Mission «Port Strike»

What this mission is

It is an order for your planes. You tell them: “Fly to the enemy naval base and bomb the ships docked there.” The game calls it “Bomb enemy fleets in ports.”

The key difference from the «Naval Strike» mission: ships in port do not move. They sit still, you do not have to hunt for them across the whole region. That is why every sortie deals more damage than out at sea.

Why you need this mission

To finish off a fleet that has gone in for repairs. Typical case: you mauled the enemy in a naval battle, and they retreated to port. Regular «Naval Strike» no longer works there — the ships are not at sea. That is when this button comes into play.

First reason — capital ships. A battleship or carrier takes a long time to repair. While they sit in dock, you can actually sink them, not just scratch the paint.

Second reason — Submarines. At sea you still have to find them, but in port they are just tied up at the pier. If enemy subs have gone home, this order reaches them without the search.

Third reason — the naval base itself. Port strikes damage not only ships but also the infrastructure. Repairing the fleet afterwards becomes much harder.

How good is this mission

As a permanent “every day” order — average. It burns 20% more Fuel than a naval strike, sorties happen less often, and with no ships in port it does nothing at all.

But as a strike against a stationary fleet — it is very good. That is exactly how it is used: wait for the enemy to pull into port, then hit them precisely. Let us break down what actually happens when you press this button.

How to turn the mission on

Open the air map — the plane icon in the bottom-right corner, or the F3 key. Pick the Air Wing you want to send, choose the «Port Strike» order in the menu, then right-click the region.

Important: pick a land region for this mission — not a sea one. The naval base sits on land, in a province. You assign the wing to the air region where that base is. After that, the bombers start flying out and attacking ships in port.

If the port is empty — the planes will fly for nothing. The mission does not bomb an empty base, it only hits ships.

Sinking the enemy fleet

Damage to the enemy fleet depends on the plane’s stats — «Naval Attack» and «Naval Targeting». The higher those numbers, the more damage the ship takes. The game wants roughly 10 planes per ship in port. For comparison: at sea you need about 20 aircraft for the same target.

Surface ships are the main target. Battleships and carriers under repair sink noticeably faster than at sea. Submarines are vulnerable too: in port you do not need radars to find them, they just sit at the pier.

Sorties happen less often than with «Naval Strike» — the pause between attacks is roughly twice as long. But each sortie deals more damage, because the target cannot move.

Common confusion among players

First mix-up — with «Naval Strike». That order hits ships at sea. This one hits ships in port. If you put «Port Strike» on an ocean region — the planes will find no targets. If you put Naval Strike on land — the port will not be hit either.

Second mix-up — with «Strategic Bombing». Strategic Bombers bomb factories, industry and infrastructure. They do not sink a fleet in port. «Port Strike» hits ships specifically and also damages the base itself. It is not an industry bombing run.

When to turn this mission on

When the enemy fleet is already in port within range of your planes. That could be after a naval battle, when the ships have gone in for repairs. Or when you see a large fleet near the enemy coast and want to destroy it before it sails out.

Do not flip this mission “just in case.” Before you turn it on, check three things:

• Is the enemy fleet actually in this port?
• Do your planes have the range to reach the base?
• Is enemy Air Superiority below 30%?

If enemy Air Superiority is above 30%, the game says it plainly: the mission will not be executed. The bombers will not even take off. Give your Fighters the «Air Superiority» mission in that region first, and only then «Port Strike».

Which planes get this mission

• • Which country should use it.

    Any country whose air base reaches an enemy port. In practice, this is naval warfare: Britain against Italian ports, Japan in the Pacific, Italy in the Mediterranean. If you are fighting a purely land war, this button will not come up.

    The mission is strongest for those who picked up port strike bonuses. The naval doctrine «Base Strike» gives +40%, the carrier subdoctrine «Carrier Battlegroups» gives another +20%, and the air subdoctrine «Shallow Diving Torpedoes» also gives +20%. Japan has the «Tora! Tora! Tora!» decision, which doubles port strike damage: +100%. That is why, as Japan, you bomb Pearl Harbor with this button, not with Naval Strike.

  • Which plane you need.

    The best choice is a Naval Bomber with torpedoes. Torpedoes (level 1) have 12 naval attack, while bomb racks have only 2. In other words, torpedoes hit a ship six times harder. Even a medium bomb bay gives just 6 attack — still weaker than torpedoes.

    Close Air Support can run this mission, but at the front it is far more useful on «Close Air Support». A Tactical Bomber can do it too, if you have no Naval Bombers. A Strategic Bomber is nearly useless for this button: even a large bomb bay gives only 2 naval attack. Fighters do not have this mission at all.

Which region to assign

The land air region where the enemy naval base is. Not the sea, not a neighbouring province — exactly where the port sits. Coverage in the region should be as high as possible. 100% — a full-power strike. 50% — half the work, but the Fuel burns all the same.

First method

Station Naval Bombers at an air base near the enemy port. Assign «Port Strike» to that base’s region and wait. Sooner or later the enemy fleet will pull in for repairs or just to dock. The moment ships appear in port — the wing is already there and starts bombing.

This works when the port is known and the fleet visits it regularly. Good for intercepting Submarines and finishing off a fleet after battles. The downside — Fuel keeps draining the whole time you wait.

Second method

First you chase the enemy fleet at sea — with your own fleet or with «Naval Strike». When the enemy takes damage, they head to port for repairs. That is when you switch the wing to «Port Strike» and finish them off while they sit in dock.

This is faster than just waiting. But you need both pieces: clear the sea with one order, hit the port with another. Mixing up the buttons at that moment means burning sorties for nothing. Now let us look at what else can go wrong.

• Details worth knowing

  • Fuel use.

    This mission’s Fuel cost is 1.2. That is 20% more than «Naval Strike» and «Air Superiority» (both at 1.0). For comparison: «Interception» costs only 0.2 — six times less. So keeping «Port Strike» on with no targets is an expensive habit.

  • Port AA.

    Ships in port are not defenceless — their AA guns fire at your planes. Plus static AA in the province will defend too. Win Air Superiority first, then bomb the port.

  • Coverage in the region.

    If the air base is far from the target, Coverage drops. Less Coverage means fewer effective sorties, and the Fuel burns all the same. Experienced players always check the Coverage percentage in the interface, not just look at a wing “hanging” on the region.

  • Superiority threshold.

    If enemy Air Superiority exceeds 30%, the mission simply will not run. It is not “will hit weaker” — it is “will not work at all”. Fighters first.

• Typical beginner mistakes

  • Assigning the order to the sea.

    The naval base sits on land. The region for this mission is a land region. If you assign it to an ocean region, the planes will search for ships at sea, not in port.

  • Confusing it with Strategic Bombing.

    Strategic Bombers on «Strategic Bombing» destroy factories and infrastructure. The fleet in port does not suffer from that. You need the «Port Strike» button specifically.

  • Hitting an empty port or a prize fleet.

    This mission does not attack an empty port. And if a country is about to capitulate and its ships will fall into your hands — do not waste planes. Taking a whole fleet as a prize is far better than a pile of wreckage.

• Tips that help

  • One port, not ten.

    Concentrate your air force in one region where a large fleet is docked. Spreading wings across ten ports “a little each” means a weak hit everywhere. One region with a heavy wing sinks stationary ships far faster.

  • Torpedoes, not bombs.

    For this mission, build Naval Bombers with torpedoes. Close Air Support should stay on the ground helping the infantry. As long as your factories produce the right planes, the mission stays effective.

  • Combine with fleet and air.

    Fighters give you superiority. Bombers hit the stationary fleet. Your own fleet drives the enemy into port. On their own, each works weaker. Together — that is the case where the mission goes from “average” to “excellent”.