Bombing of Darwin

I have to confess ignorance of the Japanese bombing of Darwin. It was seeing Japanese aircraft and explosions on the poster for the new movie Australia which got me researching it. From a recent survey, it would also appear that a significant number of Australians don't know of the strategic importance of Darwin and how heavily it was attacked.

Steve W.

 

My wife was an Australian citizen when I married her. She and I are history buffs and often discuss US and Australian history. When I mentioned the bombing of Darwin in 1942, she said that she only learned of the issue when she came to the US with me. I remember reading briefly about it in high school back in the mid '60's, but apparently, it's almost an unknown event in Australia. My wife claims the Australian government suppressed reports of the bombing during the war to avoid panic among the general population, and it was forgotten after the war. I'm glad to see the Australian public is recovering knowledge of Darwin's role in the war.

 

DA,


"My wife was an Australian citizen when I married her. She and I are history buffs and often discuss US and Australian history. When I mentioned the bombing of Darwin in 1942, she said that she only learned of the issue when she came to the US with me. I remember reading briefly about it in high school back in the mid '60's, but apparently, it's almost an unknown event in Australia. My wife claims the Australian government suppressed reports of the bombing during the war to avoid panic among the general population, and it was forgotten after the war. I'm glad to see the Australian public is recovering knowledge of Darwin's role in the war."



The first Darwin raid on the 19th Feb 1942 killed 243 people including the Postmaster and his entire family. The PO took a direct hit. Also, the USS 'Peary' was sunk in the harbour and 91 US sailors were killed.

The attackers were in fact the same CVs that attacked Pearl harbour and even more bombs were dropped in this raid than on PH. It was the first of 64 raids on towns and military facilities stretching from Broome in the west to Townsville in the east. Most were on the Darwin area.

The event WAS played down at the time and much was suppressed for the reason you state. It is a well known event now.


John.

 

One of the major events of the bombing of Darwin was that a considerable number of US warships were destroyed in Darwin Harbour. This was partly because the Americans insisted in tying them together instead of distributing them around the harbour. They had the same policy wrt their planes. With the same result.

The road between the Alice and Darwin was created expressly because of the heavy concentration of troops at the Top End.

The residents of Darwin did not, as a group behave very well after the bombing. There was widespread looting and other criminal behaviour. Many of the perpetrators were police. It's mostly because of this that the bombing dropped out of history.

It is also stated and I am very wary of this, that more bombs were dropped on Darwin than at Pearl Harbor.

 

Herakles,

As far as I have ever read, only the USS 'Peary' was sunk on that first raid.

The road from Alice Springs to Darwin was constructed by the Allied Works Council, with sections being allocated to the various state 'Country Roads Boards'. The convoy traffic was so heavy that the bitumen immediately began to break up at the edges and it had to be done again with an 18" (45cm) concrete edge to it. If you ever drive the Stuart Highway, stop at Attack Creek (NT) and climb down beside the bridge on the eastern side. There is an intact section, about 30' or 40' long that is 'fording' the actual creek.

About 120 miles south of Darwin is the old Fenton Field, an old US B-24 strip, later used by RAAF B-24s. One day in June 1942 a 'Betty' paid a visit and placed a bomb near the western end, northern side, of the runway. The repair job is still clearly visible.

The 'Adelaide River Handicap' was a panic evacuation of Darwin by many people, not all civilian, and not one of our most glorious days.


John.


PS,


About 3 of the old Fighter Strips are still visible on the west side of the Stuart Highway as you approach Darwin.

 

Thanks John. If only one US ship was destroyed then so be it. But all of the others were damaged as I understand it.

It's a shame that only the section between The Alice and Darwin was sealed. If only the stretch to Adelaide was so treated at the time.

There is also something that survived the occupation of the Atherton Tablelands as well.

 

Herakles,

"It's a shame that only the section between The Alice and Darwin was sealed. If only the stretch to Adelaide was so treated at the time."

Over the southern half they relied on the 'Ghan' to transport troops and supplies. MacArthur complted his journey via the Ghan because his wife refused to get on another B.17. I am certain she regretted her decision. It was at the last re-fueling stop before Adelaide, at a tiny town called Terowie, that he met his first members of the media, and here he said the words "I came through, and I shall return". The road to Alice was not completed until 1988, our Bi-Centenary.




"There is also something that survived the occupation of the Atherton Tablelands as well."


What was that?

Actually, the specific area that my FIL trained is now the Tinaroo Dam. Most camps were near the town of Ravenshoe. The entire area now has large signs indicating just what units were camped and trained at that particular place.



John

 

The first Darwin air raid destroyed three US ships, but not because they were "tied together". The old four-piper destroyer USS Peary was sunk, as was the US Army troop transport Meigs, and a 5,400 ton US merchant ship SS Mauna Loa. The US also lost 10 P-40 fighters, 3 PBY patrol bombers,1 B-24, and 3 C-47 transports. The US had intended to make Darwin an advanced logistics base, but after the raid realized it's vulnerability to air raids from Timor and aircraft carriers and abandoned the plan.

The four Japanese carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu) which participated in the raid were all sunk four months later at the Battle of Midway.

 

I hope he had a better trip on the Ghan than I did in 1960. It really was a remarkable and very slow journey.

The Americans continued their habit of bundling their ships and aircraft together in New Guinea. Despite being told. With the usual result.

 

What is your source for this assertion?

The American ships were not "bundled" or "tied together" at Darwin, and I can find no evidence that this was routinely done anywhere else. Certainly I have never run across any accounts of ships being lost because they were berthed together. If it was practiced in isolated instances, it was only done because of cramped harbors which allowed no other arrangement.

 

Hello,

Many more ships were sunk at Darwin than recorded here, and it was a very significant raid, intended to destroy the port as a forward operations base for reinforcements being sent to the Philippines & NEI. By the time of the raid, however, much Allied shipping had been redirected north to Tjilatjap, Java, to be closer to fuel oil, and to give our submarines faster turnaround times on their missions. That is why Allied losses were not far worse, as they might have been.

188 IJN planes participated in the attacks on February 19th, 1942.

An irony not well-known is that in the late 1950s, or early 1960s, many of the sunken hulks in Darwin were salvaged...by a Japanese firm.

 

Another small anecdote,

One of the many raids on Australia was when ONE 'Betty' bombed Katherine Airfield with ONE bomb and killed ONE poor unfortunate man.

How unlucky can you get?

John

 

The following is from the Commission of Inquiry on the Darwin attacks:

"Captain Thomas, the Senior Naval Officer in Darwin, anticipated that such an attack would take place. The Navy, in my opinion, had taken all proper steps in preparation for such an attack. It is possible in the light of events that followed to criticize the disposition of ship in the harbour, and to suggest that they would have been safer if they had been more dispersed, and to suggest in regard to the hospital ship it should have been placed far away from transports and vessels of war; but this I think is to be wise after the event."

The Department of Navy also supported the berthing of ships in shallow water to facilitate recovery in the event of sinking.

 

This has been an amazing thread. Thanks to all contributors. I had no idea that it would grow so quickly.

Steve W.

 

Losses on the 1st and subsequent attacks which occurred on the 19th Feb 1942

Australian Air Force:
6 Hudsons destroyed on the ground
1 Hudson in hanger badly damaged
1 Wirraway badly damaged

I'm unsure of the nationality but 2 Catalinas were destroyed in Darwin Harbour

US Air Force
8 P40s destroyed in the air
2 P40s destroyed on the ground
1 B24 destroyed on the ground
1 P40 damaged in the air

Ships Lost:
Zealandia
Neptuna
Meigs
Maunaloa
British Motorist
USS Peary
Ship Tender Marie

Ships Damaged
Barossa
Port Mar (US)
Hospital Ship Manunda
HMAS Platypus
HMAS Swan

Beached:
Tulagi

228 servicemen and civilians were killed on the Darwin raid and between 300 and 400 injured. On the way to or from the raid a third Catalina was destroyed as were another two American vessels, the Don Isidro and the Florence Dee. 15 killed. Enemy losses were 5 confirmed aircraft shot down and 5 probable out of 27 bombers and an estimated 23 fighters.

This information is from Justice Lowes report completed on March 27 1942. He is far from complimentary about the layout of the Airstation or the Station Commander who had given an order for the men to reassemble at a location half a mile down the road and half a mile into the bush. The order was not passed centrally but passed through a number of officers before it got to the men and was completely distorted - one man reached Melbourne 13 days later, a distance of over 4000 kilometres.

Justice Lowe reports "The Airstation itself was practically deserted. For several days afterwards men were straggling back to the Station, and at a parade on 23rd February, the muster showed 278 men missing. As the casualties were very small, the result can only be regarded as deplorable".

From the Japanese point of view it was a very successful raid.

 

Outstanding posts gentlmen as always. Another note to the reach if the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1942 was the bombing of Townsville on i beleive three occasions.

As another side note i beleive the USS Houston and the HMAS Perth departed Darwin only a few days before the first raid.

 

Hello,

USS Houston (CA-30) departed about Feb 15/16th with reinforcements for the NEI (Timor?), but her convoy was attacked and subjected to heavy bombing by the Japanese, and turned back, returning to Darwin. Some of these ships were lost in the Feb. 19th attack by KdB. Houston's skipper, CAPT Albert H. Rooks, recognized the dangerous situation developing at Darwin & departed promptly on the 18th after fueling. USS Peary (DD-226) made a submarine contact as they left, expended a good deal of fuel tracking it, and was forced to go back again into Darwin, where she was caught on the morning of the 19th and sunk with heavy loss of life.

Houston went to Tjilatjap before being sent around through Sunda Strait to Surabaja for the Slag in de Javazee.

I do not think HMAS Perth was there at all then, but came to Surabaja from the Med to join the ABDA Striking Force.

 

Cheers for that the Houston/ Perth sinking is the subjects of future research that i will be undertaking but at the moment i know bugger all. I thought for some reason the Perth joined Houston at Darwin but i dont have my books with me so not sure dont suppose you {or any one reading this}know of any good site where basic info could be otained?

Harry M nice one with the official damage reports
Cheers again Folks

 

Try the Australian War Memorial Site Australian War Memorial
&
HMAS Perth [Australian War Memorial]

The HMAS Perth Association HMAS Perth National Association Inc

 

SouthWestPacificVet.
"Bloody Japs" as about half my older relatives would say. Glad you made it. Not familiar with 147th but would be most grateful to hear of your recolections of the Darwin raids if its no imposition.
Cheers