On this coming Thursday 19th February will be the 67th year since
Darwin was attacked by the Japanese Naval Air Force.
On Thursday, 19 February 1942, the
population of
Darwin was only about 2000. Most of the women had been evacuated to the south as Allied armies in South-East Asia succumbed to Japan's apparently invincible soldiers and
Darwin came within range of Japanese warplanes based on forward airstrips in conquered areas of the Dutch East Indies. Australia's military leaders had given little serious thought to the defence of
Darwin, believing that it would not be seen as a threat to Japan. They were wrong
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The first notice of the Japanese attack received by the hapless citizens of
Darwin was the terrifying sound of falling bombs. Within two hours of the first attack, Japanese aircraft struck
Darwin again.188 naval aircraft led by Commander Mitsuo Fuchida inflicted heavy damage on
Darwin and sank nine ships. A raid conducted by 54 land based bombers later the same day inflicted further damage on the town and RAAF Base.
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Owing to the lack of response to Father McGrath's warning, heavy damage was inflicted on the town, shipping in the harbour, and the RAAF airfield in the two initial air raids on 19 February. Eight ships were sunk in the harbour and many were damaged.The first raid was followed by twenty seven Betty-type bombers and twenty seven Nell-type bombers, a total of 54 heavy bombers (all manufactured by Mitsubishi) which arrived in one shining silver formation over
Darwin at 12:00 noon. A Japanese dive bomber attacked and severely damaged the clearly marked hospital ship Manunda.
Nineteen Allied warplanes were destroyed on the ground at the RAAF base and civilian
airstrip, including six front-line American P40 fighters. Four American P40s had been on patrol over
Darwin. They were taken by surprise by Japanese Zero fighters and shot down. The
Darwin post office took a direct hit from a bomb which killed 10 civilian employees. Two hundred and forty-three people were killed at
Darwin on 19 February, and between 300 and 400 were wounded.
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The township was bleep tered by the bombing. It was the heaviest loss of life on Australian soil since
European settlement in 1788, and the first time that an enemy nation had attacked our mainland. Although the bombing of
Darwin was front page news in Australia next day, the full extent of the damage and loss of life was not revealed by the Curtin government.
The four Japanese aircraft carriers involved in the attack on
Darwin were sunk during the Battle of Midway in June 1942.
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