Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin

Bombing of Darwin, Anniversary of the

February 19On February 19, 1942, Japanese bomber and fighter planes conducted a devastating air raid on the town of Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory. A total of 243 people—service personnel and civilians—died in the attack, which was the first of a long series of bomb raids that the Japanese launched on Darwin and nearby locations during World War II. The bombing on Darwin was the first attack during the war on Australian soil, and it is sometimes called the "Pearl Harbor of Australia," a reference to the Japanese attack on Hawaii in December 1941.
As a tribute to honor the dead and to remember those who defended Darwin, an annual commemoration is held in Bicentennial Park by the Cenotaph, a marble monument to those slain in World War I. The service begins at 9:30 a.m., and at 9:58, the exact time the attack began in 1942, a World War II air raid siren sounds. During some observances, Australian regiments will re-enact the historic attack. Ground units will shoot their guns, and fighter planes will perform fly-bys over the memorial site.
CONTACTS:
Tourism NT
G.P.O. Box 1155
Darwin, Northern Territory 0801 Australia
www.travelnt.com
Darwin City Council
Harry Chan Ave.
Northern Territory 0801
www.darwin.nt.gov.au
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