American Couple Reacts: Australia in WW2! Bombing Of Darwin! FIRST TIME REACTION!!
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- American Couple Reacts: Australia in WW2! Bombing Of Darwin! FIRST TIME REACTION!! World War 2 is something we have studied quite a bit, more specifically Nazi Germany. This is the very first time we look at the bombing of Darwin in Australia. The commonalities with Pearl Harbor are undeniable! This video gives very in-depth history and goes at a great pace to really educate those like us about the bombing in Australia. We give our sincere respect to the Australian, American and British militaries that were all a part of this attack. The people of Australia also, please accept our respect. Let us know if you thought this video told the story well and if you learned something too. History isn't always good but we all should still learn about things like these and remember the brave that stood their ground to fight. Thank you SO much for watching! If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our channel, it is the BEST way to support our channel and it's FREE! Also, please click the Like button. Thank you for your support! *More Links below...
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World War 2 is something we have studied quite a bit, more specifically Nazi Germany. This is the very first time we look at the bombing of Darwin in Australia. The commonalities with Pearl Harbor are undeniable! This video gives very in-depth history and goes at a great pace to really educate those like us about the bombing in Australia. We give our sincere respect to the Australian, American and British militaries that were all a part of this attack. The people of Australia also, please accept our respect. Let us know if you thought this video told the story well and if you learned something too. History isn't always good but we all should still learn about things like these and remember the brave that stood their ground to fight. Thank you SO much for watching! If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our channel, it is the BEST way to support our channel and it's FREE! Also, please click the Like button. Thank you for your support!
You should look into the Battle of Taranto. Where the British navy used torpedo bombers to attack the Italian fleet in a shallow harbour. The Japanese used that as a basis for the attack on Pearl Harbour (both very similar in depth and considered unsuitable for torpedo bombers to attack).
We had other units up in the top end working similar to the coastwatchers in that they were doing random patrols looking for any signs of Japanese landings.
We were pretty badly prepared for defending Darwin and the Northern Territory.
This attack was devastating for us because of the loss of life and ships and because this was the first time Australia was directly attacked by a foreign power and the attack left Australia completely open to invasion so we recalled all troops from asia all from europe and just about all from Africa and even though our navy was small and not as powerful as other powers we had no battleships or carriers i recommend 2 videos HMAS yarra last stand and the front american and Australian cruiser holds off Japanese invasion fleet
Churchill refused to allow any of our troops in Europe to protect Australia. The Japanese also bombed Broome in Western Australia, where a lot of Japanese pearl divers were working. There is a Japanese cemetery in Broome with many divers were buried.
Thank you for taking the time to take such a respectful look at our Australia WW2 history. Dalby, Queensland, Australia
As a Brit, I have always known about the Aussies and their contribution to the war. I have always admired them. I did not know about this. My admiration has increased. Our Aussie mates are as hard as nails.
South Africans too
I had the privilege of speaking to some RAAF veterans who had been based out of Darwin. Once it was rebuilt and reinforced, they said they'd be up several times a day, most days fighting off air raids coming from bases within Guinea/Indonesia etc. Same days they barely had time to refuel before the next radio warning.
Not to mention by that time we had essentially reservists fighting the land war in Guneia.
I swear sometimes we just were just too stubborn to lose our country....
@@I.Lostalim the good thing is we never had an invader landing force on our shores we held the bastards back in New Guinea with dam militia and local angels god bless those fussy angels without them i would not be here as they carried my wounded great grand father out of the frontlines to help
@@maxrander0101 I'm glad they got your great grandpa out of there too.
It was really something that day, they were taking donations as part of a restoration project for an old Liberator Bomber, a type they'd all served on during the war.
I've read a little and spent far too much time with the interactive displays at the Australian War Memorial ... but it's something else entirely to hear these gentlemen paint the stories with their own words.
@@I.Lostalim he was under age at the time the war broke out he lied he was of age and they ended up not checking before he was sent with his company i read his letters to my great grandma when they were given to me by my grandma to help with a school project on writing a journal of some one from the war they helped me get an A and made me understand why he chose to serve he like all the other ANZACs are legends they risk and give their lives so our country remains and i will always remember them
I think the world should know this story. We ( as an Aussie ) don't get acknowledged enough thank you for showing my beautiful country.
everything wants to eat you, like crocodiles, we only have Eels in Kiwiland,
we dont need them we know what our country has done and our worth to the world if they choose not to know our history then we will still be there when needed as we are always going to be there for our allies
agreed when we messed up 'Australian troops' got the blame and any battle we won it was 'commonwealth troops'
@@Datboi57438 too bloody right and it was always the bloody pommy officers behind the dam orders that were so stuffed in the first place that led to the mess ups the only time they ever gave credit to the Australian troops was when our light horse took Beersheba and then i think the commanding officer of the entire thing was the only British officer that knew they could do it and he knew that they had an advantage over the British cav as no one had ever seen the light horse charge they were mounted inf and only used horses to travel quickly to and from battle and to other area of the ongoing conflict they had never full charged thus they were not expected to and the Turks and Germans learnt a bloody lesson that day and that was never assume you know the lengths the ANZAC's will go to for our country and our mates (mates also means the horses of the light horse as they were that and more )
@@Datboi57438just watching Natasha and Debbie show about Darwin. I have the book KOKODA and being a Brit,I have relatives in AUSTRALIA,and I have noted the aussies were the first to beat the japs in a land battle MILNE BAY,and really beat them over the owen Stanleys.Mc Arthur said it was an allied victory, CRAP!! IT was an aussie victory.Even the japs recognised the aussie were better at fighting than the yanks.My family lost a cousin over Chemnitz Germany 1945.
My grandfather was a Japanese prisoner of war and was a very poorly man when he came home bless him. He was forced to build the bridge over the river Kwai and the Burma railways. What a incredible human being to survive such horrors. I love you grandad and miss you so much. Thankyou ladies another great reaction ❤
They were evil to pow.
@phillwilkinson8319 the Japanese pow got off light compared to the horrors the Japanese inflicted
My Grandfather was there in Malay also, he was at the fall of Singapore. He was in most of the POW camps, including the infamous Changi. As he was a tradesman with carpentry experience he also worked on the Burma railways and the bridges, he possibly shared rations with your Grandfather. I don't know how they survived the hellish treatment the Japanese metered out to them.
One story I overheard was they would intentionally get in trouble and they would get put in small bamboo cages about 1 metre square, and they were suspended in the sewerage with just enough room to keep their heads out of the sewerage, but while they were in there they could catch frogs and rats to eat which kept them alive. The things these brave men had to do so they could live and possibly see their loved ones again beggars belief.
Aussie combat vet
Another great reaction ladies,this is why l’ll ALWAYS put the veterans that went before me on a higher level,my service was nothing in comparison🇦🇺🇺🇸
But your service absolutely mattered and we thank you for it!!!
Bless you my friend.
Thank you for Serving anyway.
Yes there's a typo in the video we watched. People make mistakes, it doesn't take away from the video. No one is perfect.
And nobody ever will be.
@@lewissmith3896 thank God.
My father was stationed with the army in Darwin when it was bombed. This had a profound affect on him and he never marched on ANZAC day. Instead honouring other soldiers by going to the parades. He also told anyone who asked, that he never served. He just couldn't bare to talk about it nor be around other soldiers as a result of what he witnessed. He also refused to claim a war pension.
This is so moving...your Dad did his duty..be very proud of him..
@@daphnethurlow5388 Thank you. I found out these past few years that he had told his grandchildren that he faked a medical condition to avoid conscription. His grandchildren were very proud of his cleverness in avoiding military service. Twenty years after his death I found out the tall story he had fed them and showed them the records of when he was stationed in Darwin. They were shocked and also were saddened that their grandfather had never marched, but it also helped explain to them why he seemed to avoid them at the ANZAC parades and became uptight and uncomfortable. When I watched this video it was an eye opener to the actual horror he really went through. I also didn't realise the ferocity of the attack by the Japanese. It was quite a shock to me as I was not even born when it happened.
@@fortymillioncoins9066 thanks for sharing your story. It's sad too because a lot of that may be in part that we didn't really acknowledge mental health or trauma so there was no real support available.
My dad served in Viet Nam with an Aussie Rifle Coy, I once met one of his old squaddies, and it was clear that even though he survived and came home - he never really came home.
I always appreciate the idea that CW Bean designed the War Memorial to be visible from Capital Hill in the hopes that politicians might stop a moment and think before making rash decisions.
My Pop ( grandfather ) never spoke about the war and never marched at on ANZAC Day. When the Korean war began he resigned from the navy. When I was about 17 I asked him why. He held my hand and opened up with a few horrific stories, and said he never wanted to fight again, it was the most horrible experience in the world. I loved him so very much. He was my hero
My brother reacted the same way after he served in Vietnam, he wanted nothing to do with it, he would never talk about it. . War is HELL 😢😢😢
Even as a Brit, we never really got taught much about the Pacific war in school and such despite Australia being such a big part of the commonwealth. Thanks for looking at it for us, I certainly learned alot.
yeah - you can see the classrooms of UK and US children in history class, and just as the bell rings at the end of class, the teacher adds, "oh yeah, and the Australians were in the war too..just FYI". LOL. We are and always have been the worlds best kept secret!
@roxannlegg750 let's not forget New Zealand too, I know you guys are rivals but they helped too.
@@rogu3rooster Absolutely - but not really - the world thinks we are rivals but we really do see our forces as one - and country men as cousins more than a different country. The "rivalry" is more personal fun expat teasing, because they prounounce an "i" as a short "eh" sound, so they count "won, two, three, four five, sex..", and its just so SO funny. So ask them to say the words "deck six" on the ship - and the result is just gold!! Michael McIntire did a whole comedy routine on this. And then we constantly tease them about being sheep "lovers" but they retaliate with usual tropes of Aussies being lazy buggas. We tease them about coming here because they cant find a job, and they tease us about going to NZ to escape our politicians. Both of which is true! But our forces are not the same without them. We still see ourselves as united ANZAC forces, with different units.
@@roxannlegg750 I live in Wales so I get all the sheep jokes, it's just a bit of banter isn't it? No harsh malice and when the time comes to fight it's side by side unless it's a rugby pitch
UK classrooms might not have been taught about PM Churchill falsely indicating to FDR and MacArthur about the faux strength of Singapore. Churchill ran interference between PM Curtin and FDR, regarding the independent status of Australia in relation to the UK. MacArthur corrected the situation and after the fall of the Philippines became supreme commander in the Pacific based in Australia. Curtin had to pull Australian military elements from the European theatre to the Pacific, owing to Churchill’s lack of support. Churchill said he would only help Australia, after the Germans were defeated in Europe. Britain had been flattened and needed Marshall Aid, so would not have been able to deliver. p.s. IJ initial Co-Prosperity didn’t include Australia. When the Pacific war widened, the WW2 Joint Chiefs did not want see resource rich Australia falling into IJ hands. Australia and the US needed each other. The UK was an outliner in the Pacific, but the ship, The Prince of Wales was sunk. - Ladies, thank you for your efforts and video.
Thank you for sharing this video with the world. Lest We Forget!
My father fought the Japanese in New Guinea, was badly wounded got malaria, gangrene and dengue fever. He died at 56 years old when I was 17. The New Guinea tribes carried the wounded out to safety. They were called "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels" and we owe them so much.
My great grandfather loved those guys. Entire tribes helped the war effort, carrying assets forward, bring the injured back. They wanted the Japanese off their island as well because some villages were also got destroyed & pillaged as word got out.
As Australian this was really hard & emotional to watch actually. Thank tou for learning about our history. Our countries have always served together.
Why are you so weepy?
Same. I knew what happened to Darwin, but not the magnitude. This broke my heart 😢
Darwin & most of northern Australia was poorly defended as most of our military was in Europe & Africa fighting the Germans & Italians. Just like the US defences, we were caught off guard by the Japanese entry into the war & its attacks.
They thought we were too isolated to be a target I guess
Most of the Australian military was still in Australia.
I didn’t know anything about this , the video had so much interesting information and was easy to follow thanks for finding this ladies, another one to go back and watch . I appreciate learning with you and always appreciate the respect you show ❤❤
We love learning together. Thank you
Thank you for showing us this awful chapter in Australia's history. It was deeply distressing to watch. Much respect to all Australians for their bravery and endurance during all the wars they fought for freedom and deepest condolences to those from every allied nation who died or were injured during these merciless raids. Love from UK
Something to always remember, because Australia was part of the British Commonwealth, WWII started for us in 1939.
While this Japanese activity was going on, our professional soldiers and airmen were on the other side of the planet in England flying fighters and bombers against the Germans in Europe and on the ground and in the air against Rommel in Africa. It's a long way to come home in a hurry to defend the country. Those that were here in remote places did the best they could with what little they had.
My pop was at Tobruk, later flying beau fighters around Rabaul.
Australia declared war against Imperial Japan in the Pacific, when Pearl Habor was bombed.
My father was in the Royal Australian Air Force, and stationed at Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea(PNG)during the attempted invasion of PNG. He said the continual stream of injured soldiers coming down the Kakoda Trail had a great affect on him, such that he felt unworthy to celebrate ANZAC DAY with his fellow military personnel; but he always took us to see the brave returned service personnel March in the ANZAC DAY MARCH, it wasn't until my involvement in the Vietnam War with transporting of Australian troops to Vietnam that I understood how he felt. My father never marched but was proud of his service; it took atleast 5 years by my wife to encourage me to march, and my dad finally march(all be it in spirit) in the parade because I also wore his medals along with mine.
TO ALL SERVICE PERSONNEL BOTH SERVING AND RETURNED THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE IN KEEPING OUR FREEDOM SECURE
My Grandfather fought at Tobruk, later he flew beau fighters around Rabual etc (have no idea how he transfered), he died aged 45 (heart, found out i have the same issue, i'm 55, i'm living on borrowed time).
My dad was lost in Nam, i was one Y.O, entire family in the military (not me, found out i am colour blind (well to military standards (like pop).
Mate, you have every right to march, me, even hearing the bugle makes tears flow uncontrollably, even now, tears well up, i luv ya mate .
My grandfather was in the RAAF, but his best mate was in the Australian Army & had just left the Darwin dock after loading ammunition on a ship when the bombing commenced. He survived, but unfortunately, two sisters from the same River Murray community in South Australia lost their lives. They were working in the post office when the bombing started. They fled the building, jumping into a trench but received a direct hit. Their names are listed on the memorial in Darwin of those who lost their lives.
Sydney was also the target of attack. Thee mini submarines penetrated Sydney Harbour, sunk a ferry which had trainee sailors sleeping, the Japanese mother sub shelled Sydney’s suburbs. They also shelled an industrial city north of Sydney.
My mum remembers that very clearly.
Never hear this..never heard most of what happened to Australia during ww2..we simply were not taught it in school..tho I am in the Uk..so maybe there is a small excuse . My Dad was Royal Navy during the war and we had to ' wring' any stories out of him- understandably I now get. He was in the Atlantic, the Med and Far East..I am so proud of him..and ALL who Serve, or who have Served..We owe them all big time. Yet as humans, we Still have not learnt to avoid fighting...
@@daphnethurlow5388 Wartime censors stopped a lot of information getting through to the public. A Japanese sub sunk a well-lit hospital ship called the Centaur on its way from Sydney to Cairns. Of the 332 aboard only 64 survived. My mother was supposed to be on that ship but plans changed for her and she had to stay in Sydney.
My grandparents tell me about this all the time, this and the Darwin bombing upped the bombing drills at school for them
Wow how dangerous. You should have lived in the UK for bombing .
My Grandfather was in the Australian Army and was posted in Darwin when they were bombed. He never spoke about this with anyone, not even his own children. He has always been a hero to me & whenever I see videos of the Darwin bombing I often think of him.
Hello from Perth Western Australia 🇦🇺🌏. My family friend was a pow from the fall of Singapore in 1942 used for forced labour on the Siam- Burma death railway and many more projects. He didn't talk much about his experiences in WWII but he did later in life and passed away over the age of 100 years old.
I was born and grew up in Darwin, and this was something we learned a lot about during school as obviously for us this was local history. I did numerous assignments of the bombing and recovery over my school life but I had never really learned about the Japanese side of the story as much. I personally found the way they presented this video really drove home the sheer overwhelming power of the Japanese. I heard stories from old timers that lived through it when I was a kid, all of them say it was the sound and smell that stuck with them all these years. The post office ruins they talked about being bombed are still in Darwin and have been preserved as a memorial, along with lots of other sites and some great museums. Bombs are still found to this day in the greater region, the last one I remember was probably 10 or so years ago on one of the local beaches. I've come to realise after moving south that most Australians know very little if anything about this history.
Darwin did rebuild and then on Christmas Day 1974 was completely devastated and destroyed again by Cyclone Tracy. You really should look up some clips on that too, the recovery and rebuild of the town again really shaped the Darwin of today as the people that remained were determined to never have to rebuild again. Those old timers that told me stories of the bombing also lived through the cyclone, they were tough people. There is even a Christmas Song called Santa Never Made It to Darwin, it was very normal to hear that song around Christmas time growing up.
I think I may have mentioned; glad you covered it. The Battle of Long Tan in Vietnam is another big event in military history for Australia, along with Gallipolli in WW1
ANZAC Day
My Grandfather (Grandy) was a seaman on the Hospital Ship 'Manunda' He sent a letter (which I have somewhere?) to my nanna, saying he was ok and the ship was limping to Perth with casualties. Unfortunately, a nurse and others were killed during the bombing. My
Grandy never talked about it, but did talk about his experience in WW1 where he had been a soldier and was shot in the shoulder. (He had a massive scar) I treasure my Grandy for surviving 2 world wars.
I'm a pilot and flown in and out of DRW at least a couple dozen times over the years. In my 30s and I was taught about the attack at school but I never realised that firstly, same airport and secondly the scale of devastation that occurred there. Makes me a bit proud that Aussies just rebuilt it each time and carried on so it is operational to this day as a RAAF base and international airport.
That is certainly a testament to the spirit of Australia!
The original airport was in Parap/Fannie Bay, the original Qantas hangar is still there, complete with bullet and cannon shell holes from the strafing. It now houses historical vehicles and machinery. The runway which is now Ross Smith Avenue, was Darwin's first airstrip and operated from 1934 - 1946.
We were told that it was only once and that the damage was only minor.
My pop was in WW2 and he was in the airforce and was based in the south pacific. His role was to pick up the enemy radio. He was once shot at by a snipper and he broke his leg diving into a ditch for cover. He never talked about what happened in the war.
That's common amongst those who served during war time - any war..it must be dreadful trying to put the memories behind them. It was only in much later
years that my Dad spoke about his service in the RN..and only because we asked. God bless all who willingly step forward when the rest of us do not when we are able.
An uncle of mine was in Darwin serving with the Australian Army. I believe at that time he was on one of the anti aircraft guns. I don't know how he did it ,but always carrying his little camera with him, was able to take photos of the Japanese fighters flying overhead and bombing and then took other photos of the devastation. These I have seen and was amazed at the evidence he was able to get. I believe these photos have been donated to the Australian War Museum, Canberra.
God bless him!!
@@TheNatashaDebbieShow Amen.
Dad was a RAAF anti aircraft gunner, during the attack, he said the Zeros were so low you could see the pilot's faces....
My father was posted to Darwin with his promotion to an officer. He was in Signals, radio comms. Although not injured in the bombing the smoke and chemicals in the air triggered an asthma attack, a condition he had "grown out of" in adolescents. The "Powers That Be" decided to give him a squad and send back down the track and set up a base in the jungle. Here he basically sat out the rest of the war gathering and passing on info from the Coast Watchers . Upon Japan's surrender he was in the Occupation Force and was based in Japan for a year.
Be proud of him..am sure you are.
My grandfather was a Captain in the Sigs. Must have known your father..He was in his Jeep on the way to the Post Office when the first raid started. Stopped and payed under his Jeep until the raid stopped,continued to the PO but could do no good there, back in the Jeep drove south looking for telegraph line that wasn’t broken. Hooked up his key and got a message out .
My father was in the RAAF in WW2 as a navigator and he served in New Guinea and Malaya. He had a fear of flying for the rest of his life after a crash landing at some point.
i was totally unaware of this part of the war and i am grateful for this good on you for the info i am from uk and am thankful for the aussie people for there help in the war. God bless Australia
As an Aussie I don’t think I’ve ever heard a British civilian thank our troops for what they did, especially in Europe.
Good on ya mate, brought tears to my eyes.
Big Nick, I can assure you there are a lot of Brits cilvilian and military who acknowledge the bravery of the Aussie and the rest of the Commonwealth countries during WW2. Especially those who fought in the Pacific Theatre xx
@@rosalindyates7331 That’s so heartwarming to hear, thank you from Australia.
Wow, as local of Darwin, thank you for learning and sharing this ❤
My great grandfather's brother, JUAN ROQUE CUBILLO (1906-1942)
He was sadly killed on Darwin Wharf, 19 February 1942. He left behind his wife and ten children. Just like every family that sadly lost their lives during the war. Again, thank you for learning about the bombing of darwin. People get shocked when they hear that darwin was attacked by the Japanese.
There's also war bunkers that are still standing here. They are located at East Point. You can walk in one of them, but you get an uneasy feeling.
The scars of this attack were still visible until the 90's. As kids we used to play in bomb craters to the east of Darwin airport near the KOA caravan park (Amy Johnston Ave end). We also used to play in foxholes carved out of the rock in the cliffs above Casuarina beach.
I actually learnt more from this video, than I did from my entire schooling here in Australia. Thanks that was incredibly edcating.
When i qas in school (late 60s) we were told a plane flew in amd dropped a couple of bombs and maybe a couple of dead. Found out recently there was around 500 dead. They deprived MacArthur of his ammunition supplies. Which helped lose singapore. But when they landed a division on new guinea, we pushed them back into the sea with less than a company its not well known coz we are not braggers of what we did. My grandfather's brother fought all over the world including tobruk he was a desert rat. Je never spoke of it and i only found out through records searches in my mid 40's. Im 62 now
I'm not 100% sure but, the 250+ deaths were more likely civilian. There was over 70 ( attacks on Darwin) during the WW2. Its still painful to hear and remember.❤
Townsville in northern Queensland was also bombed, and two Japanese mini subs were also destroyed in Sydney harbour! Darwin was definitely the hardest hit though. A good and instructive video to react to, and a great reaction. Most Aussies have family that has served at some point. Thanks for doing these videos and the education.
Newcastle was also shelled by a Japanese submarine in WW2.
You covered this in an incredibly respectful way, thankyou ladies ❤
Such an informative video ❤ Thank you for learning more about our Aussie history!
Absolutely! Those men deserve to be known and remembered!
@@TheNatashaDebbieShow At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them ❤️
A recreation of the bombing of Darwin was done in the movie "Australia" with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Not necessarily historically accurate but still worth looking into, and one of the few Australian movies to show this.
Agree
I was nearly going to mention this myself.
My beautiful, gentle and loving grandpa was in the Royal Australian Air Force in Darwin when it was bombed by the Japanese. He never spoke a word about what he saw, but according to my aunts he was never the same. My son was gifted his medals when he was 9 and he treasures them. Our grandpa was what every child should have as a grandfather, played games, told us stories about Uncle George who lived on the moon and Sooty who lived in the chimney. He was the most beautiful man, and was a pacifist but went anyway. Thank you Grandpa, for what you did, and for your service, and for being the most wonderful grandfather to us all. We miss you so much. ❤️
Grandpa's are indeed wonderful Karen, your Grandpa was also a hero :) Lest we forget.
My late Dad was a D-Day Vet. We all tend not to credit the incredible servicemen and women all over the free world who fought and lost brothers in arms in WW11. Respect ❤ Thank you girls ❤ 🇬🇧
God bless every solider from different countries,God bless them all❤
I have a story about the Northern forces after the Darwin bombing. This has a few twists and although long, is worth the read.
My uncle enlisted but failed the medical. He was called up later and told my Nan see you at dinner! Two arms two legs one head you are in! No home cooked dinner that night. He was mortified at being a conscript and due to age needed permission from parents, to transfer. He always wanted RAAF our air force but parents said no way too dangerous. As he had enlisted initially, asked for permission to transfer to AIF the Australian Imperial Forces who were enlisted men. They agreed. He, being a ticket writer, altered AIF to RAAF. He transferred to RAAF without their knowledge.
He was stationed in Darwin and when what was left of the Dutch East Indies air force arrived in Darwin, he and others were assigned to them to fill crew gaps. He flew in a Lancaster bomber as a tail gunner.
On a reconnaissance mission they were shot down over Ambon New Guinea.
My mum was sent to the door when the telegram boy knocked during dinner. It was devastating and awkward. Everyone knew what a telegram meant, to make it worse the telegram boy was a classmate from Mum’s school, who just shoved it into her hand and fled. My uncle was listed as missing in action, presumed dead.
They were later informed the crew had perished in the crash due to extensive burns all buried by a local missionary in a grave together on Ambon Island. Identified by the Dutch Captains ring. It was decided not to repatriate them, with families agreeing, flew as a crew be buried as a crew. To this day that is how his death is listed in War Records.
This is where the story takes a big twist!
A distant family member had published a detailed website of family history and interviews. Another distant relative claimed the version of his death was untrue. He said on a death bed confession, he couldn’t bear to tell the family the truth. He and other crew survived but were captured by the Japanese. My uncle and I assume the other survivors were beheaded by the Japanese and then buried by the missionary.
Things took an even stranger twist a couple of years ago.
At a training course I met some people and they were talking about a Facebook group of Dutch /RAAF crews in Darwin. Her dad was ground crew. I joined and asked if anyone had any information on my Uncle. After some toing and froing, I contacted someone with more knowledge who had been providing details to others.
I was shocked with the email reply. He was the last surviving air crew from the squadron. In fact he was my Uncles bunk mate and was excited to converse with me. When I explained the different stories and reluctance to believe the death bed confession, he floored me with his reply. He said after 48 hours missing they knew he was dead. Then a Z Force (todays SAS) squad came in. Said they witnessed the executions but could not intervene and expose their mission. I was shocked to find the truth which is still not recorded as this on his records. I can only assume secrecy to do with Z Force. I guess truth can be stranger than fiction.
Sorry for the length but a story I thought needs to be told.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
I totally understand Natasha"s comment about the death toll of 250 people. It was a bit of a miracle that ONLY 250 people were killed. I worked with a man who was a sailor on one of the merchant ships that exploded but he only got fairly minor injuries even though he was blown upwards about 50 feet and he was deaf in one ear for the rest of his life.
It’s was 5% of Darwin’s population. In pro rata terms that’s a lot. If the same percentage was applied to Honolulu in 1941, it would have resulted in about 14,000 deaths instead of “only” 2,000
Great video choice girls -This video with the map and animation of all the planes and bombings gives a much deeper understanding of just how devistating it must have been. I knew about Darwin being bombed but I don't remember learning that it had been bombed more than 60 times over the following months. I think we were very lucky we weren't invaded and taken over, considering most of our defences were overseas. My Great Uncle was a POW of the Japanese for 3 years. I only found out as a teenager from my father when he told me about his uncles being in the war. We only ever spoke about it that once.
Two of my mother’s brothers were stationed in Darwin during the bombing but thankfully both survived. Two more uncles were present at the fall of Singapore. One died on the Burma Railway and the other died on the Sandakan Death March in Borneo. My great grandmother had three sons and eight grandsons all away in the war. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like.
Thank you ladies, finally the stories of the attacks on us Aussies will get out there more, we learn all about the states and other countries at war through TV, books, movies and schooling yet We are kept in the dark to everybody else, My Dad's Grandfather was killed in the Darwin attack then my Father lost 2 uncles in Timor. So again, Thank you for putting our story out there. ❤ Your channel keep it going.
My grandfather fought in WW1. My dad was in the RAAF in WW2 in the Admiralty islands during WW2 and his older brother also fought in WW2
It is a little known fact that more bombs were dropped on Darwin than what was dropped in Pearl Harbour. Even today, we Aussie’s don’t know that much about the attacks on Darwin and and Northern Territory coast. Thank you for this video ladies, much appreciated.
Indeed, as pointed out in the video, they learnt from the mistakes of Pearl Harbor and went for an even more intense raid when they hit us in Darwin
👋 girls. My dad and his four brothers all fought in WW2. Four fought in the Pacific islands as soldiers, two after their return from fighting in North Africa. Another fought in the navy. Both of my mother’s brother were soldiers and one was stationed in Darwin at the time of the bombing. My dad often spoke of the hardiness of the Japanese soldiers and that Australian soldiers were more likely to defend, fall back, set up another defence and repeat in order to preserve lives whereas the Japanese just kept sacrificing lives in waves in order to move forward. He said that they far outran their supply lines and that was crucial in their defeat.
Logistics are crucial in war, without it you lose.
You sound like you are full of dung
My dad was there on HMAS Swan a Sloop Swan was in Darwin when the Japanese attacked the port and was secured alongside Neptuna, which had a cargo that included 100 depth charges. The ship managed to get underway and contributed fire in defence, but was heavily damaged by a near miss. The day after the attack Warrego escorted the damaged Swan through Clarence Strait. Three crew members were killed in the attack.
I had no idea this happened as it did..I have learned a lot . Thank you so much, you both are so genuinely concerned..
My grandfather fought in New Guinea against the Japanese like thousands of other Aussies. He survived the war but lost mates in battle. He came home a broken man but loved till he was 82.
My grandfather was in the army during ww2 up in Darwin only problem is I'm not sure if he was there before the bombing of Darwin or after either way I'm proud he was up there
Hi Natasha and Debbie. I'm from Melbourne, Victoria, and my Mum & Dad told me years ago that at the Army base where we lived, (Williamstown), there was a Japanese mini Submarine detected and caught, with a 1 single Japanese soldier, who had orders to scout the area and the base. As you may know, Melbourne is on the East coast of Australia, and down South, so this mini sub had travelled all the way down from the top of Oz, undetected, in very treacherous waters. The very young sub soldier was apparantely taken into custody, but Mum & Dad didn't know what happened to him. Also....there was a Japanese plane that flew down to the same Army base and fired on it, causing the base to fire back. The plane did get away, but just goes to show how dogged the Japanese were in their attempts to 'conquer' Australia. I played on the land that used to have the Army base on it, as a child, and the ground was littered with spent shell casings from all the target gun practise that soldiers did there. The Americans were stationed there also at different times, mostly those who got sent off from there, sustained devastating casualties and loss of life in the battles throughout Asia. Mum remembers going on a double date with her friend with 2 American G.I.'s....and her 'date', was a very young, barely 18yr old boy, who told her he was extremely homesick and missed his mother.....and she heard later on, that sadly, he has lost his life, along with countless others, in Guardalcanal.
NZ had a Japanese submarine scouting our coastline at one point during the war. It travelled down the east coast and through Cook Strait, and was last seen heading to Australia.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the sub your base caught in Melbourne was the same one.
These mini subs were launched from a mother sub, same as the aircraft. The aircraft over Melboune was launched from off the coast of King Island. All carried on a larger submarine. German U-Boats also operated in Bass Strait south of Melbourne. Many ships were sunk off the Australian coast.
Yes, the Japanese sub came on to the east coast of Tas, launched a float plane and scouted Hobart's River Derwent looking for naval vessels. It then went to NZ, I believe. My Mum recalls the day they flew over Hobart and it's her enduring memory of WW2.
Japanese mini sub sank the Kuttabul while it was tied up in Sydney Harbour. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Kuttabul_(ship)
I also was never taught this at school, but learned about it when l joined the Army. If anyone has seen the Movie "Australia" with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman this is about the Darwin bombing from the perspective of an Aboriginal Child
My Dad was an Airfield Defence Guard in the RAAF ( Royal Australian Air Force ) arrived in Darwin 10 days before the attack, he described everything here, ended up in New Guinea, he passed away in 1987.
Started living in Australia in 1960. I guess we were taught about this in our Australian history classes but I never knew the scale of the attacks. I’ve visited Japan a couple of times and have been impressed with their attitude to war now. It’s a peaceful country which I love visiting and like the people very much.
My neighbour (who lived to be 99 yo) served in an anti-aircraft battery in Darwin after returning from the Middle East as a ‘Rat of Tobruk’. He said he ‘thought he might die’ in the ME, but ‘knew he was going to die in Darwin’. Fortunately, he didn’t. He didn’t talk about it much, but one thing he did say, was all of his nightmares were about close calls and seeing/knowing of mates killed.
RIP Merve you were one of life’s true gentlemen and a bloody unsung hero!
You should watch something about the 39th Battalion, basically militia slowed/stopped the advance of the Japanese (a world first), on the Kokoda Track - when they finally were relieved only 7 officers and 25 men answered roll call out of the entire battalion - with 118 killed and roughly 250+ wounded.
Ladies you might like to check out the Bakers Creek Air Crash in North Queensland in which 40 odd US service men died. The sad part was that the families back in the US never knew for many years after the war about what happened to their loved ones. Fortunately it has never been forgotten in Australia.
There is a memorial at Arlington National Cemetery dedicated to this event and those lost.
Related to this. One of the pilots of the Japanese float plane, launched from a sub, that took reconnaissance flights over south-eastern Australia and New Zealand, Nobuo Fujita, later dropped a bomb over an Oregon forest, the only bomb ever dropped on mainland USA. After the war he apologised and presented his family's 400-year-old samurai sword to the people of Oregon as an apology. In the 1990s he planted a tree in the Oregon forest as a gesture of peace. He was made an honorary citizen of Brookings, Oregon and his ashes were partially spread there after his death. I find this story really heartwarming actually.
Thank you for showing this as my Uncle was sent to Darwin after this had happened. He was a builder and a reservist. My Mum and Dad were both Army and Navy respectively. The government of the day always kept the truth from the people. My fathers cousin was on the POW ship Montevideo Maru which was sunk off Phillipines andmyAunt and Uncle didn’t know what happened to him for years after the war was over.
P.S. during WW2 3 Japanese mini submarines entered Sydney Harbour & wreekd havoc one of them was captured & is on display in the National war museum
The RAN also recognised the bravery of the four Japanese submariners recovered from the two submarines destroyed in the harbour. They too were accorded a funeral with naval honours at Rookwood Cemetery, a gesture much appreciated in later years by the Japanese. The cremated remains of the submariners were returned to Japan two months later as part of an arranged diplomatic exchange.
I’m a 67year old brit and didn’t know about this until I watched the film Australia with Hugh jackman so I had to really look into it,so shameful that’s it’s not heard of enough
More importantly, Churchill refused to release our troops from Europe to protect their home.
Also.. didn't Church say.."let Japan take Australia..and we will take it back later".
Thank God for the US and our own Aussie forces or we could have been known as a Japanese Nation.
Live in Darwin now, (2023). Been here 20 plus odd years. It was a great information video that explained a lot to me of how that day occurred.
Darwin is still here 10 times bigger than when it was bombed...
Many Aussies don't even know about the bombing of Darwin so relax. You know more then most people.
Thanks for the exposure. More people need to see this..
4:11 The reason Yamamoto's proposal was to land near Darwin was likely due to the terrain and existing facilities. At that time, Darwin was the only deep water port in northern Australia and the only road went south from there although until 1942 it was only usable during the dry season. The closest deep water port was Perth to the south west. While there were many deep water ports along Queensland's coast, they were not viable due to lack of knowledge of shipping channels through the Great Barrier Reef.
My late dad was 5 years old in London in 1940 his mum , my Nan, use to pick him up from the nursery and take him to the underground where he would have his tea and sleep there. He remembers playing in his back garden on a weekend whilst a dog fight was going on high above in the sky, RAF fighting German planes. He remembers a German parachutist coming down in a neighbours garden the police and home guard took him away .
DARWIN is my Hometown. I wasnt around then but when I see the actual film footage of the raids it really HURTS all these years later. Try and find the actual film and watch it. The ships crews were Heroic . The USS Peary went down with a machine gunner still firing. There is a memorial to the Peary on the Darwin Esplanade cliffs overlooking the Harbour.
Thanks for the video and found it to be very informative, of course i knew about it but not in great detail. My father fought in New Guinea and showed me all of this invasion money ready for when they took over Australia.
The majority of Australians know little about the bombing of Darwin and even fewer would be aware of the magnitude of the event. Even more, know very little about the subsequent bombings in Northern Australia. As for the death toll, this varies considerably because many local indigenous people were killed but their numbers were not included in the initial death tolls. Some people in Darwin believed that a total of more than 900 people were killed that day.
Thank you, Natasha and Debbie for finding this video. I was unaware of how many Americans were in Darwin at the time of the attack. As your thoughts go out to the families of the Australians that lost loved ones that day, so do mine to the families of those Americans who gave so much to protect our shores.
a lot of the japanese theatre is largely under represented when it comes to the other allies that fought japan like how the canadians held hong kong until the cities leadership surrendered only then did we lay down our arms to save civilian lives, india burma and indo-china my grandparents fought through Normandy to Belgium and Holland but some great uncles fought in the pacific/Indochina theatre
Thank you for wanting to know about the bombing of Darwin. If you want to know more about Australian involvement in WWII you should look up the battles of Milne Bay, Port Moresby and the Kokoda Track. It was here where the Japanese suffered their first defeat on land and were crucial in stopping the Japanese advance southwards. Another story to look up is how the war came to Sydney when 3 Japanese midget submarines penetrated the harbour.
Thank you for this video, My dad was in the Royal Navy during the second world war and never discussed it other than the occasional funny story, but when V.E came around he always said that for many this was a wonderful celebration but V.J day meant more to him as they (Navy) were still fighting on. I have seen photographs of him in Australia with his crew mates and I later learned that his ship had left Darwin the week before this raid happened. It is so important to know about our history and let us hope we never see the likes of it again.
My grandfather was in Darwin when it was bombed. He was actually on the water when the Japanese started bombing - loading a catalina (flying plane) from a boat one of the few civilians in Darwin at the time (my nana had been evacuated). He said the first thing he remembered was hearing one of the other men just saying "OMG they're here". In my 20's I sat down with him and recorded his story - it was fascinating and I'm so glad he told me his story.
Goodday to you both .my wifes uncle served at Darwin at this time .he served in WW1 he raised his age and went to the some and got gased. As Ww2 came, he tried to reinlist by lowering his age but got caught out .he joined the civil defence and sent it to Darwin he made it home .
The Aussie Curriculum has changed and is in the process of updating again. Many of us didn’t learn about WW2 or very little history in high school unless you chose it as a subject (in Queensland). The States/Territories set their own curriculum. With the introduction of the Australian Curriculum from about 2011, teaching history was compulsory for all students to year 10. Year 10 is the grade that covers WW2. Version 9 of the curriculum to be implemented over the next few years specifically states Darwin.
That's good news for the children then
If you watch the movie Australia with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman it covers a bit of the bombing of Darwin and the evacuation before it.
Darwin was not the only place that was bombed, they randomly dropped bombs along WA and NT coast I believe.
They also had mini subs that went into Sydney Harbour in June 1942, 21 sailors lost their life when HMAS Kuttabul was sunk by an indirect hit from a torpedo of a midget submarine which managed to release both its torpedoes. The target was a US ship at Garden island. Though Sydney was prepared.
both of my father's parents served in WWII in the Sydney NSW area, my grandfather on the Radar, neither were posted overseas, grandfather operated the radar in Sydney
My dad fought in the last year of the war. He was in Borneo. Never spoke about it but it affected him deeply.
My dad was in the Royal Australian Air Force in WWII. He went to Darwin and a couple of years ago I visited that beautiful city.
Girls I only found your channel a few weeks ago but you have both won my total respect. Thank you for bringing the past back to our memories. May Australia and the USA remain friends and allied, and may every Australian one day fain the freedom that you have in America. God bless you both
Note that it says "250 personnel" were lost on the Allied side - but I don't think it includes the townspeople who would have made up the majority of the lives lost that day.
Aussie comment:
- The bombing of Darwin was hell and following the attack there were huge road trains going up to Darwin for many years to rebuild it. More bombs dropped on Darwin than Pearl Harbour. There is a dramatisation of the event in the movie 'Australia' starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Sydney was also terrorised by Japanese attacks: mini submarines came into Sydney Harbour and sank ships. Various locations on the east coast were torpedoed as well.
- Another event that few Americans seem to know much about is the battle of the Coral Sea. A Japanese fleet was headed towards Australia/New Guinea and was intercepted by the U.S. Navy. President Roosevelt felt compelled to do what he could to help because Australia and New Zealand were the only other democracies in the Pacific. An American aircraft carrier was lost along with enormous loss of life. Stories from the American sailors who survived the sinking are quite chilling - very hard to read. This event, along with Midway and Guadalcanal, stopped the Japanese expansion southwards - towards us. This is the reason that Australia feels close to the United States.
Both my uncle and father were in the Darwin and Adelaide River areas during WW2 my uncle was an electrician in the RAAF. One day he and two others were working on the telephones lines. They heard a low rumble coming towards them. He thought it would be a transport convoy coming up the road. Then they saw an aircraft, then they saw it was Japanese. The pilot had throttled back, had the canopy open, he was smiling and waving to them. He said you have never seen three men get down from a telephone pole so fast. My father spent a couple of years stationed in Darwin and Adelaide River. The road (Stuart Highway) was lined with wartime airfields.
I live just out of Darwin. I used to run historical tours in and around Parliament House which is built on the site of the original Post Office which was bombed.
Oh wow!
I was born while my farther was there with the R. double A. F. I recall later how he said and I quote "After Pearl harbour and the phillipine islands, anyone with half an of brains could see that Darwin was going to be next", but it wasn't only Darwin it was Broome , Katherine and several other towns in the area. and as one japaneses air commander said, 'It was like using a sledge hammer to crack an egg."
Can i suggest you checkout the battle for Milne Bay where Australian troops stop the Japanese landing on New Guinea witch was the first land victory against the Japanese in WW2. Also check out the Australian defense at Isuava (Kokoda) It has been called austrtalia,s Thermopylae. 300 c.f.m. (imilitia) stood against 6000 professional troops for 4 days till the 6th division could relieve them. Only to have General D MacArthur label them cowards
The Bank of New South Wales / now Westpac in Smith Street Darwin that was strafed during the attacks is still there and is in use.
My grandfather was one of the few to survive one of those ships that went down - the Neptuna. This was emotional for me to watch...ive never seen a video where he saw this event. He was a new young fresh 18 year old recruit, with no real training before the Japanese targeted their ships in Darwin. The planes hit the ships, destroyed most of the anti-aircraft guns, killing the gunners, and the one remaining working gun he used to down a plane headed for them. This is 3rd hand info - so..take it with a grain of salt, gramps never did talk to us about his service - ever. Nan did after he died. However, I do know he very quickly was promoted to a gunner on Australian escort ships, that escorted US troop carriers to and from Hawaii for the rest of the war, and returned to farming afterwards. He never said a word about the war. to us grandchildren all his life. I only got to know what he did after he passed. Seeing this - I now know why he never said a word!
As an Aussie we were never taught about any of this. I vaguely knew of a bombing but that was it. Thanks for sharing.
I was thinking the same, I don’t remember learning about it at all
Hi, some history, which can be checked:
UK classrooms might not have been taught about PM Churchill falsely indicating to FDR and MacArthur about the faux strength of Singapore. Churchill ran interference between PM Curtin and FDR, regarding the independent status of Australia in relation to the UK. MacArthur corrected the situation and after the fall of the Philippines became supreme commander in the Pacific based in Australia. Curtin had to pull Australian military elements from the European theatre to the Pacific, owing to Churchill’s lack of support. Churchill said he would only help Australia, after the Germans were defeated in Europe. Britain had been flattened and needed Marshall Aid, so would not have been able to deliver. p.s. IJ initial Co-Prosperity didn’t include Australia. When the Pacific war widened, the WW2 Joint Chiefs did not want see resource rich Australia falling into IJ hands. Australia and the US needed each other. The UK was an outliner in the Pacific, but the ship, The Prince of Wales was sunk.
Great Video!✨History is important!
Have you heard About Cyclone Tracey? and how Darwin was destroyed again on Christmas day in the 70s??
there are some old video recordings about the event/aftermath 😪
I don't know if things have changed, but when I was at school in the 1970s in Australia, we weren't taught about this. Appalling really.
Thank you for your respect .My great Uncle was killed during this attack . He was a medic . He was 19 .
My grandfather left Greece in the late 1930s for Australia and joined the Royal Australian Airforce as a cook. He was in Darwin during one of the many bombings and my grandmother said he had nightmares for the rest of his life. I remember staying with him as a child and he always slept in a separate bed. He never talked about his time in Darwin, but went on to live a great life with so many friends and family. I miss him so much.
A.I.F.
Lieutenant RAANC
Leila Mavis Veale (Nee Gorton)
3rd June 1908 - 7th October 1992 (84 Years)
My great grandmother was working as a nurse in Darwin hospital during the bombing. She lifted patients out of their beds and put them underneath to try to protect them from the bombs raining down. She survived (with permanent back damage) and 6 years later married my great grandfather, Frederick Clifford Veale, who has an extraordinary war story of his own. Perhaps I'll share it with you sometime.
Without her survival I wouldn't exist. I can't imagine what it must have been like that day and this video has made me appreciate her even more.
Also check The Kokoda Trail. Australian troops achieved first defeat of Japanese in a land war.
The Japanese landed a small force at Yepoon in Queensland to try to establish if they could land a much larger invasion force in the future. The attack was repulsed at the time and was not attempted again. The Japanese actually had currency printed for use when they occupied part of Australia. Look for info on "The Brisbane Line" - the plan was to fall back to defensive lines south of Brisbane and allow the occupation of Northern Australia until the Japanese could be defeated.
Thank you for this video lady’s!!!!
I was not aware of this part of ww2 and will now educate myself even more on this particular event, just looking at some of the photos available show that it was hell on earth…..
As a Brit I had never heard anything about this raid. Thank you for sharing this.
You should read more books.
Here is some background:
UK classrooms might not have been taught about PM Churchill falsely indicating to FDR and MacArthur about the faux strength of Singapore. Churchill ran interference between PM Curtin and FDR, regarding the independent status of Australia in relation to the UK. MacArthur corrected the situation and after the fall of the Philippines became supreme commander in the Pacific based in Australia. Curtin had to pull Australian military elements from the European theatre to the Pacific, owing to Churchill’s lack of support. Churchill said he would only help Australia, after the Germans were defeated in Europe. Britain had been flattened and needed Marshall Aid, so would not have been able to deliver. p.s. IJ initial Co-Prosperity didn’t include Australia. When the Pacific war widened, the WW2 Joint Chiefs did not want see resource rich Australia falling into IJ hands. Australia and the US needed each other. The UK was an outliner in the Pacific, but the ship, The Prince of Wales was sunk.
Hey there Natasha and Debbie, just thought I'd let you know, that my Dad was in ww2 and fought in Darwin and also fought in Korea. I am extremely proud of who he was. As a soldier and a dad.🤩🤩🤩
I had 2 great uncles in the army up at the north during WW2, 1 a sapper building the airfields all over the north end and may have been in Darwin at that time ( he never talked about his service) the other was a cook and got coral ear in his time near Exmouth and was pensioned out. No idea about any other brothers and whether they served or not except one who was a Iron Furness worker and deemed essential worker so could not serve. I myself as a child was supposed to go to Darwin the year it got flattened by a cyclone (as dad got posted there) something happened and he didn't get posted there but Adelaide instead, then cyclone hit, were we lucky!!