5. Darwin - WWII

We visited the Military Museum in Darwin (also referred to as “Defense of Darwin”), where there was a heavy focus on the Japanese bombing of Darwin in February 1942.

Although small and relatively undeveloped, Darwin was strategically significant to the war in that its harbor and airfields played a crucial role in supporting Allied operations in the region. Japanese military planners believed that crippling Darwin would weaken Allied resistance and buy time for Japan to consolidate its gains.

“On February 19, 1942, (2+ months after Pearl Harbor) Japanese forces launched a large-scale attack involving 188 fighters and bombers, devastating the area and marking the first enemy assault on Australian soil during World War II. The raid was sudden and devastating. Misinterpreting the planes as American, locals carried on their routines until it was too late. Air raid sirens blared belatedly, failing to prepare the town for what was to come.”

The focus of the museum seemed to be on how unprepared the town/base was for this completely unexpected attack, revealing “glaring vulnerabilities in Australia’s defenses”.

I've attached a few pix, though there wasn't really much to capture.Read more