Air raids on Australia, 1942–43
Air raids on Australia, 1942–43
Between February 1942 and November 1943, during the Pacific War of World War II, the Australian mainland, domestic airspace, offshore islands and coastal shipping were attacked at least 97 times by aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. These attacks came in various forms; from large-scale raids by medium bombers, to torpedo attacks on ships, and to strafing runs by fighters.
In the first and deadliest set of attacks, 242 aircraft hit Darwin on the morning of 19 February 1942. Killing at least 235 people and causing immense damage, the attacks made hundreds of people homeless and resulted in the abandonment of Darwin as a major naval base.
These attacks were opposed by, and often aimed at, units and personnel from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, British Royal Air Force and Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force. Japanese aircrews also targeted civil infrastructure, including harbours, civil airfields, railways and fuel tanks. Some civilians were also killed.
Although the main defence was provided by RAAF and Allied fighters, a number of Australian Army anti-aircraft batteries in northern Australia were also involved in dealing with the threat of Japanese air raids.[1]
Early Japanese air raids
The Japanese conducted a series of air raids on Australia during February and March 1942. These raids sought to prevent the Allies from using bases in northern Australia to contest the conquest of the Netherlands East Indies.
The first air raid on Darwin
The bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 was both the first and the largest attack mounted by Japan against mainland Australia, when four Japanese aircraft carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Hiryū and Sōryū) launched a total of 188 aircraft from a position in the Timor Sea.[2] These 188 naval aircraft inflicted heavy damage on Darwin and sank eight ships. A raid conducted by 54 land-based army bombers later the same day inflicted further damage on the town and RAAF Base Darwin and resulted in the destruction of 20 military aircraft. Allied casualties were 235 killed and between 300 and 400 wounded, the majority of whom were non-Australian Allied sailors. Only four Japanese aircraft (all navy carrier-borne) were confirmed to have been destroyed by Darwin's defenders.[3]
The attack on Broome
On 3 March 1942, nine Japanese A6M3 Zero fighters attacked the town of Broome, in northern Western Australia. Although Broome was a small town, it had become a significant air base and route of escape for refugees and retreating military personnel, following the Japanese invasion of Java. During the attack, which consisted of strafing runs only by the Zeros, at least 88 Allied civilians and military personnel were killed and 24 aircraft were lost. As Broome was almost undefended, Japanese losses were light, with only a single Zero being shot down over Broome and another one failing to reach its base.[4]
Attacks on north Queensland, July 1942
Japanese naval flying boats conducted four small air raids on the north Queensland towns of Townsville and Mossman in late July 1942. Townsville, which was an important military base, was raided by Japanese Kawanishi H8K1 "Emily" flying boats operating from Rabaul on three nights in late July 1942. On the night of 25/26 July, the town was attacked by two flying boats but did not suffer any damage as the six bombs dropped by these aircraft fell into the sea. Townsville was attacked for the second time in the early hours of 28 July when a single flying boat dropped eight bombs which landed in bushland outside the town. Six P-39 Airacobras unsuccessfully attempted to intercept the Japanese aircraft. The third raid on Townsville occurred in the early hours of 29 July when a single flying boat again attacked the town, dropping seven bombs into the sea and an eighth which fell on an agricultural research station at Oonoonba, damaging a coconut plantation. This aircraft was intercepted by four Airacobras and was damaged. The fourth raid on north Queensland occurred on the night of 31 July when a single flying boat dropped a bomb which exploded near a house outside of Mossman, injuring a child.[5]
List of attacks by date
1942
February
- 19Bombing of Darwin(10:00) Attack by 188 carrier-based aircraft atDarwin, Northern Territory(NT)(11:55) Attack by 54 land-based high-level bombers at Darwin, NTBathurst Island, NT20(11:30) OffCape Londonderry,Western Australia(WA). MV *Koolama
- damaged by a
March
- 3(09:20)Broome, WA.Attack on Broome: astrafingraid by nineA6M3 Zeros. At least 88 people were killed and 24 Allied aircraft were destroyed. A Sikh pilot of the Royal Indian Air Force Flying Officer Manmohan Singh, in one of the RAF Catalina flying boats died. He was the first Indian casualty on Australian soil.(~10:30) Carnot Bay, WA.PK-AFV(Pelikaan)—aDouglas DC-3airliner owned byKLM—was shot down by Zeros returning from the attack on Broome. It crash-landed 50 mi (80 km) north of Broome. Four passengers were killed.Diamondsworth£150,000–300,000 were lost or stolen following the crash.Wyndham, WA. Strafing attack by Zeroes. No casualties. Koolama, which is in port by this time (see above), sinks as an indirect result of the attack.Wyndham Airfield, WA[6]4Wreckage and passengers from PK-AFV attacked again by aKawanishi H6K5 flying boat, no damage or casualties.(14:00)Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT14Horn Island, Queensland(Qld)[7]15Darwin, NT. Sgt. Albert Cooper, 28, (RAF, 54 Squadron) from Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, shot down, and killed, in his Spitfire over Darwin harbour [8]16(13:30) Darwin RAAF Airfield and Bagot, NT17Darwin, NT18Horn Island, Qld19(11:40) Darwin (Myilly Point and Larrakeyah), NT20Broome Airfield, WA. Attack byMitsubishi G4M2 "Betty" medium bombers. One civilian killed. Minor damage to airfield.Derby, WA[9]22(00:51) Darwin, NT22Katherine, NT[10] (Furthest air raid into the Australian interior – over 200 km from the coast).23Darwin, NTWyndham, WA (two raids)[6]28(12:30) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT30(05:40?) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT30Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT31(13:20) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT(22:19) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
April
- 2(15:30) Darwin (Harvey St, McMinn St,ShellOil Tanks), NTSattler Airfield, NT4(13:48) Darwin Civil Airfield and Parap Hotel, NT5(12:29) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT25(14:00) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT27(12:07) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT30Horn Island, QLD
June
- 13(11:52) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT14(13:14) Darwin (town area), NT15(12:20) Darwin (Larrakeyah to Stokes Hill), NT16(12:01) Darwin (town area), NT26(20:50) Darwin, NT
July
- 7Horn Island, Qld25(20:50) Darwin (town area), NT26Townsville, Qld(21:39–22:54) Darwin (VesteysMeatworks), NT27(22:27) Knuckey's Lagoon, Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT28(00:45) Darwin RAAF airfield, NTTownsville, Qld29(00:59) Darwin (town area) and Knuckey's Lagoon, NT.Townsville, Qld30(03:58) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NTHorn Island, QldPort Hedland, WA.[11]31Mossman, Qld[11](13:33) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
August
- 1Horn Island, Qld21Wyndham, WA23(12:12)Hughes Airfield, NT24(21:24) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT(22:14)Noonamah, NT25(00:05) Darwin and Parap, NT27(03:45–05:37) Darwin (Botanical Gardens) and Cox Peninsula, NT28(03:35) Darwin (Railway Yards and Port Patterson), NT30(02:39) Darwin (town area), NT31(05:14) Darwin (town area) and Cox Peninsula), NT
September
- 25(03:41) Darwin (town area) and Knuckey's Lagoon, NT25(05:48) Darwin (town area and Daly Street Bridge), NT26(05:22)Livingstone Airfield, NT27(04:56) Bynoe Harbour, NT(05:44) Darwin (town area) (Frances Bay)
October
- 10Horn Island, Qld24(04:42)Batchelor Airfield(04:52)Pell Airfield(04:57) Cox Peninsula(05:12) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT25(05:30) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT26(04:54) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT27(02:20) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
November
- 23(03:00–04:39) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NTCoomalie Creek Airfield, NT26(03:20) Darwin (town area),Strauss Airfieldand Hughes Airfield, NT27(03:56–04:46) Coomalie Creek, Hughes Airfield and Strauss Airfield, NT
1943
January
- 20(22:44–00:15) Searchlight station, AWC Camp, Ironstone, NT21(21:54) Darwin (Frances Bay), NT22(13:30)HMAS Patricia Camsunk, near Wessel Islands, NT.
March
- 2(14:34)Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT15(11:20) Darwin (oil tanks), NT
May
- 2(10:15) Darwin RAAF Airfield and Darwin Floating Dock, NT9Millingimbi, NT10Millingimbi, NT. ThecutterHMAS Maroubrawas sunk.20Exmouth Gulf, WA21Exmouth Gulf, WA28Millingimbi, NT
June
- 18Horn Island, Qld20(10:43) Winnellie and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT28(11:07) Vesteys, NT30(12:30)Fenton Airfield, NT
July
- 6(12:02) Fenton Airfield, NT
August
- 13(21:45) Fenton Airfield, NT(23:12) Fenton Airfield and Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT(23:42) Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT14Long Airfield, NT17Port Hedland, WA[11]21(00:37) Fenton Airfield and Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT(03:30) Pell Airfield, NT
September
- 15(00:25) Fenton Airfield and Long Airfield, NT15Onslow, WA.16Exmouth Gulf, WA (The southernmost air raid in Australia.)18(03:50) Fenton Airfield and Long Airfield, NT27Drysdale River Mission(Kalumburu) airfield, WA. Six fatalities; Father Thomas Gil, the superior of the mission, and five Aboriginal Australians.
November
- 10Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT12(03:53–05:30) Parap, Adelaide River and Batchelor Airfield, NT
See also
Military history of Australia during World War II
Battle for Australia