Subj : Bombing of Darwin, Anniversary of the February 19
To   : All
From : Mike Dippel
Date : Thu Feb 19 2026 21:20:30

On February 19, 1942, Japanese bomber and fighter planes conducted a devastating air 
raid on the town of Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory. 

A total of 243 people˙service personnel and civilians˙died in the attack, which was the 
first of a long series of bomb raids that the Japanese launched on Darwin and nearby 
locations during World War II. 

The bombing on Darwin was the first attack during the war on Australian soil, and it is 
sometimes called the "Pearl Harbor of Australia," a reference to the Japanese attack on 
Hawaii in December 1941.

As a tribute to honor the dead and to remember those who defended Darwin, an annual 
commemoration is held in Bicentennial Park by the Cenotaph, a marble monument to 
those slain in World War I. 

The service begins at 9:30 a.m., and at 9:58, the exact time the attack began in 1942, a 
World War II air raid siren sounds. 

During some observances, Australian regiments will re-enact the historic attack. Ground 
units will shoot their guns, and fighter planes will perform fly-bys over the memorial site.

More info...
https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Anniversary+of+the+Bombing+of+Darwin
 
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