“Air raids on Australia, 1942–43”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

Between February 1942 and November 1943, during the Pacific War, the Australian mainland, domestic airspace, offshore islands and coastal shipping were attacked at least 97 times by aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. These attacks came in various forms; from large-scale raids by medium bombers, to torpedo attacks on ships, and to strafing runs by fighters.

In the first and deadliest set of attacks, 242 aircraft hit Darwin on the morning of 19 February 1942. Killing at least 235 people and causing immense damage, the attacks made hundreds of people homeless and resulted in the abandonment of Darwin as a major naval base.

These attacks were opposed by, and often aimed at, units and personnel from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, British Royal Air Force and Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force. Japanese aircrews also targeted civil infrastructure, including harbours, civil airfields, railways and fuel tanks. Some civilians were also killed.

Although the main defence was provided by RAAF and Allied fighters, a number of Australian Army anti-aircraft batteries in northern Australia were also involved in dealing with the threat of Japanese air raids.{{sfn|Horner|1995|p=379}}

Early Japanese air raids

The Japanese conducted a series of air raids on Australia during February and March 1942. These raids sought to prevent the Allies from using bases in northern Australia to contest the conquest of the Netherlands East Indies.

The first air raid on Darwin

The attack on Broome

On 3 March 1942, nine Japanese A6M3 Zero fighters attacked the town of Broome, in northern Western Australia. Although Broome was a small town, it had become a significant air base and route of escape for refugees and retreating military personnel, following the Japanese invasion of Java. During the attack, which consisted of strafing runs only by the Zeros, at least 88 Allied civilians and military personnel were killed and 24 aircraft were lost. As Broome was almost undefended, Japanese losses were light, with only a single Zero being shot down over Broome and another one failing to reach its base.^[3]

Attacks on north Queensland, July 1942

Japanese naval flying boats conducted four small air raids on the north Queensland towns of Townsville and Mossman in late July 1942. Townsville, which was an important military base, was raided by Japanese Kawanishi H8K1 "Emily" flying boats operating from Rabaul on three nights in late July 1942. On the night of 25/26 July, the town was attacked by two flying boats but did not suffer any damage as the six bombs dropped by these aircraft fell into the sea. Townsville was attacked for the second time in the early hours of 28 July when a single flying boat dropped eight bombs which landed in bushland outside the town. Six P-39 Airacobras unsuccessfully attempted to intercept the Japanese aircraft. The third raid on Townsville occurred in the early hours of 29 July when a single flying boat again attacked the town, dropping seven bombs into the sea and an eighth which fell on an agricultural research station at Oonoonba, damaging a coconut plantation. This aircraft was intercepted by four Airacobras and was damaged. The fourth raid on north Queensland occurred on the night of 31 July when a single flying boat dropped a bomb which exploded near a house outside of Mossman, injuring a child.^[4]

List of attacks by date

1942

February

March

April

June

July

August

September

October

November

1943

January

March

May

June

July

August

September

November

See also

Notes

1. ^Tom Lewis (2003). A War at Home. A Comprehensive guide to the first Japanese attacks on Darwin. Tall Stories, Darwin. Page 16.
2. ^David Jenkins (1992), Battle Surface! Japan's Submarine War Against Australia 1942–44. Random House Australia, Sydney. Pages 118–120 and Lewis (2003). Pages 63–71.
3. ^Coulthard-Clark (2001), pp. 211–212.
4. ^Gillison (1962). Pages 562–563.
5. ^¹Coulthard-Clark, Chris (2001). The Encyclopedia of Australia's Battles. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. p.212
6. ^{{cite journal|last=Crowdey |first=Vanessa |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1999 |month= |title=The day the bombs fell |journal=Wartime |volume= |issue=8 |pages=Pg 46–49 |id= |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/8/articles/warships.pdf |accessdate=9 January 2008 |quote= |format=PDF |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410160254/http://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/8/articles/warships.pdf |archivedate=10 April 2008 }}
7. ^Cooper, Anthony, (2011), Darwin Spitfires: The Real Battle for Australia, University of New South Wales Press.
8. ^Coulthard-Clark (2001), p.214
9. ^Coulthard-Clark (2001), p.215
10. ^¹²Coulthard-Clark (2001), p.224

References

External links