In the first and deadliest set of attacks, 242 aircraft hit Darwin on the morning of 19 February 1942. Killing at least 235 people and causing immense damage, the attacks made hundreds of people homeless and resulted in the abandonment of Darwin as a major naval base.
Although the main defence was provided by RAAF and Allied fighters, a number of Australian Army anti-aircraft batteries in northern Australia also defended against Japanese air raids.[1]
The bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 was both the first and the largest attack mounted by Japan against mainland Australia, when four Japanese aircraft carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Hiryū and Sōryū) launched a total of 188 aircraft from a position in the Timor Sea.[2] These 188 naval aircraft inflicted heavy damage on Darwin and sank eight ships. A raid conducted by 54 land-based army bombers later the same day inflicted further damage on the town and RAAF Base Darwin and resulted in the destruction of 20 military aircraft. Allied casualties were 235 killed and between 300 and 400 wounded, the majority of whom were non-Australian Allied sailors. Only four Japanese aircraft (all navy carrier-borne) were confirmed to have been destroyed by Darwin's defenders.[3]
The attack on Broome
On 3 March 1942, nine Japanese A6M2 Zerofightersattacked the town of Broome, in northern Western Australia. Although Broome was a small town, it had become a significant air base and route of escape for refugees and retreating military personnel, following the Japanese invasion of Java. During the attack, which consisted of strafing runs only by the Zeros, at least 88 Allied civilians and military personnel were killed and 24 aircraft were lost. As Broome was almost undefended, Japanese losses were light, with only a single Zero being shot down over Broome and another one failing to reach its base.[4]
Attacks on North Queensland, July 1942
Japanese naval flying boats conducted four small air raids on the north Queensland city of Townsville and the town of Mossman in late July 1942. Townsville, which was an important military base, was raided by Japanese Kawanishi H8K1 "Emily" flying boats operating from Rabaul on three nights in late July 1942. On the night of 25/26 July, the city was attacked by two flying boats but did not suffer any damage as the six bombs dropped by these aircraft fell into the sea. Townsville was attacked for the second time in the early hours of 28 July when a single flying boat dropped eight bombs which landed in bushland outside the city. Six P-39 Airacobras unsuccessfully attempted to intercept the Japanese aircraft. The third raid on Townsville occurred in the early hours of 29 July when a single flying boat again attacked the city, dropping seven bombs into the sea and an eighth which fell on an agricultural research station at Oonoonba, damaging a coconut plantation. This aircraft was intercepted by four Airacobras and was damaged. The fourth raid on north Queensland occurred on the night of 31 July when a single flying boat dropped a bomb which exploded near a house outside of Mossman, injuring a child.[5]
Rulhieres Bay, WA (later known as Koolama Bay) Koolama attacked again, no damage or injuries.
March
3
(09:20) Broome, WA. Attack on Broome: a strafing raid by nine A6M2 Zeros. At least 88 people were killed and 24 Allied aircraft were destroyed. A Sikh pilot of the Royal Indian Air Force Flying Officer Manmohan Singh, in one of the RAF Catalina flying boats died. He was the first Indian casualty on Australian soil.
(~10:30) Carnot Bay, WA. PK-AFV (Pelikaan)—a Douglas DC-3 airliner owned by KLM—was shot down by Zeros returning from the attack on Broome. It crash-landed 50 mi (80 km) north of Broome. Four passengers were killed. Diamonds worth £150,000–300,000 were lost or stolen following the crash.
Wyndham, WA. Strafing attack by Zeroes. No casualties. Koolama, which is in port by this time (see above), sinks as an indirect result of the attack.
Wyndham Airfield, WA[6]
4
Wreckage and passengers from PK-AFV attacked again by a Kawanishi H6K5 flying boat, no damage or casualties.
Darwin, NT. Sgt. Albert Cooper, 28, (RAF, 54 Squadron) from Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, shot down, and killed, in his Spitfire over Darwin harbour[8]
^Tom Lewis (2003). A War at Home. A Comprehensive guide to the first Japanese attacks on Darwin. Tall Stories, Darwin. Page 16.
^David Jenkins (1992), Battle Surface! Japan's Submarine War Against Australia 1942–44. Random House Australia, Sydney. Pages 118–120 and Lewis (2003). Pages 63–71.
^Coulthard-Clark (2001), pp. 211–212.
^Gillison (1962). Pages 562–563.
^ a bCoulthard-Clark, Chris (2001). The Encyclopedia of Australia's Battles. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. p. 212
^Crowdey, Vanessa (1999). "The day the bombs fell" (PDF). Wartime (8): 46–49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
^Cooper, Anthony, (2011), Darwin Spitfires: The Real Battle for Australia, University of New South Wales Press.
^Coulthard-Clark (2001), p. 214
^Coulthard-Clark (2001), p. 215
^ a b cCoulthard-Clark (2001), p. 224
References
Clayton, Mark (April 1986). "The north Australian air war, 1942–1944". Journal of the Australian War Memorial (8). Canberra: Australian War Memorial: 33–45. ISSN 0729-6274.
Coulthard-Clark, Chris (2001). The Encyclopedia of Australia's Battles. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Gillison, Douglas (1962). History of Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air. Volume I – Royal Australian Air Force, 1939–1942. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2007.
Horner, David (1995). The Gunners: A History of Australian Artillery. St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-917-3.
Lewis, Tom. (2003). A War at Home. A Comprehensive guide to the first Japanese attacks on Darwin. Tall Stories, Darwin. ISBN 0-9577351-0-3
Odgers, George (1968). History of Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air. Volume II – Air War Against Japan, 1943–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2007.
External links
ozatwar.com, "Japanese Air Raids in Australia During WW2"
diggerhistory.info "Attacks on the Australian mainland in WW2"
Australian War Memorial, "Air raids on Australian mainland – Second World War"
Darwin Defenders 1942–45 Inc, veterans association's list of 43 air raids (excluding reconnaissance flights)
Kalumburu Community-ABC Open, "The secret bombing of Australia"