The Bombing of Darwin
An attack on the city of Darwin, Australia, occurred on the 19th of February, 1942. Darwin, with it's strategic position, and little Military protection, was a prime target. After the War with Japan started, Darwin's defences were strengthened, as it was an important route for aircraft reinforcement to the Philippines. Japan were making plans to take over Timor, and then Java. To stop the Allied Forces interference, Japan made a plan to conduct a major Air Raid on Darwin.
Despite all the reinforcement, Darwin was still poorly defended. The Servicemen handling the AA Guns had little training, due to ammunition shortages. At the time of the event, no Radar was functioning, and therefore, no early warning system, and the town's Civil Defences were not performing as expected. On the morning of the 19th of February, 1942, 188 Japanese Aircraft were launched towards Darwin. They started bombing the Harbour, taking down three Warships and Five Merchant Vessels, and damaging ten more ships. Other Japanese Aircraft bombed the RAAF base and Civil Airfield, as well as the Army Barracks and Oil Store. Japan had won. Australia's losses were 235 deaths, 300 - 400 wounded, 30 aircraft destroyed, 8 vessels sunk, and 25 ships damaged. Cargo Shipping to support efforts in the Java and the Philippines were cut off. Essential services like water and electricity were destroyed, and half of the Town's population fled inland. As the Prime Minister of the time said: "The Government regards the attacks as most grave, and makes it quite clear that a severe blow has been struck on Australian soil." From Left To Right:
1. Darwin Wreck 2. Crashed Fighter Plane 3. Sinking Vessel |
Attack On Sydney Harbour
The Attack on Sydney Harbour went from the 31st of May to the 8th of June, 1942. On the night of the 31st of May, Three Submarines entered Sydney Harbour, avoiding the (partially constructed) submarine net, and attempted to destroy Allied Warships. Two of the Submarines were successfully detected and attacked. The third submarine attempted to destroy a warship, but instead hit a ferry.
At the time of the attack, there were nets, and anti - submarine indicators. However, on either side, there were 400 metre gaps, due to shortages in materials. Two indicators were not working, six were not turned on, there was not enough crew to man all the stations, and one indicator had been giving off faulty signals since 1940. civilian traffic passed through regularly so readings were often ignored. Defence craft included anti - submarine vessels, minesweepers, and channel patrol boats with depth charges. Over the next month, Japanese submarines attempted to destroy merchant vessels. They attacked seven different vessels, and successfully sunk three. Despite their efforts, fewer ships were destroyed than they hoped, but it did have an impact on Australian society at the time. It created a sense of fear and panic, and meant that the Australian military had to upgrade their defences. From Left To Right:
1. Newspaper Article 2. Japanese Submarine |
Conclusion
Both events were a major turning point for Australia, and changed the War for the Australians as well. The Attack on Sydney Harbour frightened many citizens, and meant that Australia's military had to be careful. Then, the Bombing of Darwin happened, and half of all of Darwin's citizens left and the city became a wreck.