1: New York class




Speed: 20 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20mm machine gun x4, 40mm bofors x4, 5'' flak x8
Artillery: 14'' twin turret x5

Strong against: Destroyers, Cruisers, Battleships, carriers (when in range)
Weak against: subs, aircraft
Rating: 2/7

Don't get me wrong- despite of low rating it's quite good battleship. AA is rather average and nothing special, but it's 10 cannons pack a punch. It lacks completely secondary battery tho, so it's best utilised as an distant fighter - the greater the distance between you and enemy the better, there is no point in charging close to the enemy with New York. It's good armor offers solid protection. As every battleship watch out for torpedoes, as this warship is slow and sluggish.

2: Iowa class







Speed: 25 knots
Weapons:
AA: 5'' flak x20, 40 mm bofors x2, 20mm machine gun x1
Artillery: 16'' triple turrets x3, 5'' twin turrets x10

Strong against: Every Warship
Weak against: Subs, large quantity of aircraft
Rating: 6/7

Iowa is the best battleship allies has to offer and one of the 2 game's super battleships. With it's powerful 16'' guns, good AA and thick armor it can take on any fight with confidence. The only things that can destroy this monster are subs, sustained air raids and multiple battleships. Be on constant watch for torpedoes homever, as Iowa cannot take lot of them. Dive bombers ordnance, destroyer and light cruiser shells have little to no effect on you due to thick armor. Iowa is a nigtmare to fight against and true joy to play.

3: King George V class




Speed: 20 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20mm machine gun x2, 28mm quad machine gun x4, 5'' dual flak turret x8
Artillery: 14'' quad turret x2, 14'' double turret x1

Strong against: Everything except Super Battleships
Weak against: Aircraft, subs
Rating: 4/7

King George V is powerful warship capable of engaging basically any target. It has average AA, amount of flaks is just ok but lack of machinegun power makes it vulnerable for torpedo bombers. Also it's main weakness are his turrets- destroying one knocks out almost half of it's firepower, so make sure to repair them quickly when needed. It's also one of the biggest warships in the game, combined with slow speed makes it swallow torpedoes like crazy. Despite this it handles like other battleships - strong armour will serve you well during fights.

4: Renown class







Speed: 25 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20mm machine gun x4, 28mm quad machine gun x2, 5'' flak x12, 5'' flak x4
Artillery: 14'' twin turret x3

Strong against: Cruisers, Destroyers, Aircraft
Weak against: Subs, other battleships, torpedo bombers
Rating: 1/7

Despite being weakest battleship in the game, Renown is still a useful asset on the battlefield. Thing to point out is it's AA suite, which is extraordinaly good - Renown is a capable AA platform, homever it lacks ability to destroy torpedo bombers quickly due to lack of many machine guns. It performs very well in engaging all classes of ships, but cannot hold it's own against other battleships due to lack of firepower. Do not engage enemy battleships without support. Or you will die. Seriously.

1: Kongo class




Speed: 25 knots
Weapons:
AA: 13 mm machine gun x4, 25 mm triple machine gun x6, 5'' flak x8
Artillery: 14'' double turret x4, 5,5'' cannon x14

Strong against: All warships
Weak against: Subs, aircraft, Battleships
Rating: 3/7

Being a demo version of the Fuso class, Kongo is a very nice warship. It's the weakest japaneese battleship, because it's historically a battlecruiser- but still can make allied ships cry. In terms of armament it's just Fuso without 2 turrets and 2 secondary cannons, AA is also sligtly worse. Care should be taken to never leave Kongo without escort when there is risk of an aerial attack. Due to large number of secondaries it is advised to engage at closer ranges to bring these barrels to play - Kongo is a nice brawler, but it's not so good in long range fights being outgunned by most Allied warships. Still Kongo is a very useful asset and will serve you well, just think about it as very, very buffed heavy cruiser, not exactly a battleship.



2: Fuso class






Speed: 20 knots
Weapons:
AA: 5'' flak x8, 13 mm machine gun x6, 25 mm triple machine gun x6
Artillery: 14'' double turret x6, 5,5'' cannon x16

Strong against: All warships
Weak against: Subs, aircraft
Rating: 5/7

Ahhh the good old Fuso - probably the first battleship players get their hands on in this game, thanks to the Strike on the Monster challenge. Fuso is a formidable opponent in ship-to-ship combat. With the largest amount of guns in the game it can wreck havoc on basically anything. It's good for long range engagements thanks to it's powerful 12-cannon broadside, and with rich secondary battery compliment it is often very rewardind to short the distance between you and enemy. Secondaries also works great as a destroyer shield - well placed salvo makes quick work of them. Also worth noting is that because Fuso's main battery consist of 6 turrets- it's extremely hard to disable significant amount of his firepower. Homever Fuso has disadvantages and the first of them is thin armor- this is especially a problem during fights with battleships. Second issue is weak AA suite- Fuso is very vulnerable to air attacks, Avengers can easily torpedo the living daylights out of it with little to no effort. When there are enemy aviation - Escort. Always. Have. An. Escort. Fuso alone is a sitting duck.


3: Yamato class





Speed: 25 knots
Weapons:
AA: 5'' flak x12, 25 mm triple machine gun x24
Artillery: 18'' triple turret x3, 6'' triple turret x4

Strong against: All warships
Weak against: submarines, aircraft


Best warship in the game. This short sentence tells more than a thousand words about what Yamato is. This monster has upper hand against every single warship in the game, even Iowa class. With biggest avaiable gun caliber the enormously glorious 18,1 inches there is no warship Yamato is afraid of. In terms of firepower, Yamato is like a Bermuda Triangle - something sails into it's range, and disappears. Destroyers are sinking just because they see you, cruisers melts in bright light of your glory, and battleships, even when they can put some hurt on you - finally also falls down to their knees begging for mercy. Armor? this thing swallows bombs and destroyer shells like it is nothing, while cruisers just leave few bruises on it's hardened hull. Only battleships have enough firepower to put hurt on this leviathan. Yamato looks truly like an unstoppable force, but stopping him is possible. Only reliable ways of doing that are: sustained air raids, multiple battleships or coordinated submarine strikes, or all above simultaneously for the best result. AA is the achilles heel of the Yamato - especialy attacking it from the bow meets with little to no resistance. Yamato is often your most valuable asset, and great care should be taken to give him AA cover of fighters or destroyer escort. It cannot stand it's own against air raids - keep that in mind that Yamato is strong only against surface vessels. Overall, this ship is a true joy to play, and a nightmare to fight against.

1: Lexington class






Speed: 20 knots
Weapons:
AA: 5'' flak x4, 40mm bofors x3, 20mm machine gun x4

Strong against: Aircraft
Weak against: Warships, subs
Rating: 2/5

Famous Lady Lex handles like any other carrier- don't engage in direct combat, keep your distance, maintain escort around, do not leave it on it's own. It lacks AA power so the escort part is crucial. It's helpless against anything that comes close, even destroyer.

2: Yorktown class







Speed: 20 knots
Weapons:
AA: 5'' flak x8, 40mm bofors x2, 20mm machine gun x1
Strong against: Aircraft
Weak against: Warships, subs
Rating: 3/5

Same case as with Lex, keep distance, don't engage directly etc. It's AA is effective only when broadside, on the bow it has only a single 20mm machine gun which does nothing. Always keep an escort around, preferably destroyers or- best option- destroyer and atlanta class.

3: Hermes




Speed: 20 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20mm machine gun x1, 28mm quad machine gun x1

Strong against: Nothing
Weak against: Everything
Rating: 1/5

Hermes is an non-playable carrier, and the weakest one in the game. It's slow, and it's AA consists of some people throwing stones at planes. It's greatest strength is ability to launch 4 squadrons of deadly Hawker Hurricanes, but carrier alone is a floating piece of sh*t. It appears exclusively in Attack on Force Z challenge mission as an adversary- take him out with bombs to make mission significantly easier.

1: Soryu class





Speed: 20 knots
Weapons:
AA: 25mm triple machine gun x18, 5'' flak cannon x12

Strong against: Aircraft
Weak against: Everything
Rating: 4/5

Use standard carrier tactics when commanding this unit. In fact all carriers operate the same, the only differences between them is armor and AA suite. Stay away from direct combat, send aircraft into battle, maintain escort around.


2: Akagi class






Speed: 20 knots
Weapons:
AA: 25mm triple machine gun x18, 5'' flak cannon x12

Strong against: Aircraft
Weak against: Everything
Rating: 5/5

While carrying the same AA armament as Soryu class, Akagi has little more armor. This is because Akagi is builded on the base of a battlecruiser. Same tactic as with all carriers, stay away from combat. Always. Even single destroyer can take you out when you are left alone without escort. Sailing into battle is just very stupid method of commiting suicide.

1: Narwhal class




Speed: 30 knots when surfaced, 25 knots while underwater
Weapons:
AA: .50cal machine gun x1
Artillery: 5'' gun x1
Torpedoes: Torpedo tube x6

Strong against: Everything
Weak against: Destroyers, PT boats, seaplanes, aircraft
Rating: 3/3

Due to lack of variety is the best sub in the game technically. It's almost identical to it's japaneese conterpart- same amount of torpedoes, same lonely deck gun that tickles your enemies and same single pea-shooter. Handling and armor also the same. Why is it then superior to japaneese subs? Better deck cannon placement - having it in the bow is more convenient in my opinion, and that's it. Underwater they are the same.

1: Type-B class



Speed: 30 knots when surfaced, 25 knots while underwater
Weapons:
AA: 13mm machine gun x1
Artillery: 5'' cannon x1
Torpedoes: torpedo launcher x6


Strong against: Battleships, carriers, cargo ships, cruisers
Weak against: Destroyers, PT Boats, seaplanes, aircraft
Rating: 2/3

Type B is identical in almost every single way to it's american counterpart - Narwhal class. The only difference is that an artillery cannon is mounted on the stern, not in the bow. Same as with american sub - AA is basically non existent, single cannon is a joke and the only weapon that really matters are torpedoes.


2: Type-A





Speed: 40 knots when surfaced, 33 knots while underwater
Weapons:
Torpedoes: torpedo launcher x2


Strong against: Nothing
Weak against: Everything
Rating: 1/2


Weakest submarine in the game, there is some use for Type-A but it's very limited. First of all these things deployed solo are worthless. Only in numbers they can do something useful. Use them to soften warships before finishing them off with other warship, or finish off heavily damaged ships utilizing it's high speed. Command them using orders via tactical map, commanding one personally is a waste of time. Being much smaller they move considerably faster than a full sized subs, and sinks faster- they have literally no armor, on the surface quick bust of machine gun fire quickly sinks them. Armament of 2 torpedoes is too weak to single handedly take out anythink other than a cargo ship. Oxygen reserve also depletes much quicker than in normal sub. Overall these miniature subs are more like a trivia in this game than a valuable resource.

1: F4F Wildcat




Weapons: wing mounted .50 cal machine gun x6
Payload: 200 lb bomb x1

Strong against: Aircraft, PT boats, AK's
Weak against: Warships, Land installations
Rating: 4/8

Wildcat is very popular and very good fighter. For some ridiculous reason in this game it is superior to Zero in manouvreability. It's attacking power makes it a formidable opponent in the sky, and a real threat to japaneese bombers. Wildcat's weakness is it's gun arrangement - they are located on wings which negatively affect accuracy and they have awkward firing pattern - 3 per right side, 3 per left side, which means you will be missing half of your shots on a daily basis. Still, Wildcat is fine fighter, it is commonly accesible and will serve you well.



2: F2A Buffalo



Weapons: wing mounted .50 cal machine gun x2
Payload: 200 lb bomb x1

Strong against: Bombers
Weak against: Warships, Fighters, Land installations
Rating: 1/8


Buffalo is the worst fighter in the game for 3 reasons - small amount of inaccurate guns, poor agility and low HP pool. It is hard to get worse combination of statistics. Buffalo should be used only if there is no other option, to distract enemy fighters or intercept bombers- because it's all this flying beer barrel is slightly good at.



3: P-40 Warhawk



Weapons: wing mounted .50 cal machine gun x6
Payload: 200lb bomb x1

Strong against: Aircraft, PT Boats
Weak against: Warships
Rating: 6/8


Very, VERY powerful fighter, homever it appears rather rarely in missions. It offers great manouvreability with better firing pattern compared to the Wildcat, making P-40 superior. Zero is outmatched really hard when it comes to fight with Warhawk.


4: Hawker Hurricane



Weapons: wing mounted .303 cal machine gun x6
Payload: None

Strong against: Aircraft, PT boats
Weak against: Everything else
Rating: 5/8


Hurricane is a non-playable fighter that appears exclusively in Attack on Force Z challenge mission as an opposing air force. During this mission, these fighters will make your life a living hell, full of tears and suffering. Their multiple machine guns will shred your bombers into tiny pieces with little effort, your best bet is to throw your Oscars in and hope they distract them long enough for you to destroy carrier that spawns these flying killing machines. It's really a shame that Hurricane isn't accesible to the player, since it's a great aircraft.


5: P-38 Lightning



Weapons: nose mounted .50 cal machine gun x5, nose mounted 20 mm machine gun x1
Payload: None

Strong against: Aircraft, PT boats, AK's
Weak against: Warships, land installations
Rating: 8/8


Lightning is without a single doubt the best fighter plane in the entire game. This thing absolutely SHREDS anything in the air. Common Zeroes doesn't stand a chance against this beast. It's fast, very agile, climbs quickly and has many machine guns mounted on the nose, giving them deadly accuracy. The only fighter that could be a match for Lightning is japaneese Gekko, but P-38 is smaller and has fork shaped tail - letting enemy fire pass through it. Unfortunately it appears rather rarely, so you don't have much chances to experience it's power.

1: Ki-43 Oscar



Weapons: nose mounted 12,7 mm machine guns x2
Payload: 100 kg bomb x2


Strong against: Aircraft, PT boats
Weak against: Warships
Rating: 2/8


Japaneese counterpart of the Buffalo, Oscar is much better one. It is a competent fighter, but it will struggle in dogfights against Wildcats or Warhawks - only when outnumbering enemy it can secure the skies (unless facing Buffalos). Machine guns located on the nose positively affects accuracy, making them easy to aim. Acceptable fighter, Homever Zero is superior.



2: A6M Zero




Weapons: nose mounted 7,7 mm machine gun x2, wing mounted 20 mm cannon x2
Payload: 100 kg bomb x2


Strong against: Aircraft, AK's
Weak against: Warships
Rating: 3/8


Japaneese fighter of choice, Zero is considered to be one of the finest WW2 aircraft - but for some odd reasons it is stripped from it's glory in this game, leaving not at all impressive aircraft. Wildcat - it's most common rival- will outmanouvre Zero with ease, but Zero's shots hits much harder than Wildcat's. Something for something. Zero is deadly against bombers, especially level bombers. This makes Zero capable interceptor, but it will struggle a bit during dogfights. Overall it is still solid fighter, very versatile, and it's bombs might be quite handy in certain situations.



3: J1N1 Gekko



Weapons: nose mounted 20mm cannon x2
Payload: None


Strong against: Aircraft, PT boats, AK's
Weak against: Everything else
Rating: 7/8


Best fighter plane japan has to offer - Gekko is very potent interceptor. With it's excellent manouvreability and high speed this is the only aircraft that can challenge American Lightning. Homever, Gekko is much larger and lack the punch of it's American counterpart, so it's still inferior, but against Wildcats and other fighters - it's truly a killing machine. Shines especially in taking down bombers. Unfortunately this unit doesn't appear very often, which is a shame cause it's really fun aircraft to fly.

1: SBD Dauntless



Weapons: nose mounted .50 cal machine gun x2, .30 cal gunner x1
Payload: 1000 lb bomb x1 or aerial depth charge x2


Strong against: Buildings, Destroyers, Carriers, submarines
Weak against: Cruisers, Battleships
Rating: 2/3


This is the only allied dedicated dive bomber, but Dauntless is actually pretty good. It has larger HP pool that it's japaneese counterparts, but is less manouvreable. It's tail gunner fires one shot per second, but in large numbers they could do significant damage to japaneese fighters, but not enough to send them into enemy territory without escort. Bombs cannot penetrate thicker armor, so it is unadvised to engage large heavy targets such as battleships with dive bombers, because they barely do any damage. When piloting one personally and attacking a warship - aim to the magazine or fuel tank to maximize effectivenes of your attack. Without payload it becomes quite good second line fighter, it can be used that way if necessary.

1: D3A Val




Weapons: nose mounted 7,7 mm machine gun x2, 7,7 mm gunner x1
Payload: 500 kg bomb x1


Strong against: Destroyers, Buildings, Light cruisers, Carriers
Weak against: Heavy cruisers, Battleships
Rating: 1/3


Val is most common Japaneese Dive bomber in use- it's slow and has low HP but is very agile. It is advised to use Vals in large numbers, and with fighter escort - and they will do the job. It can be used as a last resort fighter plane due to it's agility and accurate guns, but dedicated fighters are much better in this role.


2: D4Y Judy



Weapons: nose mounted 12,7 mm machine gun x2, 7,7 mm gunner x1
Payload: 500 kg bomb x1 or aerial depth charge x2


Strong against: Destroyers, buildings, Light cruisers, carriers, submarines
Weak against: Heavy cruisers, Battleships
Rating 3/3


Judy is japaneese counterpart of the SBD Dauntless, it is more versatile than a Val because it can be used in anti submarine role. It's also very agile and quite fast for a dive bomber, making it a very valuable unit for destroying land installations and lightly armored targets. When attacking ships aim for the fuel tank or magazine to maximize your damage output and set fires.

1: TBF Avenger




Weapons: wing mounted .30 cal machine gun x2, .30 cal gunner x2
Payload: aerial torpedo x1 or 1000 lb bomb x1 or aerial depth charge x1


Strong against: Buildings, cruisers, battleships, submarines, carriers
Weak against: Destroyers
Rating: 4/4


Avenger is without a doubt most versatile bomber in the game - it can equip all possible sorts of payload giving him ability to engage any target. Altrough it can equip the same bombs as Dauntless, it should be used as a dive bomber only when you are out of Dauntlesses, because unlike mentioned bombers Avenger can equip torpedoes. Dauntless is also superior in sub hunting role given it's 2 depth charges instead of Avenger's one. Avenger is a very good torpedo bomber, it's only weakness are it's extremely inaccurate machine guns, but this doesn't really matter cause you will rarely even use them. It has also 2 tail gunner intead of average one, which doubles it defense against enemy fighters. Very valuable asset in your air wing.



2: TBD Devastator




Weapons: nose mounted .30 cal machine gun x1, .30 cal gunner x1
Payload: aerial torpedo x1


Strong against: Cruisers, Battleships
Weak against: Everything else
Rating: 2/4


Devastator while not as versatile as Avenger is still a fine torpedo bomber. It has the distinction of being one of the most poorly armed plane in the game, sporting only single .30 cal gun on the nose which is inaccurate and practically useless. It is rarely seen plane, but will serve you almost as good as Avenger in every mission it appears in.



3: Fairey Swordfish




Weapons: nose mounted 7,7 mm machine gun x1 7,7 mm gunner x1
Payload: aerial torpedo x1 or 200 lb bomb x1

Strong against: Cruisers, Battleships
Weak against: Everything else
Rating: 1/4


Despite being the worst torpedo bomber in the game, Swordfish can still prove itself to be useful.
It's main weaknesses are slow speed, large size due to being a biplane and poor armor. It is tied with Devastator for having one of weakest machine gun armaments in the game. It can equip a single 200 lb bomb, but seriously let me tell you something: NO. As a torpedo bomber it works fine when in numbers, it is advised to attack from the bow of the ship to minimize amount of AA guns that can fire towards us.

1: B5N Kate




Weapons: nose mounted 7,7 mm machine gun x2, 7,7 mm gunner x1
Payload: aerial torpedo x1 or 500 kg bomb x1


Strong against: Warships, land installations
Weak against: Fighters
Rating: 3/4


Kate is a torpedo bomber of choice for japaneese, it isn't something especially impressive but works just fine. Use it as any other torpedo bomber, nothing special, it isn't as versatile as it's American counterpart Avenger, but this isn't much of a factor. It can equip 500 kg bomb, but should be used in role of the dive bomber only when you run out of dedicated units of that type. Can be used as a fighter as a last resort, but Val is better in this role and dedicated fighters are the best.

1: B-25 Mitchell




Weapons: nose mounted .30 cal machine gun x4, .30 cal gunner x5
Payload: 450 lb bomb x14


Strong against: Light cruisers, Buildings, Carriers
Weak against: Fighters, Battleships, Heavy cruisers
Rating: 3/4

Mitchell has a unique for a bomber forward firing machine guns with crosshair, unfortunately they are worthless in most scenarios. Good amount of machine guns, and reasonable bomb payload for a level bomber, Mitchell is basically a demo version of the B-17. It is especially useful for taking down ground installations such as airfields and shipyards. It's gunners can help, but it is still advised to keep fighter escort around when there is a risk of interception. It appaears rather rarely in missions.




2: B-17 Flying Fortress




Weapons: .50 cal gunner x10
Payload: 450 lb bomb x24 or 200 lb bomb x40 or 100 lb bomb x60


Strong against: Buildings, carriers, cruisers
Weak against: Battleships
Rating: 4/4


These things absolutely rules. With their superior and heaviest bomb load in the game they can engage surface targets with great effectiveness. When combined with low altitude bombing strategy ( see my Tips and Tricks guide) they become absolutely devastating, being able to destroy everything up to light cruiser, carrier or every building with just single bomber. With their generous HP pool and rich gunner compliment, in large numbers they can even defend themselves against small amount of fighters on their own. Shipbourne AA is often ineffective against B-17, fighters are the only reliable way to take them down, especially Zeroes. These heavy bombers are definately force to be reckoned with. It should be noted that even if they can equip other types of bombs than 450 lb, it is unadvised. Why? Because other types of bombs instead of being dropped rapidly, are dropped at a rate of 2 bombs per second, which is painfully slow, and they don't even have the damage potential of the 450 lb ones. I understand that equipping 45 bombs or whopping 60 can be tempting, i perfectly understand you pal, but it's waste of time.

1: G3M Nell



Weapons: 7,7 mm gunner x3
Payload: 250 kg bomb x6 or aerial torpedo x1


Strong against: Buildings
Weak against: Fighters
Rating: 1/4


This is a Nell level bomber, and this is a stinky pile of sh*t - find one difference. Okay, what good can I say about the Nell? In large numbers maybe it can destroy some buildings. In large numbers maybe it can hit some torps. Maybe. The truth is Nell is very weak, it has the weakest bomb load of all level bombers in the game, but not only that - Nell drops them awkwardly slow, one per second, instead of rapidly dumping all of them like the rest of it's kind. It can serve you as a torpedo bomber - slow, easy to hit and poorly armored torpedo bomber. Nell's only chance to make a succesful torpedo run is lack of enemy aviation in the air, and attack from the bow to minimize amount of AA firing towards him. It's machine gun defences are also pathetic, making him easy pray for Allied fighters - not to mention it has a blind spot at the nose. It could have been a good bomber, but it's woefully outmatched by every other option.



2: G4M Betty



Weapons: 7,7 mm gunner x3, 20 mm gunner x2
Payload: 250 kg bomb x12 or aerial torpedo x1


Strong against: Buildings, carriers, light cruisers
Weak against: Fighters
Rating: 2/4


Betty is the best level bomber japaneese has to offer, but still no match for the American ones. It has double amount of bombs compared to Nell, and dumps them rapidly, making them actually useful. It performs better as a torpedo bomber unlike forementioned aircraft, this is due to better armor. Still, Kate is superior in this role, but if it's not avaiable - Betty is the way to go. It's defences are also quite reasonable. But still not enough to defend Betty's from interception - Fighter escort is advised when there are enemy fighters in the area.

1: PBY Catalina


Weapons: nose mounted .30 cal machine gun x1, .50 cal gunner x2
Payload: aerial torpedo x2 or 200 lb bomb x2 or aerial depth charge x2


Strong against: Submarines, Warships with poor AA
Weak against: Fighters, Warships with strong AA
Rating: 3/5


Nightmare, the flying angel of death to the japeneese sumbariners, Catalina is one of the worst enemies they can encounter. Having sonar onboard and access to depth charges Catalina can quickly detect and fry a sub with ease. It can be equipped with torps but it's poor armor makes it almost impossible to engage warships, especially in formations. Bombs can be useful as a last resort tool to destroy land installations. Homever, the best thing you can use Catalina for is spotting. Be careful tho, because when attacked by fighters it quickly goes down. Overall, while limited use, Catalina is quite good seaplane.

1: H6K Mavis



Weapons: 7,7 mm gunner x4
Payload: aerial torpedo x4 or aerial depth charge x4 or 250 kg bomb x4

Strong against: Submarines, Warships with poor AA
Weak against: Everything else
Rating: 5/5


Mavis, like all japaneese flying boats is non-playable and controlled only by AI. why Eidos made so many units and then make them non- playable? No one knows. Mavis is slow, big, juicy farget for your Fighters or AA. It poses a significant threat to the submarines, thanks to onboard sonar, but it's just it. What makes Mavis special is it's payload - heaviest one of the all seaplanes in the game - whopping 4 slots . Being able to drop 4 torpedoes it can be very dangerous to warships that didn't manage to shoot him down quickly enough.


2: H8K Emily



Weapons: 7,7 mm gunner x5
Payload: aerial torpedo x2 or aerial depth charge x2 or 250 kg bomb x2


Strong against: Submarines, Warships with poor AA
Weak against: Everything else
Rating 4/5

Emily is an upgraded version of the Mavis, but technically it's worse because of the lighter payload. It's big, fat, meaty hull swallow AA fire like crazy, it's very easy to intercept. Nothing special about Emily can be told, it's just a seaplane, easy target, not a threat, don't bother too much with it.



3: F1M Pete



Weapons: nose mounted 7,7 machine gun x1, 7,7 mm gunner x1
Payload: aerial depth charge x2


Strong against: Submarines
Weak against: Everything
Rating: 2/5


These spotter planes also are non-playable just like flying boats, but it's not much a problem. Pete is useful only for recon and as a sub hunter, it's so weak that sending fighters to intercept it is a waste of time. Homever as a sub hunter it's very good, you can check it out yourself - they appear in Crucial Cargo challenge when you destroy all PT boats in the area.


4: E13A Jake



Weapons: nose mounted 7,7mm machine gun x1
Payload: 100 kg bomb x2


Strong against: Nothing
Weak against: Everything
Rating: 1/5

Jake appears rarely, and when it does it isn't much of a threat. It cannot destroy anything single handedly (well, maybe a Junk) and it's easily intercepted even by the weak AA fire. They are not a real threat for you.

1: Cargo ship




Speed: 18 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20 mm machine gun x2


Strong against: Nothing
Weak against: Everything


Cargo ships serve as a targets to destroy - it can be a mission goal or secondary one. They pose no threat whatsoever, and their little machine guns can't even sink a PT boat. Since they are non-playable you only need to destroy them - 2 torps or shellfire makes quick work of them, strafing with fighter aircraft is another pretty effective method to deal with them - aim for the deck to cause fuel tank rupture and big explosion, don't aim to the superstructure tho because your machine gun shots will not penetrate it.




2: Fleet Oiler



Speed: 18 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20 mm machine gun x1


Strong against: Nothing
Weak against: Everything


When the cargo ships are weak units - fleet oilers are even worse - one small pew pew onboard that does nothing as a defense, and even bigger decks to catch fire from strafing and shellfire. They serve the same purpose as cargo ships, but are much easier to sink.



3: Troop Transport



Speed: 18 knots
Weapons:
Artillery: 5'' deck gun x1
AA: 40mm quad cannon x1, 20 mm machine gun x2


Strong against: Surfaced subs in front of them
Weak against: Everything


These ships are the strongest ones of the AK class. Being the strongest doesn't mean much tho, cause they are still vulnerable to strafing, has basically no weapons and they are just sitting ducks. The Troop Transports are equipped with a single small artillery piece, which can be used to punish submarine captains that dare to surface in it's range, but it's just it. Everything else obliterates this thing with ease.

1: LST Mark 2


Speed: 25 knots
Weapons:
AA: 20 mm machine gun x2, 28 mm quad cannon x1
Artillery: 5'' cannon x1


Strong against: Nothing
Weak against: Everything

They only appear in Strike on Tulagi mission as ships needed to be escorted. They have no other appearances, so not much can be said about these units. In terms of firepower their japaneese counterparts are little stronger.



2: SB Landing Boat


Speed: 16 knots
Weapons:
AA: 7,7 mm machine gun x4
Artillery: 5'' cannon x2

Strong against: Clemson class Destroyers
Weak against: Everything else


These landing boats can harm your Clemson class in Running the Palawan Passage campaign mission, especially on Veteran difficulty. Their armament is quite respectable for their class - we should be thankful that theiy don't shoot at our PT boat in second campaign mission.

1: Fortress



Weapons:
Artillery: 5'' cannon x3

Strong against: Light ships
Weak against: Heavier ships, aircraft

These common fortifications while stationary can injure some of your lighter ships. It is viable to check the tactical map for these fortifications before sailing close to the islands. They are a pain especially in Running the Palawan Passage campaign mission when the pound your Clemson class with their cannons. The best way to take them out are the Dive bombers, Destroyers are your worst bet because Fortress firing range is equal to your (0,8 miles) .

2: Heavy Fortress


Weapons:
Artillery:
14'' cannon x3

Strong against: Warships
Weak against: Aircraft

The heavy variant of the standard Fortress, appears exclusively in the Raid on Truk challenge mission. They are extremely dangerous to warships, they can even heavily damage an Iowa class battleship, Homever you get plenty of time to get rid of them before mentioned battleship arrives. Yor best bet as with the standard Fortresses are bomber aircraft. They share model with standard Fortresess.

3: Coastal Gun


Weapons:
Artillery: 5'' gun x1

Strong against: Light ships
Weak against: Everything else

Esentially a mini-fortress. It can hurt some of your destroyers when you sail care free near enemy islands. You should actually check the tactical map for these structures because you will be surprised how bad idea is to ignore them.

4: Heavy AA


Weapons:
AA: 5'' Flak x1

Strong against: Dive Bombers, Level Bombers
Weak against: Everything else

It's just a single flak gun. It is commonly seen placed on islands, around airfields and other structures. Poses low threat to your aircraft, but in numbers combined with shipbourne AA it can be a problem. It looks similiar to the coastal cannon, but it actually have a 2-men crew maintaining it. Cool.


5: Light AA


Weapons:
AA: 28mm quad cannon x1

Strong against: Torpedo bombers
Weak against: Everything else

Single machine gun emplacement. It poses little to no threat to aircraft, it can be ignored or destroyed with quick machine gun burst.


6: AA Truck


Weapons: 12,7 mm machine gun x1

Strong against: Nothing
Weak against: Everything

While technically a vehicle, the AA Truck is stationary and act as a building. It is exclusively seen in Strike on the Tulagi mission on the forementioned isnand's beach. It is the only place in the entire game when we can see an AA Truck, and it's very easy to not see it at all because it is so small and is often destroyed before it can be seen.. For that small unit, it has a surprisingly detailed model, and even unique one when it's destroyed with it's wheels fallen off. It is also weakest AA emplacement in the game, common Light AA is stronger. The in-game model is probably based on a real life soviet GAZ AA Truck.

These Units serve no purpose in the game, they are only here for decoration. Because of this they do not have "Strong against/Weak against" characteristics because they are non-playable and unarmed.


1: Cutter / Rescue Ship


Speed: 10 knots


These small motorboats appear most notably in the Pearl Harbor, Defense of the Phillipines and Vengeance in Luzon missions.



2: Fishing boat




Speed: 10 knots

Can be seen in Vengeance in Luzon and Turning point at Midway missions. They are always still, no one can be seen sailing.


3: Junk




Speed: 10 knots


Decoration ships, often seen in small harbours around the islands, or just peacefully sailing. Notable ones are Bon Adventure and Shark Chaser seen in the tutorials and Defense of Phillipines mission.


4: Motorboat



Speed: Unknown

This small motorboat can be seen exclusively in the Turning Point at Midway mission, in the small harbor near the Shipyard. This is the only place it can be seen in the entire game. Why devs made the model then, when any other ship could be placed there and nobody will tell the difference because it's just a small detail? I don't know. But it is nice little detail.


5: Yacht


Speed: Unknown

This beautiful classic wooden Yacht can be seen exclusively in Turning Point at Midway mission in the Harbor next to the Shipyard. It is similiar to the Junk model, but has unique model and texture. I wouldn't mind owning one of these beauties in real life ngl.


6: C-47 Dakota



Appears only in the tutorials, it is the only unarmed aircraft in the game.

These buildings serve no purpose in the game other than decoration. They are homever visible in the tactical map (with one exception).


1: Fort



Appears in the Holding the Lombok Strait mission, located on the hill.

2: Radar station



Appears in Turning point at Midway and Attack on Force Z missions. Despite being a Radar station it does not detect enemy units.


3: Control Tower


They are often seen close to the airfields, but the only one that has an icon in the tactical map is in the Holding the Lombok Strait mission.

4: Command Post





Seen during the Holding the Lombok strait mission on the beach near the Shipyard. They are not visible on tactical map, homever they are visible when you aim your crosshair at them. They are indestructible.