Special: Battle of the Coral Sea

Pilots,

Today we’re flashing back to Battle of the Coral Sea, which took place from May 4^th to May 8^th 1942. It was a military encounter of some magnitude between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the naval forces of the United States of America and Australia. They met in the South Pacific to fight a long-lasting battle that serves as background for this week’s special.

Let’s learn about its history and enjoy the following bonuses in the game:

50% discount on consumables

Fire extinguishers, first-aid kits and many more! Get everything you need to boost your plane’s performance!

50% discount on camouflage

Cloak your plane and be less visible to the enemy!

50 % discount on the following planes:

				Brewster F2A Buffalo
				Mitsubishi A6M1 Zero
				Grumman F4F Wildcat
				Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero

Use the same iconic planes that participated in the battle to duke it out in-game this weekend!

The special runs from Monday 5^th May at 08:00 until Thursday 8^th May at 07:30 CEST (GMT+2).

The Battle of the Coral Sea is historically significant, not only because of its outcome, but also because it represented the first military engagement during which aircraft carriers clashed mainly via airstrikes. The battle erupted when the Empire of Japan’s plans to invade Port Moresby in the southeastern Solomon Islands were crossed by the Americans: Japan’s arch-rivals in the South Pacific. The subsequent battle was a Japanese retaliatory attack, aimed at completing the already begun invasion which was being waged in order to establish control in the area.

The battle clearly showed the damage that carrier-launched aircraft could do to the enemy. Both sides clashed in a series of engagements over multiple days and either sunk, heavily damaged or incapacitated the multiple enemy ships. In the end, the Allied forces had to withdraw after their Lexington aircraft carrier got heavily damaged, which lead to her destruction and the loss of the ability for the rest of the forces to utilise her air support.

Although Japan would go on to win the tactical side of the battle, they withdrew from the region shortly afterwards to replenish their heavy losses. For the Allies, the battle marked the first time that a Japanese invasion could be halted in the region – even if it came at a high cost. In the end, the Battle of the Coral Sea turned out to be a strategic victory for the U.S. They managed to use Japan’s enforced restraint to their advantage when they quickly recovered and went on the offensive themselves during the Battle of Midway a couple of months later.

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Now take to your planes and play out this battle in-game, pilots!