After the ‘Island Fortress’ of Singapore’s fall on 15 February 1942, the shadow of war loomed over the Asia-Pacific region, as the Japanese armed forces set their gaze southward.
In response, Prime Minister John Curtin offered this rallying cry to all Australians.
‘Just as Dunkirk began the Battle for Britain, so does Singapore open the Battle for Australia. It is now work or fight as we have never worked or fought before. On what we do now depends everything we hope to do when this bloody test has been survived.’
His words hauntingly accurate, foreshadowing harrowing events to come as Japanese aircraft attacked Darwin only days later. The Second World War had reached our shores.
What followed left an indelible impact on our country that many still feel to this day.
Between 1942 and 1943, parts of northern Australia endured 97 air raids by Japanese aircraft, with Darwin suffering 64 of these. The exact number of casualties is unknown, but most were killed in the first attacks on Darwin and Broome. At Darwin on 19 February 1942, Australian losses included 13 members of the armed forces, 20 merchant seamen, approximately 40 Australian civilians and at least 160 Allied servicemen and merchant seamen (mostly Americans) were killed. At Broome on 3 March 1942, at least 19 American servicemen and approximately 70 Dutch civilians were killed.
The Battle of the Coral Sea was one of the most significant naval actions in the South Pacific. This battle saw Allied forces deliver a naval defeat to the Japanese between 4 and 8 May 1942, thereby preventing an amphibious landing at Port Moresby and air raids against airfields in northern Queensland. No Australians lost their lives in the battle however three American warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, were sunk, with more than 600 American sailors killed.
While this Allied victory did prevent a seaborne attack on Port Moresby, Japanese and Allied forces fought for several months along the Kokoda Track. More than 620 Australians were killed, over 1,600 more were wounded, and over 4,000 were evacuated due to sickness. Their efforts halted a land-based Japanese attempt to capture Port Moresby.
The Japanese also ventured southward, to our east coast, when on the night of 31 May 1942, three Japanese midget submarines slipped into Sydney Harbour and sank HMAS Kuttabul, killing 19 Australians and two British sailors. Between June and August, Japanese submarines also attacked Allied merchant ships, sinking at least 14 in Australian waters.
Japan then set its sights on Milne Bay, Papua. On 25 August 1942, several thousand Japanese Marines attempted to seize airstrips and secure a base of operations to further support battles along the Kokoda Track. Met by Australian soldiers, Royal Australian Air Force Kittyhawk squadrons and US troops, the Japanese were dealt what is often described as the first decisive defeat of their land forces of the war in the Pacific. Considered a minor victory, comparatively, in the Pacific, it served as an inspirational morale booster for Allied forces.
The battles of 1942 were rounded by Allied troops attacking the Japanese strongholds in northern Papua around Buna, Gona and Sanananda. In a series of tough attacks between November 1942 and January 1943, more than 2,100 Australian and American troops were killed or wounded, with many others evacuated suffering tropical diseases.
Although the battle for Australia had been won, the threat of air raids and submarine attacks remained. In the first half of 1943, Japanese submarines operating off Australia’s east coast sank a further 17 ships, including the hospital ship AHS Centaur, which was sunk on 14 May 1943, with 268 lives lost, including army medical and nursing personnel and merchant seaman.
Around one million Australians served over the course of the Second World War. More than 39,000 lost their lives, including some 8,000 as prisoners of war. Countless others were wounded, injured in accidents, evacuated suffering illnesses, or captured.
Today, we reflect on the resilience and bravery of all who served during the Second World War, those who deployed overseas, those defending our home front, and the islands, the seas and in the skies to the north.
We will remember them, their service, and their sacrifice.
Lest we forget.
Milne Bay, New Guinea. 1943-06-27. Members of the 42nd Australian Infantry Battalion standing in memory by the grave of their friend, QX36357 Private H.E. McNeil of the 61st Australian Infantry Battalion, who was killed during the Battle for Milne Bay.
Imagery courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.