LECTURE - The Australian Pearl Harbor

We often do not think of WWII happening in the Pacific in addition to Europe but it did and unfortunately with European allies overwhelmed at home they were not focused on the Pacific and did not provide any support for Australia (and the US was not yet in the war at this early time). Australia was heavily involved in the wars in history and many towns and villages there have prominent monuments to their war heroes. Although Australia has participated in ALL wars, this was the first time it was at home in their geographic area. In the Australian War Memorial, an extensive WWII museum, there is a detailed history on the campaigns in Europe, Mediterranean and the Pacific.

The city of Darwin, on the Northern tip of Australia (we will be there next week) was a big refueling and supply depot for Allied forces at the time. In an attempt to separate Australia and New Zealand, the Japanese attacked. Only 10 weeks after Pearl Harbor, to destroy the Northernmost Allied base, on February 19, 1942, Darwin Australia was bombed by the Japanese and is often called Australia’s Pearl Harbor. Again (after Pearl Harbor) this was a surprise although once again there was warning that was ignored even after seeing 188 aircraft in the air … sadly thinking these were Allied, not Japanese planes. Led by the same commander as Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces, in 2 waves, launched 188 aircraft, sinking 11 ships, and 30 aircrafts and killing over 230 people, bringing WWII directly to the Australian mainland. This was the first of over 60 air raids on northern Australia. As a crucial turning point in the war in the Pacific, the US presence here became substantial.

Although similar in their surprise attacks by air, the Japanese raid was unlike “Pearl Harbor” in that it was launched against a nation that had already declared war on Japan (2 months earlier in support by Prime Misister Mendes). More bombs were dropped on Darwin (681 bombs) than on Pearl Harbor (457 bombs) but loss of life was much greater at Pearl Harbor with more than 2,400 people compared to Darwin 236 people.

It was difficult to get Australian men to volunteer for this war although they had been very supportive in the past wars, since it was so soon after WWI (only 20 years). In WWI, Australia suffered great losses, in particular in Gallipoli. Despite that there was some involvement all over Europe by Australia. Anzac Day coming up in 3 weeks (we saw many posters/signs in Australia for activities for that day) is a National Day of Commemoration in Australia and New Zealand. This marks the 1915 Gallipoli landing, the first major military action of Australian and New Zealand forces (ANZAC) in WWI with losses of over 2,000 in 1 day and were trapped for 6 months until they successfully got out. It honors the courage and sacrifice with dawn services, marches, and wearing poppies. In spite of this reluctance, 1 million men (15% of their population) did participate in North Africa in WWII.

When the Japanese expanded in Europe and also began taking over Asia after they had lost 94% of their oil due to restrictions by the US, this is when the US Pacific fleet moved towards Hawaii and Pearl Harbor (see posting on details). The day after, 12/8/41 Australia also declared war for the first time on their own, on a country, on Germany. After the attack, the war changed and the Australians from then onward aligned with the US and not Great Britian.

The story made infamous by the movie of the Thai-Burma "Death Railway" and the Bridge over the River Kwai, is about the many POWs that died on this project. Approximately 2,800 Australian prisoners of war (POWs) were forced by Japan to build this bridge alongside other Allied forces, with a high death rate of around 31%.

The two countries that took on Japan to prevent them from reaching New Guinea during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 were the United States and Australia. While Japan achieved a tactical victory by sinking the carrier Lexington, it was a strategic win for the Allies, forcing the Japanese to turn back their invasion fleet, marking a turning point in the Pacific war. The Battle of Midway, fought in June, was a decisive American victory over Japan and is considered the turning point of the Pacific War. Acting on intelligence that allowed them to surprise the Japanese fleet. U.S. forces successfully sank all four of the primary Japanese aircraft carriers involved in the attack, crippling their offensive capability. The battle was a failure for Japan's "Operation MI," which was designed to lure out and destroy the remaining U.S. Pacific Fleet, particularly the carriers that had escaped the Pearl Harbor attack six months earlier. Following the defeat, Japan was forced to switch to a defensive posture in the Pacific. Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, bringing the Pacific War to an end.

The quote attributed to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is, "If I had to take hell, I would use the Australians to take it and the New Zealanders to hold it," The phrase likely stems from Rommel’s admiration for the fierce, methodical, and tenacious fighting of the 9th Australian Division and the New Zealand Division.Read more