Air raid on Darwin

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Attack on Darwin
Explosion of a fuel tank and clouds of smoke from another tank in Darwin on February 19, 1942. The HMAS Deloraine can be seen in the foreground.
Explosion of a fuel tank and clouds of smoke from another tank in Darwin on February 19, 1942. The HMAS Deloraine can be seen in the foreground .
date February 19, 1942
place Darwin
output Japanese victory
Parties to the conflict

AustraliaAustralia Australia United States
United States 48United States 

Japanese EmpireJapanese Empire Japan

Commander

David VJ Blake ( Major General )

Nagumo Chūichi ( Admiral )

Troop strength
45 ships
30 aircraft
4 aircraft carriers
2 battleships
3 cruisers
9 destroyers
242 combat aircraft
losses

250–320 dead
300–400 wounded
23 aircraft
10 ships
25 ships damaged

6 killed
Several missing
5 aircraft

The air attack on Darwin by Japanese air forces, the Kidō Butai , on February 19, 1942 was the first and at the same time the heaviest of 97 air raids in Australia from 1942 to 1943. It was a military conflict in the Pacific War during World War II . This attack, a few weeks after hostilities with Imperial Japan began , had a profound psychological impact on the Australian population, also known as the Darwin Panic . The event is often referred to as the attack on Australia's Pearl Harbor . Although Darwin was a less significant military target, more bombs were dropped than during the attack on Pearl Harbor . Like Pearl Harbor, Darwin was not prepared for the attack.

Before the attack begins

Location of Darwin on the Australian continent

Darwin had a civilian population of around 2,000 at the time of the attack; around 3,000 had previously been evacuated. The place was strategically important as a naval port and air force base. About 15,000 Allied soldiers were stationed in the area.

The Japanese armed forces had left Palau four days before the bombing with four aircraft carriers, two battleships, three cruisers and nine destroyers and launched their attack from the Banda Sea . Most of the attacking planes took off from the Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi and Kaga . Heavy bombers launched by the Hiryū and Sōryū and from land were also involved. The Japanese air force attacked in two waves of attack, in which a total of 242 aircraft were involved.

There were hardly any air defense weapons to speak of in Darwin. The only unit with heavy anti-aircraft guns was the 14th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery , which was stationed in Darwin at various positions and secured the port. The 14th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery was armed with 16 QF 3.7 inch AA guns and two 3 inch AA guns. This unit had never practiced with live ammunition before the Japanese attack. Exercises with live ammunition were avoided in order not to unsettle the population. There were only a few light Lewis Gun machine guns and no other anti-aircraft guns. The flight combat groups of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) were in Europe, North Africa or the Middle East .

The only modern fighters during the attack were ten operational and two non-operational USAAF P-40E , named Kittyhawk, of the Far East Air Force 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) of the United States Army Air Forces . There were also a few lightly armed or obsolete training planes, such as the RAAF's five Wirraways and six Hudson , that were only suitable for patrol flights. A radar station in the experimental stage and the five Wirraways were not operational.

The P-40 made a stopover in Darwin on February 15, 1942. One of the machines was so damaged after landing that it had to be repaired over a long period of time. At this time, a single other P-40 formed the fighter protection for Darwin, as a second P-40 stationed there was lost during a mission to defend a convoy. On February 19, the 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) started at 9:00 a.m. with ten P-40s for Kupang Airport in Timor . She also took the last P-40, which was stationed in Darwin, with her. A B-17E flew with the fighter pilots as a navigation aircraft. The planes turned back because of the bad weather over Kupang after a flight time of 20 minutes, while the B-17 flew alone to Bali . Five P-40s landed on their return. The other five P-40s were sent on patrol flight. The pilots of the fighter planes were relatively inexperienced. Only one of them, 2nd Lt. Robert G. Oestreicher, had completed more than 20 flight hours on a P-40.

Attack on February 19th

The Neptuna exploded in Stokes Hill Wharf . In front of the explosion column , you can see the
vigilante who undertook rescue work. In the middle in the background you can see the flooded dry dock in which the corvette Katoomba was. In the foreground is the damaged Zealandia .

The first wave of 188 Japanese fighter planes, led by Sea Captain Fuchida Mitsuo , took off from the aircraft carriers at 8:45 a.m.

At around 9:15 a.m. the air force was reported by the Coast Guard on Melville Island (disputed by Robert Rayner in his book Darwin Fortress ) and then by John McGrath, a Catholic priest who served as a missionary on Bathurst Island . Pastor McGrath sent the message: “An unusually large air formation bearing down on us from the northwest.” (German: “An unusually large air force is crossing us from the northwest.”). Darwin received both radio warnings at 9:37 a.m. at the latest. These warnings were not taken seriously, as was the case two months earlier in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The officer on duty interpreted the reports as reports about the returning US fighter planes. This means that the chance to arm against the attack at the last minute and to trigger the alarm passed by.

A US seaplane, a PBY Catalina , was attacked by nine Japanese fighters off Bathurst Island. The Catalina was set on fire during the attack. The pilot Lieutenant Thomas Moorer was able to enter the sea in a controlled manner. The aircraft crew were rescued by the nearby freighter Florence D. Lieutenant Moorer later became Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Although the Florence D was then attacked and sunk, most of the crew survived and could then be rescued. Another ship nearby, the Don Isidro , was also sunk.

An aerial view by a Japanese photographer shows the burning ships in Darwin Harbor during the first attack.

The five P-40s on patrol flight were attacked from behind by Japanese Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighter planes. The Japanese planes did not attack Darwin from the sea, but they flew an arc beforehand to attack from the inland direction. With the larger number of aircraft, the element of surprise and experience on their side, the Japanese fighter pilots shot down four US fighter planes within a short time, except for that of the pilot Oestreicher. The second group of five P-40 fighter pilots tried to take off. Two of the fighters were still on the ground, one aircraft was destroyed while taking off on the runway. The remaining two fighters were shot down in the air. After the first wave of attack took off, the last damaged US fighter was able to land and the pilot left the aircraft before this aircraft was also destroyed in the second wave of attacks. Four of the ten US pilots were killed.

A total of 81 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo warplanes attacked the 47 cargo ships in the port. While 71 Aichi D3A Val - dive bombers escorted by 36 Mitsubishi A6M -Jagdflugzeugen, the air base of the RAAF, the civilian airport and the hospital attacked. At around 10:40 a.m., the first wave of Japanese planes left the combat area. All Allied aircraft that were in the air or ascending were destroyed or became unusable after the first attack. Only two of the pilots in the air survived the attack. The US pilot Oestreicher was confirmed by the USAAF that a Val dive bomber had been shot down, while the second specified shot was not recognized. A kill reported by the second surviving US pilot John G. Glover has not been confirmed.

Fuchida Mitsuo later wrote about the attack:

“The job to be done seemed hardly worthy of the Nagumo Force. The harbor, it is true, was crowded with all kinds of ships, but a single pier and a few waterfront buildings appeared to be the only port installations. The airfield on the outskirts of the town, though fairly large, had no more than two or three small hangars, and in all there were only twenty-odd planes of various types scattered about the field. No planes were in the air. A few attempted to take off as we came over but were quickly shot down, and the rest were destroyed where they stood. Anti-aircraft fire was intense but largely ineffectual, and we quickly accomplished our objective. "

“The order hardly seemed worthy of the Nagumo armed forces. The port, it is true, was filled with ships of all kinds, but a single pier and a few buildings on the shoreline were the only structures in the port. The airport on the outskirts of the city, although quite large, had no more than three small hangars, and there were little more than 20 different planes scattered around the site. No plane was in the air. When we arrived some tried to start but they were shot down quickly and the rest were destroyed on their stands. The air defense fire was intense but ineffective and we did our job quickly. "

Shortly before noon, the second attack from high altitude by Japanese bombers stationed on land took place, which was concentrated on the Darwin military airfield. This involved 27 Mitsubishi G3M Nell from Ambon Island and 27 Mitsubishi G4M Betty from Kendari on Sulawesi . During the second Japanese attack, which lasted 20 to 25 minutes, no operational Allied aircraft could be used for defense.

Reviews

The sunken Neptuna and the burnt-out port facilities of Darwin after the attack by AWM 027334

Victim

Destroyed house

The number of people killed during the attack on February 19 is reported very differently. The Lowe Commission , which investigated the March 1942 attack, identified 243 victims and assumed (since some were unidentifiable) that the number was approximately 250. Some researchers and government officials including John Bradford, the author of In the Highest Traditions - RAN Heroism Darwin February 19, 1942 , Dr. Peter Stanley, the senior historian of the Australian War Memorial and author of numerous books on the historical military history of Australia, Tom Womack, author of The Dutch Naval Air Force against Japan , Paul Rosenzweig (author of Darwin 1942: A Reassessment of the first Raid Casualties ), and Admiral Kevin Scarce , the governor of South Australia believe there were 250 to 262 victims.

However, a memorial named 292 victims was unveiled in Darwin in 2011. The plaque lists 10 sailors who were also killed and who were outside the USS William B. Preston , but the US Navy names 13 and Peter Grose, author of the book An Awkward Truth, confirms further casualties on the USS  William B. Preston and with it For him, the number of 297 known fatalities is the most precise value that has ever been determined ... the total number should be a little over 310 or 320. Speaking to survivors in Darwin in 2000, historian Peter Forrest, who investigated the attack in an unpublished book, replied to a journalist's question that the first Japanese air raid certainly cost more than twice as many lives as the officially stated figure from 243, but two years later he reduced the number to "a maximum of twice 243".

Other estimates put the number of victims much higher. A soldier who survived the attack said he saw barges filled with human bodies buried at sea. A member of the funeral team spoke of unidentified victims being pushed into a large mass grave by a bulldozer , which has been confirmed in other sources. Darwin's Mayor Jack Burton estimated that 900 people were killed. Harry Macredie, the survivors and injured people from the port, said: “ we definitely estimate over 1,000 ” (German: “We estimate that there were definitely more than 1000”). Rex Ruwoldt, one of the soldiers at the time, said that in a phone call a few days after the attack, the secret service named the number of over 1,100 people killed. In accordance with an AP report on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the attack, “ some estimates say as many as 1,000 died ” (German: “some estimates assume that more than 1,000 were killed”). Bradford and Forrest stated that survivors testified that there were more than 1,500.

Stanley, Grose, Rosenzweig and Tom Lewis rejected these figures. The aforementioned corrected, “ it was certainly not the 1,024 claimed recently in unsubstantiated reports ” (German: “There were certainly no 1024, as mentioned recently in unconfirmed reports.”) And Grose wrote “ numbers such as 1,100 are fancifully high ” (German : "Numbers like 1100 are imaginatively high").

In contrast, there is little argument about the number of wounded in the course of the attack. The Lowe Commission estimated between 300 and 400 wounded. Lewis said the number was over 400, including about 200 seriously wounded soldiers. Womack wrote that 311 were wounded. The Australian military historian Chris Coulthard-Clark put it at a total of between 250 and 320. Grose wrote: “ […] if 900 or 1100 died, why were the numbers of injured so low? The count of the injured is more accurate, because they were treated in hospital or shipped out from the Manunda [a hospital ship]. The hospitals and Manunda noted names and numbers of those they treated ”(German:“ If 900 or 1100 died, why was the number of wounded so low? The count of the injured is more accurate because they are in a hospital or on the Manunda [a Hospital ship ]. The hospital and the manunda recorded the names and numbers of those who took them in ”).

Ships

The burning peary that sank

Eight ships were sunk in Darwin harbor:

Among the damaged (but not destroyed) ships was the hospital ship Manunda . The USS William B. Preston , a former destroyer that was used as an aircraft mother ship for seaplanes, was still able to leave port and was attacked and badly damaged at sea.

Planes

Shot down US fighter, a P-40E

The USAAF lost ten P-40E Kittyhawk, one Consolidated B-24 bomber , three C-45 transport aircraft and three PBY Catalina seaplanes outside port. The RAAF lost six Lockheed Hudsons .

Chaos in Darwin

The attack wreaked havoc in Darwin and basic supplies, such as drinking water and electricity lines, were badly damaged or destroyed. A fear of an impending invasion called the Darwin Panic spread, and a wave of refugees began when half of the city's civilian population fled. There are reports from the military police of looting. According to official reports, 278 RAAF soldiers deserted as a result of the attack, although these desertions were mostly the result of ambiguous orders from RAAF ground personnel after the attack. After the second Japanese attack, local RAAF squadron commander Sturt Griffith noted:

“[…] Summoned his senior administrative officer, Squadron Leader Swan, and gave a verbal order that all airmen were to move half a mile down the main road and then half a mile inland. At this vague rendezvous point […] arrangements would be made to feed them. The order led to utter chaos. In being passed by word of mouth from one section to another, sometimes with officers present and sometimes not, it became garbled to the extent it was unrecognizable against the original. In its ultimate form it was interpreted, especially by those desiring such an interpretation, of an impending order for immediate and general evacuation of the area. Highly exaggerated rumors of an impending Japanese invasion had already reached the base from the town and spread quickly among those wanting to believe them. In the absence of restraint, men gathered their belongings and leaving their stations ”

"[...] according to his superior officer, Squadron Commander Swan, the verbal order was given that all air force soldiers had to go half a mile down the main road and then half a mile inland. At this unclear assembly point […] further orders would be received. This order led to sheer chaos. Orally passed on from one department to the next, only partially in the presence of officers, it was mutilated beyond recognition. Finally, it was interpreted (especially by those who wanted to see it that way ) that an immediate and general evacuation of the area was imminent. Highly exaggerated rumors of an impending Japanese invasion had reached the center of the city and spread rapidly among those who would believe them. Unrestrained the men looked for their belongings and left their battle stations. "

There was massive looting by Australian soldiers of private property such as " furniture, refrigerators, stoves, pianos, clothes [and] even children's toys " (German: "Furniture, refrigerators, stoves, pianos, pieces of clothing [and] even children's toys"). Many refugees never returned or stayed away for years. When they returned in the post-war years, some of them learned that their Darwin property had been taken over by Australian government agencies during their absence.

Later Japanese air raids

After the first attack on 19 February the Allied naval forces left the military base in Darwin and deployed most of their ships to Brisbane , Fremantle and other small ports.

In contrast, the Allied Air Command began rebuilding the Darwin area. More runways were built and numerous squadrons were stationed. Until March 17, Darwin and the nearby airfield were without military air protection; then the No 49th US Fighter Group was stationed, which shot down 72 Japanese aircraft and lost 17 in the following five months. It was then replaced by No 77 Squadron RAAF in August and the 76 Squadron RAAF was added in October . The stationing of further air squadrons such as the No 1 Fighter Wing with three squadrons with the more modern Spitfire combat aircraft followed.

In the period from March 4, 1942 to November 12, 1943 after the massive attack on February 19, 1942, the Japanese bombed areas in the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia 64 times , including Broome , Derby, Port Hedland and Wyndham . Also in Queensland Townsville and Cairns were attacked by Japanese from the air.

One of the strongest attacks on Darwin occurred on June 16, 1942, when a powerful Japanese air force set fire to the fuel tanks around Darwin's port, causing severe damage to the empty port facilities, warehouses and train stations. The last Japanese plane was shot down in the Darwin area on June 25, 1944.

Aftermath

The four aircraft carriers Akagi , Kaga , Hiryū and Sōryū , which were involved in the bombing of Darwin, were sunk in June 1942 at the Battle of Midway .

An annual memorial service is held on February 19th at the Darwin Cenotaph . It begins at 9:58 a.m., at the time of the first attack.

The attack is portrayed as the main cinematic event in the film Australia .

literature

  • Mitsuo Fuchida, Masatake Okumiya: Midway: The Battle that doomed Japan. Hutchinson, 1957.
  • Peter Grose: An Awkward Truth: the Bombing of Darwin, February 1942, Crow's Nest. NSW Allen & Unwin, 2009, ISBN 978-1-74176-473-4 .
  • Timothy Hall: Darwin 1942, Australia Darkest Hour. Methuen Australia, 1980, ISBN 0-454-00252-1 .
  • Tom Lewis: A War at Home: A comprehensive guide to the first Japanese attacks on Darwin. Tall Stories, Darwin 2003, ISBN 0-9577351-0-3 .
  • Tom Lewis, Peter Ingman: Carrier Attack. Darwin 1942. The Complete Guide to Australia's own Pearl Harbor. Avonmore Books, Kent Town, Australia 2013, ISBN 978-0-9871519-3-3 .
  • Douglas Lockwood: Australia's Pearl Harbor. Darwin 1942. Penguin Books, Melbourne 1992, ISBN 0-14-016820-6 .
  • Allen Powell: The Darwin “panic”, 1942. In: Journal of the Australian War Memorial. Vol. 3, 1983, pp. 3-9.
  • Allen Powell: The Shadow's Edge. Australia's Northern War. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne 1988, ISBN 0-522-84371-9 .

Web links

Commons : Darwin Air Raid  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d Darwin. Air Defense of Darwin, 1942-1944. ( Memento of the original from August 28, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. On: vrb.gov.au. (PDF; 17 kB). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vrb.gov.au
  2. a b awm.gov.au : Peter Stanley: Rembering 1942. The bombing of Darwin, February 19, 1942
  3. ^ Douglas Lockwood: Australia's Pearl Harbor. Darwin 1942. Penguin Books, Melbourne 1992 (reprint), ISBN 0-14-016820-6 , pp. Xiii and 5.
  4. Tom Frame: The Bombing of Darwin. Quadrant Online, accessed June 3, 2009 .
  5. Jack Mulholland: Darwin Bombed: The Unit History of the 14th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery. Australian Military History Publications, 1999.
  6. Tom Hall: Darwin 1942: Australia's Darkest Hour. Methuen 1980, p. 104 f.
  7. ^ Walter D. Edmunds: They Fought With What They Had. Center For Air Force History, 1992, p. 351.
  8. ^ Walter D. Edmunds: They Fought With What They Had. Center For Air Force History, 1992, p. 342.
  9. Lockwood: Australia's Pearl Harbor. 1992, p. 23.
  10. ^ Walter D. Edmunds: They Fought With What They Had. Center For Air Force History, 1992, pp. 353-357.
  11. Japanese Air Raids on Darwin ( July 9, 2008 memento in the Internet Archive ) quotes this in the book Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan .
  12. territorystories.nt.gov.au : The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia: Commission Of Inquary Concerning The Circumstances Connected With The Attack Made By Japanese Aircraft At Darwin In February 19th , 1942. (Lowe Report). P. 9.
  13. a b c home.st.net.au : Two Japanese Air Raids At Darwin, NT On FEBRUARY 19, 1942
  14. awm.gov.au
  15. a b netherlandsnavy.nl
  16. a b awm.gov.au
  17. governor.sa.gov.au
  18. Peter Grose: An Awkward Truth: The Bombing of Darwin, February 1942, Crow's Nest. NSW Allen & Unwin, 2009, p. 192.
  19. “… the ship took stock of her damage. Eleven men were killed, two missing, and three wounded by the bomb hit aft. " ( Memento of February 13, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  20. Peter Grose: To Awkward Truth. P. 193.
  21. a b highbeam.com ( Memento of the original dated November 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : APP Australian General News: NT: Historian doubles Darwin air raid death toll @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.highbeam.com
  22. a b abc.net.au ( Memento of the original from November 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.abc.net.au
  23. Paul Alexander: Australian 'Pearl Harbor' Recalled - Darwin Notes Anniversary Of Air Attack. In: The Seattle Times. February 19, 1992, accessed December 28, 2011 .
  24. Tom Lewis: A War at Home: A Comprehensive Guide to the First Japanese Attacks on Darwin. Tall Stories, Darwin 1999, ISBN 0-9577351-0-3 .
  25. Peter Grose: An Awkward Truth: The Bombing of Darwin, February 1942, Crow's Nest. NSW Allen & Unwin, 2009, p. 191.
  26. ^ Territorystories.nt.gov.au : The Parliament of the Coomonwealth of Australia. Commission of Inquiry concerning the Circumstances connected with the Attack made By Japanese Aircraft at Darwin in February 19th, 1942. (Lowe-Report). P. 9.
  27. Tom Lewis: A War at Home: A comprehensive guide to the first Japanese attacks on Darwin. Tall Stories, Darwin 2003, pp. 63-71.
  28. Chris Coulthard-Clark: The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles. Allen & Unwin 2001, p. 205.
  29. Grose: An Awkward Truth ... 2009, p. 191.
  30. The Mauna Loa was formerly called the West Conob and was a ship with a steel hull that was propelled by a propeller. It was built in San Pedro , California in 1919 and was owned by the Matson Navigation Line . ( Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, "West Conob" Access date: September 14, 2007.)
  31. ^ Darwin Dive Center: WWII Wrecks. ( Memento of the original from September 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 2007, accessed September 14, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.darwindivecentre.com.au
  32. ^ NT Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, 2007, Wreck of the Kelat. ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 14, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nt.gov.au
  33. ^ AE Smith: Three Minutes of Time - the torpedoing of the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur . 2nd Edition. Tasman Press, Miami 1991, ISBN 0-646-07631-0 , pp. 19 .
  34. Lockwood: Australia's Pearl Harbor. 1992, p. 143.
  35. Lockwood: Australia's Pearl Harbor. 1992, p. 159.
  36. Lockwood: Australia's Pearl Harbor. 1992, pp. 143-146.
  37. Lockwood: Australia's Pearl Harbor. 1992, pp. 143-144.
  38. Lockwood: Australia's Pearl Harbor. 1992, p. 169.

Coordinates: 12 ° 27 ′ 0 ″  S , 130 ° 50 ′ 0 ″  E