From February 1942 to November 1943, during the Pacific War, the Australian mainland and offshore islands were attacked at least 97 times by aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. The attacks came in various forms: from raids by heavy bombers, to strafing runs by fighter planes. In the first — and deadliest — attacks, 242 planes hit Darwin on the morning of February 19, 1942, killing at least 243 people and causing immense damage. (See: Air raids on Darwin, February 19, 1942).

These attacks were opposed by — and often aimed at — units of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, United States Army Air Force, US Navy, British Royal Air Force and Royal Netherlands Air Force. Japanese aircrews also targetted civil infrastructure, including harbours, civil airfields, railways and fuel tanks. Many civilians were also killed.

List of attacks by date

1942

February

19 (10.00 a.m.) Darwin, Northern Territory (NT)
19 (11.55 a.m.) Darwin, NT
19 Bathurst Island, NT

March

2 Broome, Western Australia (WA) (See: Air raid on Broome, March 2, 1942 )
3 Broome, WA
3 Wyndham , (meatworks), WA
3 Wyndham Airfield, WA
4 A beach 80km (50mi) north of Broome, WA
4 (2.00 p.m.) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
14 Horn Island , Queensland (Qld)
16 (1.30 p.m.) Darwin RAAF Airfield and Bagot, NT
17 Darwin, NT
18 Horn Island, Qld
19 (11.40 a.m.) Darwin (Myilly Point and Larrakeyah), NT
20 Derby , WA
22 (00.51 a.m.) Darwin, NT
22 Katherine, NT
23 Darwin, NT
23 Wyndham, WA
23 Wyndham, WA
28 (12.30 pm) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
30 (05.40 a.m.?) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
30 Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
31 (1:20 pm) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
31 (10:19 pm) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT

April

2 (3:30 pm) Darwin (town – Harvey St, McMinn St, Shell oil tanks), NT
2 Sattler Airfield, NT
4 (1:48 pm) Darwin Civil Airfield and Parap Hotel, NT
5 (12:29 pm) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
25 (2:00 pm) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
27 (12:07 pm) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
30 Horn Island, Qld

May

June

13 (11:52 am) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
14 (1:14 pm) Darwin (town area), NT
15 (12:20 pm) Darwin (Larrakeyah to Stokes Hill), NT
16 (12:01pm) Darwin (town area), NT
26 (8.50 p.m.) Darwin, NT

July

7 Horn Island, Qld
25 (8:50 pm) Darwin (town area), NT
26 Townsville, Qld
26 (9:39-10:54 pm) Darwin (Vesteys), NT
27 (10:27 pm) Knuckey's Lagoon, Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
28 (00:45 am) Darwin RAAF airfield, NT
28 Townsville, Qld
29 (00:59 am) Darwin (town area) and Knuckey's Lagoon, NT.
29 Townsville, Qld
30 (03:58 am) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
30 Horn Island, Qld
30 Port Hedland, WA
30 Cairns, Qld
31 Mossman , Qld
31 (1.33 p.m.) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT

August

1 Horn Island, Qld
21 Wyndham, WA
23 (12:12 pm) Hughes Airfield, NT
24 (9:24 pm) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
24 (10:14 pm) Noonamah, NT
25 (00:05 am) Darwin and Parap, NT
27 (03:45-05:37 am) Darwin (Botanical Gardens) and Cox Peninsula, NT
28 (03:35 am) Darwin (Railway Yards and Port Patterson), NT
30 (02:39 am) Darwin (town area), NT
31 (05:14 am) Darwin (town area) and Cox Peninsula), NT

September

25 (03:41 am) Darwin (town area) and Knuckey's Lagoon, NT
25 (05:48 am) Darwin (town area and Daly Street Bridge), NT
26 (05:22 am) Livingstone Airfield, NT
27 (04:56 am) Bynoe Harbour, NT
27 (05:44 am) Darwin (town area) (Frances Bay)

October

10 Horn Island, Qld
24 (04:42 hrs) Batchelor Airfield
24 (04:52 am) Pell Airfield
24 (04:57 am) Cox Peninsula
24 (05:12 am) Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
25 (05:30 am) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
26 (04:54 am) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
27 (02:20 am) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT

November

23 (03:00-04:39 am) Darwin (town area) and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
23 Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT
26 (03.20 a.m.) Darwin (town area), Strauss Airfield and Hughes Airfield, NT
27 (03:56- 04:46 am) Coomalie Creek, Hughes Airfield and Strauss Airfield, NT

December

1943

January

20 (10:44 pm-00:15 am) Searchlight station, AWC Camp, Ironstone, NT
21 (9:54 pm) Darwin (Frances Bay), NT
22 (1.30pm) HMAS Patricia Cam , Wessel Islands, NT

February

March

2 (2:34 pm) Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT
15 (11:20 am) Darwin (oil tanks), NT

April

May

2 (10:15 am) Darwin RAAF Airfield and Darwin Floating Dock, NT
9 Millingimbi, NT
10 Millingimbi, NT
20 Exmouth Gulf , WA
21 Exmouth Gulf, WA
28 Millingimbi, NT

June

18 Horn Island, Qld
20 (10:43 am) Winnellie and Darwin RAAF Airfield, NT
28 (11:07 am) Vesteys, NT
30 (12:30pm) Fenton Airfield , NT

July

6 (12:02pm) Fenton Airfield, NT

August

13 (9:45pm) Fenton Airfield, NT
13 (11:12 pm) Fenton Airfield and Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT
13 (11.42 pm) Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT
14 Long Airfield, NT
17 Port Hedland, WA
21 (00:37 am) Fenton Airfield and Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT
21 (03:30 am) Pell Airfield, NT

September

15 (00:25 am) Fenton Airfield and Long Airfield, NT
15 Onslow, WA
18 (03:50 am) Fenton Airfield and Long Airfield, NT
27 Drysdale Mission Airfield, NT

October

November

10 Coomalie Creek Airfield, NT
12 (03:53-05:30 am) Parap, Adelaide River and Batchelor Airfield, NT

References

ozatwar.com, "Japanese Air Raids in Australia During WW2"

diggerhistory.info "Attacks on the Australian mainland in WW2"

Australian War Memorial, "Air raids on Australian mainland – Second World War"