MORE ships were sunk when Japan attacked Darwin in 1942 than went down when that nation bombed Pearl Harbour.
An Awkward Truth reveals this and other startling facts about many forgotten air raids in northern Australia during World War II.
- An Awkward Truth, The bombing of Darwin February 1942, by Peter Grose. Allen & Unwin, rrp $32.95
Author Peter Grose argues the details of the Darwin air raid are still ignored, as it reminds us of Australians fleeing a potential Japanese invasion and of ensuing looting.
Another unpleasant fact of the Darwin raid revealed in this 258-page paperback is that more civilians were killed in it than died at Pearl Harbour.
The official total death toll is 243 but witnesses put the figure much higher, as public officers quickly buried corpses to counter disease and did not keep records.
The Japanese used 242 fighters and bombers to attack Darwin in two waves on February 19 from 9.58am.
The first onslaught of 188 planes concentrated on the 45 merchant, transport Royal Australian and US fighting ships moored in the harbour.
Lead Japanese pilot Mitsuo Fuchida explains their attack plan was to destroy oil reserves, ships and Darwin's airfields.
To accomplish this, the Japanese sent another 54 heavy bombers to destroy the RAAF and civilian airfields northeast of the town.
The book also deals with the enduring belief that the Federal Government sat on the news of the raid for fear of spooking the rest of Australia, with a press release of just three paragraphs printed in the Melbourne Herald on March 30, 1942.
The author notes that a mixture of factors including the incompetence of defence chiefs, the inexperience of the Curtin Federal Government and the speed of the Japanese advance into South East Asia contributed to Darwin being left a bloody mess.
