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Darwin Spitfires: The Real Battle for Australia – Anthony Cooper

The 1942-43 air raids on Darwin were the only sustained and intensive direct assaults on Australia's mainland during the Second World War. Anthony Cooper recounts this important aspect of our history.

Conflict:
Second World War (1939-45)
Service:
Air Force

In 1943, a small band of inexperienced Australian and British fighter pilots fought an ongoing air battle in defence of north western Australia, flying against a formidably skilled and proficient opponent. The air raids on Darwin during 1942-43 constituted the only sustained and intensive direct assault on Australian mainland territory in the whole of the Second World War. Anthony Cooper, a Brisbane school teacher and author of Darwin Spitfires tells this little known story, and in so doing, recovers this important aspect of Australian History.

Reviewed 01 February 2021

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