The story of this place
At 9:58 AM on 19 February 1942, 188 Japanese aircraft attacked Darwin in two waves — dropping more bombs and using more planes than had attacked Pearl Harbor 77 days earlier. At least 235 people were killed (the exact figure remains disputed), 30 ships were sunk or damaged, and the town was devastated. The Australian government suppressed the full story for years, fearing it would cause mass panic. Residents weren't told the true scale of casualties for decades.
Darwin was attacked 64 more times after that first raid — more times than any other Australian city. The town was almost entirely evacuated, with women and children forced south on trains. Looting was rampant in the abandoned streets. The military police shot at least one looter. The Darwin Bombing was Australia's Pearl Harbor, but unlike Pearl Harbor, it was largely written out of history for a generation. The Esplanade's Heritage Trail now connects the gun emplacements, command bunkers and memorials that mark what remains the largest enemy attack ever on Australian soil.