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
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
On the 15th of February in 1942 one of the biggest defeats of the British Empire was accomplished by the Japanese, Singapore was surrendered. The Fall of Singapore was relatively destructive to the relationship between Britain and Australia. Australia relied on Britain holding Singapore as it was the last defence against the Japanese and it was feared that Japan would go on and invade Australia if it fell, Australia openly showed that they could not rely on the British for defence by becoming a strong ally with America and asking them to help with the feared Japanese invasion. Australia feared the threat of invasion constantly throughout the war, when Singapore fell the Australian government predicted a certain attack by the Japanese.
...nce as to how the soldiers were directly impacted by the efforts at The Home Front. As a result, the first sub question; ‘Were the soldiers fighting in the Pacific influences also?’ was removed, leaving the following, more controlled set; ‘How did the challenges faced at The Home Front impact the relationships between the Australian people? Are such correlations still recognised today?’ Unlike the sources that were used to answer focus questions one to three, the information relating to the social effect of the war efforts by the Australian public, is all still valid and relevant to today. This is mainly due to the fact that the facets that were demonstrated during this particular time period, such as mateship and determination, continue to be reflected in modern day society and are the characteristics to which Australians are linked to by outsiders.
The Bombing of Darwin, on 19 February 1942 was both the first and the biggest single attack mounted by a foreign power on Australia. 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 fight the invasions of Timor and Java. Darwin was only lightly defended and the Japanese inflicted heavy losses upon the Allied forces at little cost to themselves. The more urban areas of Darwin also suffered some damage from the raids and there were a number of civilian casualties.
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.
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
Although, most of it is accounted by the war itself, the suffering of many Australian veterans had much to do with...
When the Great War began, Australia went to war as a nation which not only held its own but was invaluable to many ...
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...
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.
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
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