February 19, 1942- Darwin
Click here to In the early morning of the 19th of February of 1942, 188 Japanese planes arrived over Darwin and started the first of several air attacks on Darwin that continued from February 1942 to November 1943. These raids followed the attack on Pearl Harbour by the Japanese empire. Pearl Harbour was a big part of World War 2 and flowed problems onto Australia. As the attack on Pearl Harbour was only ten week before the bombing of Darwin things in the media had only recently settled. Commander Mitsuo Fuchida had led the outrageous attack on Pearl Harbour and ten weeks later he commanded more of his men to attack mainland Australia. Darwin was the prime location in Australia as it held coastal defence batteries, its garrison had grown and Darwin's port and airfield facilities were advanced, not to mention Darwin had the largest population in northern Australia. As the war arose in the Pacific, this was very close to Darwin forcing them to tidy up their defences and many more men involved in war were located there. Darwin also gained an army base as the Dutch East Indies had to be defended and Darwin was in close range and it was so close that Darwin thought it had to defend themselves.
On that first day Darwin was attacked twice in both the port and the shipping harbour by Japanese bombers and fighters. This killed 252 civilians of Darwin and Allied service personnel and destroyed many homes and important facilities in the city of Darwin. Japanese bomb divers attacked ship the military and civilian aerodromes, many ships moored in the harbour and the hospital at Berrimah, an eastern suburb of Darwin. This first attack lasted for about 40 minutes until it came to a cease and the people of Darwin got a chance to realise what had happened. The second attack on Darwin from the Japanese then came an hour later where the Japanese's target was to destroy the Royal Australian Air Force Base in Parap, an inner suburb of Darwin though this attack lasted for half as long as the first. Between the two attacks about 300-400 people were wounded and seriously injured due to close encounters with bombs, gunfire or emotional shock. These two attacks from the Japanese destroyed Twenty military aircrafts, they sunk eight ships in Darwin's harbour and most of Darwin's civilian and military buildings were lost. Later in the year, on the 3rd of the March the Japanese moved over to Broome, Western Australia and attacked ground targets from low-flying aircrafts with mounted weapons on them otherwise known as "strafed". The Japanese then spread out their raids across northern towns and cities in the top end of Australia including Wyndham, Port Hedland and Derby in Western Australia, Darwin and Katherine in the Northern Territory, Townsville and Mossman in Queensland, and Horn Island in the Torres Strait.
All together 260 enemy aircrafts where sent over to Australia during the bombing and air raids in northern Australia and they recruited 30-40 fighters and bombers to join the destruction of Darwin.
The last air raid took place on 12 November 1943, making a total of 97 air attacks and ended the attacks on Darwin with 64 air raids altogether. Australia lost a lot more than the Japanese during this battle though the result of this attack was indecisive.
edit.
On that first day Darwin was attacked twice in both the port and the shipping harbour by Japanese bombers and fighters. This killed 252 civilians of Darwin and Allied service personnel and destroyed many homes and important facilities in the city of Darwin. Japanese bomb divers attacked ship the military and civilian aerodromes, many ships moored in the harbour and the hospital at Berrimah, an eastern suburb of Darwin. This first attack lasted for about 40 minutes until it came to a cease and the people of Darwin got a chance to realise what had happened. The second attack on Darwin from the Japanese then came an hour later where the Japanese's target was to destroy the Royal Australian Air Force Base in Parap, an inner suburb of Darwin though this attack lasted for half as long as the first. Between the two attacks about 300-400 people were wounded and seriously injured due to close encounters with bombs, gunfire or emotional shock. These two attacks from the Japanese destroyed Twenty military aircrafts, they sunk eight ships in Darwin's harbour and most of Darwin's civilian and military buildings were lost. Later in the year, on the 3rd of the March the Japanese moved over to Broome, Western Australia and attacked ground targets from low-flying aircrafts with mounted weapons on them otherwise known as "strafed". The Japanese then spread out their raids across northern towns and cities in the top end of Australia including Wyndham, Port Hedland and Derby in Western Australia, Darwin and Katherine in the Northern Territory, Townsville and Mossman in Queensland, and Horn Island in the Torres Strait.
All together 260 enemy aircrafts where sent over to Australia during the bombing and air raids in northern Australia and they recruited 30-40 fighters and bombers to join the destruction of Darwin.
The last air raid took place on 12 November 1943, making a total of 97 air attacks and ended the attacks on Darwin with 64 air raids altogether. Australia lost a lot more than the Japanese during this battle though the result of this attack was indecisive.
edit.