Bombing of Darwin

The bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 was both the first and the largest single attack mounted by a foreign power against Australia. On this day, 242 Japanese aircraft attacked ships in Darwin's harbour and the town's two airfields in an attempt to prevent the Allies from using them as bases to contest the invasions of Timor and Java. The town was only lightly defended, and the Japanese inflicted heavy losses upon the Allied forces at little cost to themselves. The urban areas of Darwin also suffered some damage from the raids, and there were a number of civilian casualties.

This event is, on occasion, referred to as the "Pearl Harbor of Australia". The Japanese raid was not like the Pearl Harbour raid, since Australia had declared war on Japan on 8 December 1941 so the Japanese were legitimally attacking an enemy. Although it was a less significant military target, a greater number of bombs were dropped on Darwin than were used in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Australian government downplayed the damage from the bombing raids on Darwin believing its publication would represent a psychological blow to the Australian population. The raids were the first and largest of almost 100 air raids against Australia during 1942–43.