Air raid on Darwin on March 28, 1942
| date | March 28, 1942 |
|---|---|
| place | Darwin |
| output | Allied victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Troop strength | |
| 12 fighters | 7 bombers |
| losses | |
|
5 heavily damaged fighters |
2 bombers |
The air raid on Darwin on March 28, 1942 was a victory of American fighters over Japanese bomber planes in the Pacific War during World War II , as a combat success could be achieved with new combat tactics. This success led to it being the last unprotected attack by Japanese bombers in the Darwin area of the Northern Territory of Australia .
prehistory
During the massive air raid on Darwin on February 19, 1942, material, ships, aircraft, structures and numerous human victims were destroyed. The air defense was de facto destroyed and had to be rebuilt. The Australian fighter jets were used in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East . Therefore, Darwin was to reach the 49th Fighter Group of the USAAF on 17 March utterly defenseless. This American air combat group was initially stationed on Horn Island , but did not reach its combat strength until April 1942. In the meantime, the Japanese carried out air raids on March 4 with eight, on March 16 with 14 and on March 19 with seven bombers Darwin through. For the first time, the US squadron successfully intervened in the aerial battles on March 22nd, when the radar station began operations.
Dogfight
The Japanese attackers were not aware of the fact that the US 9th Squadron of the 49th Pursuit Group used a new anti-aircraft tactic for defense on March 28, whereby two teams of four Curtiss P-40s , called Kittyhawk , were permanently in the air space and ready for defense another four aircraft waited on the ground to be deployed.
When the early warning system reported an air strike, four American fighter planes were already over the Beagle Gulf , which intercepted the seven attacking Japanese Mitsubishi G4M1 , known as Betty , over the RAAF military airfield and prevented major damage at the airport. There was only minor bomb damage on the runway. When the Japanese bombers turned west towards the Timor Sea , they were attacked again by four US fighters over the port of Darwin at an altitude of 18,000 feet and then pursued on their escape. It was possible to shoot down two Japanese bombers and probably another before they found protection in clouds over the ocean.
Five of the fighters suffered severe hits from Japanese bombers and other light aircraft that could be quickly repaired. This was the last air strike by Japanese bomber planes without being escorted by fighter planes.
In the period from March 28 to April 27, 1942, the Kittyhawks rose in seven attacks and shot down 31 Japanese bombers and fighter planes .
literature
- SW Ferguson, William K. Pascalis: Protect & Revenge. The 49th Fighter Group in World War II. (English).
- Jack Mulholland: Darwin Bombed. The Unit History of 14 Heavy Anti-aircraft Battery. (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b vrb.gov.au ( Memento of the original from August 28, 2006 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. (PDF; 17 kB): Darwin. Air Defense of Darwin, 1942-1944. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ↑ ozatwar.com : Japanese bombing on Darwin RAAR Airfield March 28, 1942. Retrieved December 28, 2011 (English).
