Editing Bombing of Darwin (section)

===Myths and inaccuracies===
The Japanese raid was unlike the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in that it was launched against a nation that had already [[declaration of war|declared war]] on Japan (on 8 December 1941). It was similar in that it was a successful aerial surprise attack on a naval target that came as a great shock to the attacked nation. While the number of bombs dropped on Darwin (681 bombs weighing {{convert|114100|kg|lb}} by 205 bombers) exceeded those dropped on Pearl Harbor (457 bombs [including 40 torpedoes]) weighing {{convert|133560|kg|lb}} by 273),<ref>{{cite book|title=Rough guide to Australia|author=Margo Daly|page=616|publisher=Rough Guides|year=2003|isbn=1-84353-090-2}}</ref> loss of life was much greater at Pearl Harbor (more than 2,400 people) than Darwin (236 people) due to the presence of capital ships and the catastrophic loss of a single battleship, the {{USS|Arizona|BB-39|6}}, and its 1,177 men.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>{{Citation | author1=Rayner, Robert J. | title=The army and the defence of Darwin fortress : exploding the myths of the critical phase, ʻtil September 1942 | date=1995 | publisher=Rudder Press | isbn=978-0-646-25058-8 }}</ref><ref>Bullard, Steven. [http://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/59/ "Briefing: Were more bombs dropped on Darwin than on Pearl Harbor?"] Wartime: Official magazine of the Australian War Memorial. Issue 59 Winter 2012: 4–5.</ref>

A frequently repeated myth is that the Australian government downplayed the damage from the bombing raids on Darwin, in a "cover-up".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au/exhibits/show/bod/roh/media |title=Northern Territory Library &#124; Roll of Honour : Media Coverage of the Bombing of Darwin |publisher=Ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au |access-date=19 February 2014 |archive-date=24 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324113225/http://www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au/exhibits/show/bod/roh/media |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mhhv.org.au/?p=4278 |title=The Myth of Government Cover-up in the first Darwin Raids |publisher=Military History and Heritage Victoria|access-date=30 April 2015}}</ref> The newspapers of the day disprove this claim. On the day of the attack the prime minister is quoted on the front pages of most newspapers:
"Damage to property was considerable", he said, "but reports so far to hand do not give precise particulars about the loss of life." "The Government regards the attacks as most grave, and makes it quite clear that a severe blow has been struck on Australian soil."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8233704 |title=DARWIN HEAVILY BOMBED IN 2 RAIDS. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=20 February 1942 |access-date=4 October 2013 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>