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POSTED: 11 FEBRUARY 2009

Peter Grose, An Awkward Truth: The Bombing of Darwin February 1942

(Allen & Unwin; 272pp paperback; $32.95)

It came as a great surprise reading An Awkward Truth to realise how much more I knew about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour than the February 19th strike against Darwin in 1942. I don’t think I am alone in this.

This surprise is compounded when Grose explains how more bombs fell, how more civilians were killed and how more ships were sunk in this massive attack on Australian soil than in that famous surprise attack that propelled America into World War II. And no wonder it was so — the attack was carried out by the very same Japanese forces, who had now had a chance to hone their skills.

Why the ignorance?

As Grose relates, the blame can partly be laid at the feet of the Curtin Government, which, like the Americans, was given an opportunity to rally an indifferent nation behind the war effort but, unlike the Americans, squandered it.

Grose investigates this and other stories that have built up around the bombing — that it was a ‘day of infamy’ for Australia due to the anarchy following the attack.

Through extensive research Grose is able to paint a more complete picture. Yes, there were failings, especially by the civic administration, and the lack of military planning is hard to understand in hindsight. But there was also great heroism on display, from the anti-aircraft gunners who stayed at their posts, to those who sought to rescue the injured at great risks to themselves.

There are some interesting social points raised, too — that the flight of civilians from Darwin, while natural, too closely resembled the newsreels of the derided European ‘reffos’ to sit comfortably with the national psyche. Were Australians really no braver than anyone else?