Download or read book Carrier Attack Darwin 1942 written by Tom Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the Pacific war began it was a case of "when not if" Darwin would be attacked. But nobody could have predicted the extraordinary scale and ferocity of the 19 February 1942 raid. A massive strike force, blooded at Pearl Harbor just weeks before, hit Darwin in the biggest Japanese air attack ever in the South Pacific. Since then, generations of Australians have been drawn to the stories and folklore of the Darwin action. But facts have blurred and mythology has thrived. What of the warning that never happened? What of the ghost ship actually sunk in the Atlantic a year earlier? Did a fighter pilot contrive a false combat record? Did the authorities cover up the raid? Why do Australians know so little about it? This is the book that tests these many Darwin myths and reveals new information: another ship sunk; the actual intent and nature of the attack; the precise extent of the Japanese losses. The Darwin raid is usually portrayed as a wholesale disaster for the Allies, and a day full of military ineptitude. Carrier Attack shows the defenders were alert and fought with purpose. Arguably it was the Japanese that wasted much of their attacking strength, and in this way the Darwin defenders avoided a much larger catastrophe. Carrier Attack provides a timely and fresh analysis of the raid. Most importantly, it draws on specially translated Japanese sources. About the AuthorsDr Tom Lewis OAM is the award-winning author of 11 books. A long time resident of Darwin, he is the current Director of the Darwin Military Museum. In 2012 he was a major participant in the 70th anniversary of the Darwin raid, which included a multi-million dollar re-development of the Museum. Tom is a former naval of cer whoseservice included a combat deployment to Baghdad. Peter Ingman is the grandson of an original Gallipoli Anzac who lived in 1930s Darwin. He has been a regular visitor to the Northern Territory since the 1980s when his father worked there as a surgeon. With a background as a business executive, he has a longinterest in Australian military history. Peter currently manages an Adelaide-based publishing company.

Download or read book Australia Under Attack written by Douglas Lockwood and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first ever attack on Australia by a foreign power occurred at Darwin on 19th February 1942. The town was bombed in broad daylight by members of the Japanese Carrier Task Force which had been engaged at Pearl Harbor two months earlier. Not a single R.A.A.F. fighter aircraft was available to meet this attack, imminent and inevitable though it was.

Download or read book Awkward Truth written by Peter Grose and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2011 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The compelling and very human story of the first foreign assault on Australian soil since settlement - the attack on Darwin by the Japanese in February, 1942.

Download or read book Darwin 1942 written by Bob Alford and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-02-23 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the devastating raids on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, lightning advances by Japanese forces throughout the Pacific and the Far East, and a desperate battle by the Allied command in the Dutch East Indies, it became evident that an attack on Australia was more a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. On 19 February, just eleven weeks after the attacks on Pearl Harbor and two weeks after the fall of Singapore, the same Japanese battle group that had attacked Hawaii was ordered to attack the ill-prepared and under-defended Australian port of Darwin. Publishing 75 years after this little-known yet devastating attack, this fully illustrated study details what happened on that dramatic day in 1942 with the help of contemporary photographs, maps, and profiles of the commanders and machines involved in the assault.

Download or read book Darwin 1942 written by Bob Alford and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-02-23 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the devastating raids on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, lightning advances by Japanese forces throughout the Pacific and the Far East, and a desperate battle by the Allied command in the Dutch East Indies, it became evident that an attack on Australia was more a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. On 19 February, just eleven weeks after the attacks on Pearl Harbor and two weeks after the fall of Singapore, the same Japanese battle group that had attacked Hawaii was ordered to attack the ill-prepared and under-defended Australian port of Darwin. Publishing 75 years after this little-known yet devastating attack, this fully illustrated study details what happened on that dramatic day in 1942 with the help of contemporary photographs, maps, and profiles of the commanders and machines involved in the assault.

Download or read book Darwin Bombed written by Tom Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2020-02-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Japanese attack on Darwin on 19 February 1942 stunned the nation and has been a topic of much folklore and speculation ever since. Indeed, it was incredible that the powerful Japanese aircraft carriers that decimated the American Pearl Harbor fleet base in December 1941 turned their attention to tiny Darwin just weeks later. Such was the strength and ferocity of the Japanese attack that some 236 people were killed, eight large ships were sunk, 30 aircraft destroyed and parts of Darwin were left in ruins. It was the deadliest single attack ever suffered on Australian soil.However, Darwin was a victim of its own geography, being close to the Netherlands East Indies which the Japanese were then in the process of seizing. Darwin's harbour and airfield were of great strategic value and Allied forces utilising these facilities threatened the Japanese operations. Since 2013 the Bombing of Darwin Day, 19 February, has been commemorated as a National Day of Observance, the third such national date behind Anzac Day and Remembrance Day. Hence the need for educational materials has never been greater. Darwin Bombed! is a fully illustrated guide for school children of all ages.Dr Tom Lewis is a long time Darwin resident and one of Australia's foremost military historians. A high school teacher and former naval officer, he is the author of 14 books.

Download or read book An Awkward Truth written by Peter Grose and published by Allen & Unwin Australia. This book was released on 2011 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The compelling and very human story of the first foreign assault on Australian soil since settlement?the attack on Darwin by the Japanese in February, 1942 The bombing of Darwin on February 19, 1942, is the battle Australia tries to forget. Although there was much to be proud of that day?courage, mateship, determination, and improvisation?the dark side of the story lingers: looting, desertion, and a calamitous failure of Australian leadership. The Japanese struck with the same carrier-borne force that devastated Pearl Harbor only ten weeks earlier. There was a difference: they dropped more bombs on Darwin, killed more civilians in Darwin, and sank more ships in Darwin than in Pearl Harbor. It remains the single deadliest event in Australian history. Yet the story has remained in the shadows. Absorbing, spirited, and fast-paced, An Awkward Truth is a compelling and revealing story of the day war first came to Australia, and of the underarmed and unprepared soldiers and civilians who faced their toughest test on home soil.

Download or read book Darwin 1942 written by Timothy Hall and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-06-05 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 19 February 1942 the Japanese air force bombed Darwin. Whilst this fact is well known, very few people know exactly what happened. Timothy Hall was the first writer to be given acess to all the official reports of the time and as a result he has been able to reveal exactly what happened on that dreadful day – a day which Sir Paul Hasluck (17th Governor-General of Australia) later described as ‘a day of national shame’. The sequence of events in Darwin that day certainly did not reflect the military honour that the War Cabinet wanted people to believe. On the contrary, for what really happened was a combination of chaos, panic and, in many cases, cowardice on an unprecented scale.

Download or read book Australia Under Attack written by Douglas Lockwood and published by New Holland Publishers. This book was released on 2022-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first ever attack on Australia by a foreign power occurred at Darwin on 19th February 1942. At the time of the raid, Douglas Lockwood was a correspondent for the Melbourne Herald in Darwin.

Download or read book 1942 the year the war came to Australia written by Peter Grose and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 469 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the bombing of Darwin and the Japanese midget sub attack on Sydney Harbour in one volume from the bestselling author of An Awkward Truth and A Very Rude Awakening. 'Grose's compassionate, honest and vivid account deserves to be widely read.' Sun Herald on An Awkward Truth 'About as good as any yarn can get . . . a great retelling of a great story.' Sydney Morning Herald on A Very Rude Awakening Originally published as the best-selling An Awkward Truth and A Very Rude Awakening The bombing of Darwin by the Japanese on 19 February 1942 was the first wartime assault on Australian soil. The Japanese dropped more bombs on Darwin, killed more civilians in Darwin and sank more ships in Darwin than Pearl Harbor. Three months later, on 31 May 1942, three Japanese midget submarines crept into Sydney Harbour and caused an unforgettable night of mayhem, high farce, chaos and courage. The war was no longer confined to distant deserts and jungles. It had well and truly come to Australia. Absorbing, spirited and fast-paced, 1942: the year the war came to Australia tells the story of the under-armed and unprepared soldiers and civilians who faced their toughest test on home soil.

Download or read book Air Force Combat Units of World War II written by Maurer Maurer and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1961 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Australia Remembers the Bombing of Darwin written by Doctor Tom Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2022-02-02 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. The story of the biggest air raid in Australia's history - the bombing of Darwin February, 1942. All young Australians should know the story of how our own nation was at war in World War II. Dr Tom Lewis OAM brings to life the history of the hundreds of air attacks Australians endured at the hands of the Japanese forces. Following on from his success with previous forensic accounts for adults, Australia Remembers 4: The Bombing of Darwin 1942 brings young readers all the essential facts. Read how Zero fighters battled American Kittyhawks; Betty bombers rained destruction from the skies, and Allied defenders battled bravely to defend Australia.

Download or read book Eagles Over Darwin written by Tom Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2020-11 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1942, the air defense of the northern Australian frontier town Darwin was operated by airmen from the United States.That year was very nearly the end of Australia as a country. To those men the present nation owes a debt.A massive Japanese attack on Darwin on 19 February had left the town and its air base in ruins. An understrength squadron of USAAC P-40E Warhawks fought a gallant defense but was all but wiped out.Northern Australia was now at the mercy of Imperial Japanese Navy Betty bombers and Zero fighters whose crews were both skilled and experienced. However, help was on the way. The 49th Fighter Group was the first such group formed in the US to be sent overseas after the start of the Pacific War. Its destination was Darwin.From modest beginnings on make-shift airstrips, the 49th FG entered combat with its feared Japanese adversaries. Its P-40E Warhawks were poor interceptors but were rugged, reliable and well-armed. Unable to dogfight the highly manoeuvrable Zeros, the American pilots resorted to dive and zoom tactics more suited to their heavier fighters.Over several months the 49th FG pilots fought a brave and innovative campaign against a stronger enemy that did much to safeguard Australia in its darkest hour. Today lonely and long forgotten airfields still bear the name of American pilots who made the ultimate sacrifice.This is their story.

Download or read book P 40E Warhawk vs A6M2 Zero sen written by Peter Ingman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-06-25 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The P-40E Warhawk is often viewed as one of the less successful American fighter designs of World War II, but in 1942 the aircraft was all that was available to the USAAC in-theatre. Units equipped with the aircraft were duly forced into combat against the deadly A6M2 Zero-sen, which had already earned itself a near-mythical reputation following its exploits over China and Pearl Harbor. During an eight-month period in 1942, an extended air campaign was fought out between the two fighters for air superiority over the Javanese and then northern Australian skies. During this time, the P-40Es and the Zero-sens regularly clashed without interference from other fighter types. In respect to losses, the Japanese 'won' these engagements, for many more P-40Es were shot down than Zero-sens. However, the American Warhawks provided a potent deterrent that forced the IJNAF to attack from high altitudes, where crews' bombing efficiency was much poorer. Fully illustrated throughout, and supported by rare and previously unpublished photographs, this book draws on both American and Japanese sources to tell the full story of the clashes between these iconic two fighters in Darwin and the East Indies.

Download or read book Zero Hour in Broome written by Tom Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the actions of senior officials in the second most deadly attack on Australian soil when Zero fighters destroyed 15 flying boats at Broome which where packed with evacuees from Java. Profiles the different aircraft used during the Broome operation and the fate of Broome pearling luggers due to the scorched earth policy.

Download or read book The Most Dangerous Moment of the War written by John Clancy and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2015-11-19 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A well-detailed account of the [World War II] raid, which badly stung the Royal Navy but which the Japanese failed to exploit to a strategic advantage” (Seapower). In early April 1942, a little-known episode of World War II took place. Said by Sir Winston Churchill to be “the most dangerous moment of the war,” the Japanese made their only major offensive westwards into the Indian Ocean. As historian Sir Arthur Bryant said, “A Japanese naval victory in April 1942 would have given Japan total control of the Indian Ocean, isolated the Middle East and brought down the Churchill government.” Having crippled the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese turned their sights on the British Eastern Fleet based at Ceylon. Occupation of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, would not only provide the Japanese a springboard into India but also control of the essential convoy routes to Europe and the Western Desert. And aside from the British Eastern Fleet, the Indian Ocean lay undefended. In April 1942, a Japanese fleet led by six aircraft carriers, four battleships, and thirty other ships sailed into the Bay of Bengal. In the ferocious battles that followed, the British lost a carrier, two heavy cruisers, and many other ships; however, the Japanese eventually turned back, never to sail against India again. John Clancy, whose father survived the sinking of HMS Cornwall during the battle, “masterfully combines the strategic overview, the tactical decision making and many personal experiences to bring this episode of the war to life” (WWII Today). “Absolutely enthralling.” —Books Monthly “Well researched . . . a balanced view of men acting under the stress of war during a critical time.” —WWII History

Download or read book The Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean 1942 1944 written by Charles Stephenson and published by Pen and Sword Maritime. This book was released on 2022-04-06 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of the British Royal Navy’s activities in the Indian Ocean during World War II, led by Admiral Sir James Somerville. The story of the British Eastern Fleet, which operated in the Indian Ocean against Japan, has rarely been told. Although it was the largest fleet deployed by the Royal Navy prior to 1945 and played a vital part in the theatre it was sent to protect, it has no place in the popular consciousness of the naval history of the Second World War. So Charles Stephenson’s deeply researched and absorbing narrative gives this forgotten fleet the recognition it deserves. British pre-war naval planning for the Far East is part of the story, as is the disastrous loss of the battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse in 1941, but the body of the book focuses on the new fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir James Somerville, and its operations against the Japanese navy and aircraft as well as Japanese and German submarines. Later in the war, once the fleet had been reinforced with an American aircraft carrier, it was strong enough to take more aggressive actions against the Japanese, and these are described in vivid detail. Charles Stephenson’s authoritative study should appeal to readers who have a special interest in the war with Japan, in naval history more generally and Royal Navy in particular. Praise forThe Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean, 1942–1944 “This meticulously researched, outstandingly clear, well written and absorbing account is long overdue and will most likely become a standard work. The text is most helpfully supported by over 80 pages of detailed end notes referenced to each chapter and a detailed index. This is not only a book for naval historians but also for anyone with an interest in the War in the Indian Ocean region. Highly recommended.” —Military Historical Society “I enjoyed this book – it gives us an account of an often neglected part of the war at sea, and of the achievements of Admiral Somerville, who kept his fleet intact in the face of a potentially overwhelming opponent, then was willing to acknowledge that his fleet needed to improve massively before it could take on the Japanese.” —Dr John Rickard, author and webmaster of the ‘Military History Encyclopedia on the Web’