During the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force conducted air raids on the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n mainland, domestic airspace, offshore islands, and coastal shipping, attacking at least 111 times between February 1942 and November 1943. These attacks came in various forms; from large-scale raids by

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...

s, to

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

attacks on ships, and to strafing runs by fighters. In the first and deadliest set of attacks, 262 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 The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

(RAAF),

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

and Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force. Japanese aircrews also targeted civil

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

, 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 also defended against Japanese air raids.

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 The unofficial geographic term Northern Australia includes those parts of Queensland and Western Australia north of latitude 26th parallel south, 26° and all of the Northern Territory. Those local government areas of Western Australia and Q ...

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 carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

s (, , and ) launched a total of 188 aircraft from a position in the

Timor Sea The Timor Sea (, , or ) is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean bounded to the north by the island of Timor with Timor-Leste to the north, Indonesia to the northwest, Arafura Sea to the east, and to the south by Australia. The Sunda Tr ...

. 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.

The attack on Broome

On 3 March 1942, nine Japanese A6M2 Zero fighters attacked the town of Broome, in northern

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. 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.

Attacks on North Queensland, July 1942

Japanese naval flying boats conducted four small air raids on the

north Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its Tropical North Queensland, trop ...

city of

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

and the town of Mossman in late July 1942. Townsville, which was an important military base, was raided by Japanese Kawanishi H8K1 "Emily"

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

s operating from Rabaul on three nights in late July 1942. On the night of 25/26 July, the city 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 city. 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 city, 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.

List of attacks by date

1942

February

;19 :

Bombing of Darwin The Bombing of Darwin, also known as the Battle of Darwin, on 19 February 1942 was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. On that day, 242 Empire of Japan, Japanese aircraft, in two separate raids, attacked the ...

: (10:00) Attack by 188 carrier-based aircraft at

Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( Larrakia: ') is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. The city has nearly 53% of the Northern Territory's population, with 139,902 at the 2021 census. It is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly of the Australi ...

(NT) : (11:55) Attack by 54 land-based high-level bombers at Darwin, NT : Bathurst Island, NT ;20 : (11:30) Off Cape Londonderry,

(WA). MV '' Koolama'' damaged by a Kawanishi H6K5 flying boat. Attacked again at 13:30 and severely damaged, with injuries to three passengers. ;21 : Rulhieres Bay, WA (later known as Koolama Bay) ''Koolama'' attacked again, no damage or injuries.

March

;3 : (09:20) Broome, WA. Attack on Broome: a strafing raid by nine A6M2 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'')—a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

airliner owned by KLM—was shot down by Zeros returning from the attack on Broome. It crash-landed north of Broome. Four passengers were killed.

Diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

s worth £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, WACoulthard-Clark, Chris (2001). The Encyclopedia of Australia's Battles. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. p. 212 ;4 : Wreckage and passengers from PK-AFV attacked again by a Kawanishi H6K5 flying boat, no damage or casualties. : (14:00) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;14 : Horn Island, Queensland (Qld) ;15 :Darwin, NT. Sgt. Albert Cooper, 28, (RAF, 54 Squadron) from

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, England, shot down, and killed, in his Spitfire over Darwin harbour ;16 : (13:30) Darwin RAAF Airfield and Bagot, NT ;17 : Darwin, NT ;18 : Horn Island, Qld ;19 : (11:40) Darwin (Myilly Point and Larrakeyah), NT ;20 : Broome Airfield, WA. Attack by Mitsubishi G4M2 "Betty" medium bombers. One civilian killed. Minor damage to airfield. :

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, WA ;22 : (00:51) Darwin, NT ;22 :

Katherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, NT.Coulthard-Clark (2001), p. 215 One civilian killed. (Furthest air raid into the Australian interior – over from the coast). ;23 : Darwin, NT : Wyndham, WA (two raids) ;28 : (12:30) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;30 : (05:40?) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;30 : Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;31 : (13:20) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT : (22:19) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT

April

;2 : (15:30) Darwin (Harvey St, McMinn St,

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

Oil Tanks), NT : Sattler Airfield, NT ;4 : (13:48) Darwin Civil Airfield and Parap Hotel, NT ;5 : (12:29) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;25 : (14:00) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;27 : (12:07) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;30 : Horn Island, QLD

June

;13 : (11:52) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;14 : (13:14) Darwin (town area), NT ;15 : (12:20) Darwin ( Larrakeyah to Stokes Hill), NT ;16 : (12:01) Darwin (town area), NT ;26 : (20:50) Darwin, NT

July

;7 : Horn Island, Qld ;25 : (20:50) Darwin (town area), NT ;26 :

, Qld : (21:39–22:54) Darwin ( Vesteys Meatworks), NT ;27 : (22:27) Knuckey's Lagoon, Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;28 : (00:45) Darwin RAAF airfield, NT : Townsville, Qld ;29 : (00:59) Darwin (town area) and Knuckey's Lagoon, NT. : Townsville, Qld ;30 : (03:58) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT : Horn Island, Qld : Port Hedland, WA.Coulthard-Clark (2001), p. 224 ;31 : Mossman, Qld : (13:33) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT

August

;1 : Horn Island, Qld ;21 : Wyndham, WA ;23 : (12:12) Hughes Airfield, NT ;24 : (21:24) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT : (22:14) Noonamah, NT ;25 : (00:05) Darwin and Parap, NT ;27 : (03:45–05:37) Darwin (Botanical Gardens) and Cox Peninsula, NT ;28 : (03:35) Darwin (Railway Yards and Port Patterson), NT ;30 : (02:39) Darwin (town area), NT ;31 : (05:14) Darwin (town area) and Cox Peninsula), NT

September

;25 : (03:41) Darwin (town area) and Knuckey's Lagoon, NT ;25 : (05:48) Darwin (town area and Daly Street Bridge), NT ;26 : (05:22) Livingstone Airfield, NT ;27 : (04:56) Bynoe Harbour, NT : (05:44) Darwin (town area) (Frances Bay)

October

;10 : Horn Island, Qld ;24 : (04:42) Batchelor Airfield : (04:52) Pell Airfield : (04:57) Cox Peninsula : (05:12) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;25 : (05:30) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;26 : (04:54) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;27 : (02:20) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT

November

;23 : (03:00–04:39) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT : Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT ;26 : (03:20) Darwin (town area), Strauss Airfield and Hughes Airfield, NT ;27 : (03:56–04:46) Coomalie Creek, Hughes Airfield and Strauss Airfield, NT

1943

January

;20 : (22:44–00:15) Searchlight station, AWC Camp, Ironstone, NT ;21 : (21:54) Darwin (Frances Bay), NT ;22 : (13:30) sunk, near Wessel Islands, NT.

March

;2 : (14:34) Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT ;15 : (11:20) Darwin (oil tanks), NT

May

;2 : (10:15) Darwin RAAF Airfield and Darwin Floating Dock, NT ;9 : Millingimbi, NT ;10 : Millingimbi, NT. The cutter was sunk. ;20 :

Exmouth Gulf Exmouth Gulf is a Bay, gulf in the North West Australia, north-west of Western Australia. It lies between North West Cape and the main coastline of Western Australia. It is considered to be part of the Pilbara Coast and Northwest Shelf, and t ...

, WA ;21 : Exmouth Gulf, WA ;28 : Millingimbi, NT

June

;18 : Horn Island, Qld ;20 : (10:43) Winnellie and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT ;28 : (11:07) Vesteys, NT ;30 : (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, NT ;14 : Long Airfield, NT ;17 : Port Hedland, WA ;21 : (00:37) Fenton Airfield and Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT : (03:30) Pell Airfield, NT

September

;15 : (00:25) Fenton Airfield and Long Airfield, NT ;15 : Onslow, WA. ;16 : Exmouth Gulf, WA (The southernmost air raid in Australia.) ;18 : (03:50) Fenton Airfield and Long Airfield, NT ;27 : Drysdale River Mission (Kalumburu) airfield, WA. Six fatalities; Father Thomas Gil, the superior of the mission, and five Aboriginal Australians.

November

;10 : Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT ;12 : (03:53–05:30) Parap, Adelaide River and Batchelor Airfield, NT

Notes

References

* * * * *Lewis, Tom. (2003). ''A War at Home. A Comprehensive guide to the first Japanese attacks on Darwin''. Tall Stories, Darwin. *

External links

ozatwar.com, "Japanese Air Raids in Australia During WW2"
* ttp://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/air_raids/ Australian War Memorial, "Air raids on Australian mainland – Second World War"br>Darwin Defenders 1942–45 Inc, veterans association's list of 43 air raids (excluding reconnaissance flights)Kalumburu Community-ABC Open, "The secret bombing of Australia"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Air Raids on Australia, 1942-43 Conflicts in 1942 Conflicts in 1943 Military attacks against Australia South West Pacific theatre of World War II Aerial bombing operations and battles of World War II 1942 in Australia 1943 in Australia Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving Australia World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre Airstrikes conducted by Japan Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving Japan

Early Japanese air raids

The first air raid on Darwin

The attack on Broome

Attacks on North Queensland, July 1942

List of attacks by date

1942

February

March

April

June

July

August

September

October

November

1943

January

March

May

June

July

August

September

November

See also

Notes

References

External links