DARWIN 1942: JAPANESE ATTACK ON AUSTRALIA, THE

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. Origins And Background: A Threat Evolves ; Japan Attacks ; The Rise And Fall Of Abdacom — Chronology — Opposing Commanders: The Allies ; The Japanese — Opposing Forces: The Japanese Strike Force ; The Allied Defences ; Darwin’s Defences ; The American Provisional Squadrons ; Order Of Battle — Opposing Plans: Darwin Targeted ; Darwin – A Waiting Game — The Battle: To Darwin – The Long Flight North ; First To Fall ; The Strike Force Launched ; First Victims ; Initial Combat ; The Strike Force Approaches ; The Aerodromes ; A Squadron Decimated ; The Enigmatic Lieutenant Oestricher ; The Noon Raid ; Attacks On Don Isidro And Florence D — Aftermath: Japanese Losses ; Allies Losses ; An End And A Beginning — Darwin Today. Bob Alford ; Illustrated By Jim Laurier. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 93-94) And Index.