Description of the bomBing of Darwin
The Japanese mounted two air attacks on Darwin on the 19th of February 1942 - the first of many during World War II and the first time that Australia was directly attacked since the colonisation of the British in 1788. The attacks involved 188 Japanese attack aeroplanes launched from aircraft carriers in the Timor Sea and 54 land-based bombers. Mitsuo Fuchida, the tJapanese commander that carried out the attacks on Pearl Harbour, was in command of this attack.
Dive bombers attacked Berrimah hospital, military and civilian targets (for example, the post office), and ships docked at Darwin Harbour just before 10AM. Japanese fighter aircraft protected the dive bombers from Allied attack, and engaged with ten Allied fight aircraft. From the air skirmishes, only one Allied aircraft survived. The Japanese only sustained a loss of one or two aircraft. The first attack lasted 40 minutes.
The second attack commenced 1 hour after the end of the first attack. Japanese high-altitude bombers bombed the Parap Royal Australian Air Force base. This attack lasted 25 minutes.
From these two raids, at least 240 people were killed, 300 - 400 were wounded, 20 military aircraft were destroyed, 8 ships in the harbour destroyed, and major military and civilian facilities were unusable.
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Prior to the first bombings, many civilians were evacuated from Darwin. Evacuations commenced on the 16thof December 1941 by means of road, train, ship and plane, with women and children being a priority. The overcrowded, hot conditions gave the evacuees
some insight into war-time conditions, making World War 2 more of a reality.
Many of the remaining people in Darwin thought that the Darwin bombings were a sign of imminent invasion by the Japanese, and thus began the ‘Adelaide River Stakes’, where many civilians and RAAF servicemen fled south. With news of Singapore falling into Japanese control just a few days earlier, the Australian government decided to censor the exact details of the two air attacks, playing
them down to involve only 17 fatalities. This was done to avoid panic in the psychological mentality of the Australian public. If left uncensored, these attacks would have undermined the competency of the Australian government in the minds of the Australian public. This would have greatly impacted the public morale.
The aim of the Japanese of these attacks was to destroy Darwin’s military potential, which would otherwise allow the Allies to launch a counter-attack and interfere with their plans of invading Timor, and to annihilate the public morale, physically and psychologically defeating Australia.
The Japanese attacks on northern Australia lasted until the 12th of November 1943, totalling 64.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs195.aspx
http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/japanese-bombing-of-darwin
Dive bombers attacked Berrimah hospital, military and civilian targets (for example, the post office), and ships docked at Darwin Harbour just before 10AM. Japanese fighter aircraft protected the dive bombers from Allied attack, and engaged with ten Allied fight aircraft. From the air skirmishes, only one Allied aircraft survived. The Japanese only sustained a loss of one or two aircraft. The first attack lasted 40 minutes.
The second attack commenced 1 hour after the end of the first attack. Japanese high-altitude bombers bombed the Parap Royal Australian Air Force base. This attack lasted 25 minutes.
From these two raids, at least 240 people were killed, 300 - 400 were wounded, 20 military aircraft were destroyed, 8 ships in the harbour destroyed, and major military and civilian facilities were unusable.
·
Prior to the first bombings, many civilians were evacuated from Darwin. Evacuations commenced on the 16thof December 1941 by means of road, train, ship and plane, with women and children being a priority. The overcrowded, hot conditions gave the evacuees
some insight into war-time conditions, making World War 2 more of a reality.
Many of the remaining people in Darwin thought that the Darwin bombings were a sign of imminent invasion by the Japanese, and thus began the ‘Adelaide River Stakes’, where many civilians and RAAF servicemen fled south. With news of Singapore falling into Japanese control just a few days earlier, the Australian government decided to censor the exact details of the two air attacks, playing
them down to involve only 17 fatalities. This was done to avoid panic in the psychological mentality of the Australian public. If left uncensored, these attacks would have undermined the competency of the Australian government in the minds of the Australian public. This would have greatly impacted the public morale.
The aim of the Japanese of these attacks was to destroy Darwin’s military potential, which would otherwise allow the Allies to launch a counter-attack and interfere with their plans of invading Timor, and to annihilate the public morale, physically and psychologically defeating Australia.
The Japanese attacks on northern Australia lasted until the 12th of November 1943, totalling 64.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs195.aspx
http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/japanese-bombing-of-darwin