Editing Bombing of Darwin (section)

{{Short description|1942 Japanese attack on Australia in WWII}}
{{About|the first and largest air raid on 19 February 1942|the major raid of May 1943|Raid on Darwin (2 May 1943)|other air raids on Darwin|Air raids on Australia, 1942–43}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Bombing of Darwin
| partof            = the [[Pacific War]]
| image             = Darwin 42.jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| caption           = The explosion of {{MV|Neptuna}}, filled with TNT and ammunition, hit during the first Japanese air raid on Australia's mainland, at Darwin on 19 February 1942. In the foreground is {{HMAS|Deloraine}}, which escaped damage.
| date              = {{start date and age|1942|02|19|df=yes}}
| place             = [[Darwin, Northern Territory]], Australia
| map_type          = Northern Territory#Australia#Pacific Ocean
| map_relief        = 1
| map_size          = 300
| result            = Japanese victory
| combatant1        = {{flag|Australia}}<br />{{flag|United States|1912}}
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}}
| commander1        = {{nowrap|{{flagicon|Australia}} [[David Blake (general)|David V. J. Blake]]}}<br />{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Frederick Scherger]]}}
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Chūichi Nagumo|Chuichi Nagumo]]<br /> {{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Mitsuo Fuchida]]
| strength1         = 31 aircraft<br />18 antiaircraft guns<br />1 destroyer<br />1 seaplane tender<br />2 sloops<br />4 minesweepers/corvettes<br />4 boom defence vessels<br />9 merchant ships/transports<br />1 hospital ship<br />23 auxiliary vessels<br />12 pearling luggers
| strength2         = 242 aircraft (188 carrier-based aircraft; 54 land-based medium bomber aircraft)<br />4 aircraft carriers<br />2 heavy cruisers<br />1 light cruiser<br />7 destroyers<br />3 submarines
| casualties1       = 236 killed<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au/exhibits/show/bod |title=Northern Territory Library &#124; Summary of Roll of Honour |publisher=Ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au |date=19 February 1942 |access-date=26 September 2013 |archive-date=20 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220134644/http://www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au/exhibits/show/bod |url-status=dead }}</ref><br />300–400 wounded<br />30 aircraft destroyed<ref name="ReferenceA"/><br />11 vessels sunk<br />3 vessels grounded<br />25 ships damaged
| casualties2       = Four carrier aircraft lost<br />2 killed<ref name="ReferenceB">Takezo Uchikado and Katsuyoshi Tsuru were killed when their Val dive bomber crashed near Darwin. Hajime Toyoshima was taken prisoner when his Zero crashed on Bathurst Island. The Zero of Yoshio Egawa and the Val dive bomber of Takeshi Yamada and Kinji Funazaki, ditched upon returning to the carriers.</ref><br />[[Hajime Toyoshima|1 POW]]<br />34 carrier aircraft damaged<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
| coordinates       = {{Coord|12|28|30|S|130|51|00|E|type:event|display=inline,title}}
| campaignbox       = {{Axis naval attacks on Australia}}
{{Campaignbox South West Pacific}}
}}

The '''Bombing of Darwin''', also known as the '''Battle of Darwin''',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-17/bombing-of-darwin-anniversary-special-coverage/3834410 |title=Bombing of Darwin: 70 years on – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=8 February 2016}}</ref> on 19 February 1942 was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/community/things-to-do/community-celebrations/bombing-of-darwin |title=Bombing of Darwin |date=2023 |website=City of Darwin |access-date=17 February 2023}}</ref> On that day, 242 [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] aircraft, in two separate raids, attacked the town, ships in [[Darwin Harbour]] and the town's two airfields in an attempt to prevent the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] from using them as bases to contest the [[Battle of Timor|invasion of Timor]] and [[Battle of Java (1942)|Java]] during [[World War II]].

[[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] was lightly defended relative to the size of the attack, and the Japanese inflicted heavy losses upon Allied forces at little cost to themselves. The urban areas of Darwin also suffered some damage from the raids and there were a number of civilian casualties. More than half of Darwin's civilian population left the area permanently, before or immediately after the attack.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs195.aspx |title=The bombing of Darwin – Fact sheet 195 – National Archives of Australia |publisher=Naa.gov.au |access-date=19 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426095549/http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs195.aspx |archive-date=26 April 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Grose_2"/>

The two Japanese air raids were the first, and largest, of more than 100 [[Air raids on Australia, 1942–1943|air raids against Australia during 1942–1943]]. The event happened just four days after the [[Fall of Singapore]], when a combined Commonwealth force surrendered to the Japanese, the largest surrender in British history.

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