1. Much more than you think…
Bombings Of Australia
Much more than you think…

2. Why Australia?
Japan had slowly been invading Asia and making significant progress.
The further south they invaded, there was a bigger chance of Australian interference. Mostly from Darwin.
The attack on Darwin was a pre-emptive attack to wipe out Australian defences, to ensure that Australia wouldn’t interfere with the Japanese invasions of Timor and Java.

3. What Made Darwin A Target?
Since the start of the war, the Australian government had been reinforcing the defences at Darwin. Since it’s a major city, it seemed like an obvious target.
Darwin had also occasionally been used as a refuelling port for US ships and planes.
Due to its remote location, Darwin also relied heavily on sea trade. This meant that it was a big target, with a big vulnerability.

4. What Happened?
On 19 February 1942, at 8:45, the Japanese launched 188 aircraft at Darwin. They were a mix of fighters and bombers. Commander Mitsuo Fuchida was in charge of the attack (and he also commanded part of the attack on Pearl Harbour)
The Japanese planes arrive at about 10:00AM and commenced dive-bombing the port. This initial attack lasted 40 minutes.
A second wave of 54 bombers arrived at 12:00. They bombed the air-field once and left at 12:20.
A small wave of bombers were sent to attack 2 Navy Vessels that were about 40km off the coast of Darwin. They were both sunk.

10. The Aftermath
The total number of casualties is disputed, but it is generally accepted that there were around 250 fatalities.
This major air raid caused chaos in Darwin, cutting off most services including electricity and water.
30 Aircraft destroyed
8 ships sunk
28 ships damaged
Myths about Darwin:
Many people think that the bombing of Darwin was covered up by the Australian Government. This isn’t true as it received plenty of newspaper coverage, and Prime Minister John Curtin made a public statement.
More bombs were dropped on Darwin than at Pearl Harbour. However, they were significantly smaller bombs compared to what was used at Pearl Harbour. More high explosive tonnage was used at Pearl Harbour than Darwin.

11. Australia was bombed 97 times by the Japanese during World War 2.

12. Your Task:
Research the bombing of Newcastle or Sydney. Explain the following:
When was it bombed?
What was used to attack?
How did Australia defend itself?
How much damage was caused?