The Bombing of Darwin

The Bombing of Darwin

Background

​Timor was divided between two colonial powers. The Dutch (West) and the Portuguese (East).

Australia made a deal with the Dutch government that if Japan entered the war on the axis side, then Australia would provide aircraft and troops to reinforce Dutch Timor.

Portugal was Neutral in WW2 and so by extension was Portuguese Timor.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, a small Australian force know as Sparrow Force arrived in Kupang on the 12th of December 1941.

The Government of Portugal refused to cooperate with the Allies claiming neutrality and so a 400-man combined Dutch-Australian force occupied Portuguese Timor of December 17th.

Japan saw this occupation as a violation of Portuguese Timor's claim to neutrality and in February 1942 sent a force to occupy the area and expel the Dutch-Australian troops who had occupied the colony on the assumption that Japan would invade.

The Japanese invaded Dutch Timor on the 20th of February 1942 and the Dutch-Australian force surrendered on teh 23rd of February 1942.

Multiple Choice

What agreement did Australia have with the Dutch government?

• They'd provide troops if Japan joined the Axis powers

• They would provide humanitarian relief if Japan invaded

• They would provide support if Denmark was invaded

• The Dutch would come to Darwin for war games

Multiple Choice

Why did the Japanese invade East Timor

• To take control of their resources

• To hinder allied operations in the region

• To remove the Australian and Dutch troops

• They just felt like it

The Bombing

​The Japanese believed that an air attack would hinder Darwin's potential as a base from which the Allies could launch a counter offensive to their war objectives, while also damaging Australian morale.

19th of February 1942.

Often referred to as Australia's Peral Harbour and was the largest attack launched by the Japanese on mainland Australia.

There were two attacks on this day and the entire offensive was led by the commander responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbour just 10 weeks earlier (Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto).

There was a total of 188 attack aircraft which launched from four Japanese aircraft carriers, and the second wave contained 54 land-based bombers, The carrier battle group also had two heavy carriers, one light cruiser, seven destroyers, three submarines, and two additional heavy carriers on distant cover.

The Bombing

​The first attack began at 9:57am and lasted for around 40 minutes.

1Nakajima B5N 'Kate' bombers targeted shipping, infrastructure, and the town of Darwin itself.

Aichi D3A 'Val" dive bombers, which were secorted by Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero" fighters, then took aim at shipping in the harbour itself along with military and civilian aerodromes.

The second raid began at 11:58 am and lasted about 25 minutes and focused on high altitude bombing of the RAAF base at Parap.

Of the 47 ships that were in the harbour, 8 were sunk, 1 was beached, 11 were severely damaged. One bomb fell through several decks of the hospital ship the HMAS Manunda before exploding.

Twenty miltary aircraft were destroyed.

The raids killed at least 240 people and between 300-400 were injured.

Multiple Choice

Why did the Japanese target Darwin?

• They wanted to extend their reach of power and influence

• They thought that they could use the port at Darwin to advance their own efforts

• Hitler told them to

• They believed it would stop Darwin from being used as a base by the Allies

Multiple Choice

What type of bombing took place at RAAF Parap?

• Dive bombing

• High altitude bombing

• No bombing took place

• It was fired upon by the Imperial navy

Continued Attacks

​Between the 19th of February 1942 and the 12th of November 1943, the Japanese conducted 97 air attacks on towns and military bases across northern Australia.

While they were mainly focused on Darwin (46 raids) due to its strategic importance, many other areas were targeted.
NT - Katherine
WA - Wyndham, Broome, Port Hedland, and Derby
QLD - Mossman
Torres Strait - Horn Island

Japan eventually moved its attacks southward and attacked the east coast on the 31st of May 1942 when three Japanese midget submarines shelled coastal suburbs of Sydney and Newcastle.

The Response

​In the hours following the raids, most people believed that an invasion of Darwin by the Japanese was imminent.

Around half of Darwin's civilian population fled south in the days following the attacks. Many wouldn't return until the end of the war.

There was confusion at the RAAF base, where because of the destruction, large groups of military personnel were directed to other bases.

Within a few months Darwin began mounting a convincing defence which evolved into a coordinated response involving fighters, radar, and searchlights. The response grew to involve counter strikes by US forces who manned bombers, alongside Dutch and British aircraft joining in the effort and bolstering Darwin's defence.

By the end of 1942, the Japanese were starting to be pushed back from the lands they had taken in what is now Indonesia and Timor