---
node: au_bombing_of_darwin
type: event
slug: bombing_of_darwin
title: "Bombing of Darwin"
lead: "The Japanese air raid on the northern city of Darwin on 19 February 1942, the largest attack ever made on the Australian mainland."
published: 2026-07-15
updated: 2026-07-15
image_file: bombing_of_darwin.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Darwin_42.jpg"
image_author: "RAN Historical Collection"
image_license: "Public domain"
---

## What happened

On 19 February 1942, Japanese aircraft — including forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor — struck the harbour and airfields of Darwin in two waves. Ships were sunk and the town was badly damaged.

## Background

At least 235 people are thought to have been killed. As Japan's advance southward continued, Australia faced its first serious attack on the mainland.

## Consequences

Northern Australia was bombed repeatedly thereafter. The bombing of Darwin, as the shock of a distant war reaching home soil, profoundly changed the country's sense of its own defence.