The Bombing of Darwin: 1942- WWII Introduction: The bombing of Darwin, the largest attack on Australian soil mounted by a foreign country, occurred on the 19 February, 1942 during the Second World War. Japan invaded Australia because they wanted to invade Timor and were wary that Australia might send aid to Timor through Darwin. 188 Japanese planes were launched against Darwin, led by the same person who led the Attack on Pearl Harbour, just 10 weeks prior to the event, Mitsuo Fuchida. They succeeded. The bombs killed 252 allied soldiers in place protecting Australian soil from such attacks along with civilians living in the city at the time. Some Australians like Captain Roy Cecil Hodgkinson, who was at the scene of the bombings painting and …show more content…
Before leading the attack on Darwin, he also led the attack on Pearl Harbour, just 10 weeks before. Fuchida led the first two waves on Darwin and had major successes in the crucial raids. He had no part in the minor skirmishes. He tactically targeted the warships and merchant vessels in the harbour. His aim was to cut off supplies and communication in and out of Darwin. Huchida succeeded and pinned down the Allied forces for a while, but not enough. Allied forces sold their lives dearly to protect their country and neighbour, …show more content…
After he finished his learning he went to Melbourne, then Europe, making his way painting and photographing. At the start of the war, Hodgkinson returned to Australia to do his bit for his country. He enlisted as a trooper in the Armored Division and was then was made an official war artist in February 1942. He toured New Guinea, India, Ceylon, Burma and Northern Australia where he happened to be when the Darwin Bombings occurred. After the bombings had finished, Hodgkinson painted this artwork depicting the post office and post master’s house completely destroyed. The postmaster died, with his daughter as well as other employees in the ensuing
3 September 1939 when Australia joined the war playing a significant role in World War 2, winning a lot of their campaigns. Almost million Australians, both men and women helped win WW2 all over the world. The war started for Australia when Great Britain declared war on Germany. This lead to Australia fighting in Germany and Italy in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa, Japan in south-east Asia and other parts of the Pacific. Australia was involved in one of the most important battles in WWII, Kokoda track campaign in 1942. There are several reasons why this battle was so significant. Firstly, Kokoda track campaign stopped the invasion of Australia. Secondly, the Kokoda track campaign lead to the victory of WWII with the defeat of Japan. Lastly, the conditions that all the troops at the Kokoda campaign had to go through was atrocious and against the ally troop’s odds. This battle leads to the development of the nation. This is why Kokoda was the most important battle fought by the Australian’s in WWII.
On September 3, 1939 Prime Minister, Robert Gordon Menzies, declared the commencement of Australia's involvement in the Second World War on every national and commercial radio station. From 1942 until early 1944, Australian forces, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders played a key role in the Pacific War forming the majority of Allied strength throughout the South West Pacific. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders affected Australia’s World War Two efforts in their extended volunteering and willingness to fight and die in the war. Aboriginal people were a crucial part of defending the Australian home front, in which they had limited or no rights. Many experienced equal treatment to white Australians for the first time in their
Firstly, the Kokoda Battle was an important event because of its cultural significance to Australia. The Kokoda track stands as an icon for Australian participation in the Second World War, just as Gallipoli serves the same purpose for the First World War. In 1942, the Australian Territories of Papua and New Guinea were in law if not in public sentiment, as much a part of Australia as the Northern Territory. It is then quite true to say that Australian soil was invaded by the Japanese in 1942. The main objective of this battle was for Japan to capture Port Moresby via the Kokoda track and from there they would control the Pacific. This war was also very significant because of the mateship, loyalty and hard work the Australians did to protect our country even when they were “flat out” of energy, as evidenced by this quote
In 1942, Darwin was a small town of 5,800 with limited civil and military infrastructure. Because its strategic position in northern Australia, the R.A.N and R.A.A.F had constructed bases near the town in the 1930s and the early years of World War II.
Some would say The Anzac Legend all began when Britain declared they were in need of help and it was Australia’s duty to go to their aid. Australia tossed aside experience and opted for youth. There were big incentives to go. To travel and visit foreign places, economic reasons, to be with their mates but the most incentive of all was that Britain needed help.
middle of paper ... ... The willingness of the Australian people to volunteer and help out in the war effort was outstanding. Australians also showed great pride and allegiance to England. One of the problems with people being so ready and willing to volunteer is they didn’t fully understand the realities of war.
The First World War or World War 1 was a conflict between Britain and Germany, which spread over Europe predominantly beginning on the 28th of July 1914 until the 11th of November 1918. AS soon as the war began, Prime Minister Andrew Fisher's government pledged full support for Britain in an effort to defend Britain or the “Mother Country”. As enlistment came up for Australian men, thousands people across the country rushed to enlist for what they thought would be an opportunity to adventure Europe with the war supposedly ending before Christmas. With the propaganda at the government’s advantage, they could easily manipulate the Australian’s public view on what life, as a soldier would be like. As the pain of loss began to strike the citizens of Australia, views on what war was like changed and reality began to hit. This meant enlistment around Australia was significantly reduced especially after Gallipoli where there were the most casualties, which hit Australia hard. As time grew on
Unfortunately, with most if not all large-scale conflicts, a detrimental aftermath was soon sure to follow. Australia was by no means exempt from this, as made evident by the Australian veterans and
We as Australians are completely unaware of all the suffering, sorrow and sadness we’ve placed upon the Aboriginal people since we set foot on their land. We’ve killed them in cold blood as we’ve had several disagreements with the Aboriginal people. Evidence even shows that all Tasmanian Aboriginals were killed and become completely extinct. We’ve given them diseases which they never used to contract and have wiped out the majority of their people and we even took Aboriginal children away from their own biological parents. The idea behind this was so they would then breed with other Australians which would rid of their full-tribal blood, making them become extinct. Thes...
The Australian participation in WW2 was similar to that of WW1 in many ways. After the British declared war on Germany on September 3rd 1939, an Australian declaration of war was automatic. Aussie troops were soon sent to different parts of the world to help the British and other allied countries. It was not until late 1941 that they were recalled in order to defend the homefront. Darwin had been suddenly attacked by Japanese planes and small enemy submarines had snuck into Sydney Harbour. Darwin was repeatedly bombed by Japanese planes until July 1941, when along with American troops, the Aussies managed to drive them out of the Solomon Islands and northeastern New Guinea and eliminate a strong Japanese base at Rabaul. Without General MacArthur's troops, the enemy may very well have invaded Australia. This illustrates the importance of alliances.
General Hideki Tojo was the Premiere of Japan. He and other Japanese leaders did not like the fact that Americans were sending war supplies to China and other countries in Asia. A surprise attack was ordered by Japan on December 7, 1941. The target was the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 360 planes bombed the naval base killing about 3,000 people and destroying many warships, aircraft carriers, and submarines. This was a catalyst that brought the United States into World War II.
Both the Americans and the Japanese had specific reasons to become involved in this battle, with goals of victory. The Japanese wanted to fight so that they could cut off sea routes between Australia and America. If the Japanese could keep control of the island, they would be able to begin building an airfield, made for both fighters and bombers. This meant that the U.S. Marines and Navy had an important job to secure the region in a method known as Island Hopping. Americans wanted to fight so that they could protect the allies from the Japanese. If Americans ended up controlling the island, they would be better able to protect Australia from the Japanese Invasion. They could also protect allied build-up in Australia that would act as a “springboard” for major assault on the Japanese. Both sides were completely against each other’s goals. USA wanted to protect Australia, and Japan wanted to prevent the help from the U.S.
The Bombing of Britian's Major Cities by Germany from 1940-1949 Hitler never truly wanted to go to war with Britain, he thought of them more as a natural ally and that he would just make himself a larger empire in the East once he had defeated the USSR. However, this was not the view of Winston Churchill. He was not prepared to make any kind of a deal with Hitler. The German army then devised Operation Sea Lion (the code name for the invasion on Britain). The main idea of Operation Sealion was to primarily target the British Air Bases to cripple the RAF (Royal Air Force).
World War II was a gruesome war which caused lots of deaths. But for Japan it was a chance for them to rise, gain power and recognition from the western countries that looked down on them. But because of this Australia has had to face Japan in numerous battles. These are the most important and significant ones for Australia.
What Australia sacrificed for the Americans in the Vietnam War can never be replaced, Australia gave the US, men that were slaughtered out of sheer spite and fear for communism, Australia then gave money to a cause that would never be won and now Australia wants to take on the foreign policy of the very country that destroyed precious human life and wasted $218 million dollars that could have been spent on the poverty that is in the community