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The Largest Foreign Attack On Australia In History
The Bombing of Darwin
Australia is enigmatic for being a continent that behaves like an island. It is a country that is also a continent. Australia is known for having some extremely unique animals, a large empty central desert, and low population density. Australia occupies its own remote corner of the world, and despite contributing thousands of troops to World War I and World War II, they are rarely attacked and have never been invaded by a foreign power. Since the British rolled up on shore, no wars have been fought on Australian soil.
It is for all of these reasons that February 19th is a day that lives in infamy for Australia. February 19th, 1942, saw the largest foreign attack on Australian soil come to fruition, and it targeted the northern city of Darwin. Darwin is a strategic city located on a small natural harbor and is the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory (NT). It lies on the shores of the Timor sea, with the island of Timor located to the northwest and the island of New Guinea to the northeast. It was here that Australia suffered its worst attack in history.
