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Pilots,
In terms of its sheer number of participants, most aerial battles pale in comparison to the Battle of the Philippine Sea, one of the most gigantic naval and aerial battles of WWII. This clash between the Japanese and American fleet involved 24 carriers, 12 battle ships, 150 smaller vessels and more than 1500 aircraft.
Naturally, we couldn't let the anniversary of such a memorable encounter go by unnoticed, so we're dedicating another special to the events of 16 June 1944. Join us in remembering this historic day, as you learn about its history and enjoy great discounts on many items in the game!
| Battle of the Philippine Sea Special | ||
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| In-game Offers | Missions | History Flashback |
| All offers and missions will be available from Friday 20 June at 08:00 until Monday 23 June at 07:30 CEST (UTC+2). | ||
Triple XP for the first victory with each plane
Triple XP is valuable. Make your first victory of the day count, pilots!
50% discount on consumables
Whether you pay with credits or gold, all consumables will be at half price this weekend!
50% discount on the following planes:
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Mitsubishi A6M1 Zero |
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Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero |
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Grumman F4F Wildcat |
Zero vs. Wildcat. It’s the perfect combination for a memorable dogfight. Get both!
30% discount on the following planes:
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Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero |
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Chance-Vought F4U-1 Corsair |
Take your battle to the next level by upgrading to the Tier VI contenders of both countries!
Pick a side, pick an aircraft and then start collecting extra consumables for chasing down the opponents’ planes in our missions!
| Mission: Uncle Sam’s Call | |
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| Goal | Destroy 1 Japanese plane playing in Standard battle mode. |
| Reward |
1 x Manual Fire Extinguisher 2 x Pneumatic Restarter |
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| Mission: Zero Mercy! | |
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| Goal | Destroy 1 American plane playing in Standard battle mode. |
| Reward |
1 x First Aid Dressing Package 2 x Pneumatic Restarter |
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After Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the US was at war with Japan, fighting in the Pacific for control over the Ocean’s islands and the territories of East Asia. Having driven the Japanese out of the island chains around Papua New Guinea by early 1944, the American military leaders focused on the Northern Mariana Islands. They believed that this spot, around 2,400 km south of Tokyo, was a strategically important location that would be close enough for a long distance attack by US B-29 bombers on the Japanese mainland. They dispatched the fifth US fleet, consisting of 15 carriers, 7 battle ships, 79 other ships, 28 submarines and over 900 warplanes (mostly F6F Hellcats). The offensive was due to hit the Mariana Islands capital Saipan on 15 June 1944.
At the same time, the Japanese navy was gathering its ships and airplanes in the Philippine region, readying for a vicious counter-attack that would put an end to US sea-dominance once and for all. With all of the US war successes being largely amphibious-based, the Japanese believed that stopping the Americans at sea would limit their capabilities to move troops to shore, essentially eliminating the danger they posed. Convinced of their winning strategy, they assembled a huge fleet consisting of 9 carriers, 5 battle ships, 43 smaller vessels and 681 light carrier-based fighters (mostly A6M Zeros) and met the Americans on 16 June for one final, decisive battle of the sea and air.
Both opponents dispatched their air fleets, which met at the islands of Guam and Rota for the big clash. However, the anticipated heavyweight fight proved to be a lopsided rout of epic proportions. Outnumbered and without any real support from their own ships, the Japanese air fleet was decimated by the superior Hellcats and heavy anti-aircraft fire of the US vessels. Around three quarters of their carrier-based A6Ms were taken out in the first wave of this furious attack alone. Most of the remaining hundred or so were outmanoeuvred and blown to pieces by the quicker and more heavily-armoured F6F Hellcats, which sustained only 29 losses of their own. The US pilots nicknamed the encounter as the “Great Mariana Turkey Shoot” due to the one-sided nature of the battle.
The result was that the great sea battle ended before it had really begun with a very definitive victory for the Americans. The same day, the US seized their advantage and using submarines, they sank two Japanese carriers. The following day, the US proceeded to successfully track down the rest of the Japanese fleet on open water and attacked with over 200 planes, hitting several vessels including the carrier ship “Hiyo”. By the end, the Japanese only had 35 planes left out of the hundreds they had brought with them.
Recreate this battle on ‘Pacific Ocean’ this weekend, pilots!
