The pacific theatre - fall of sinagpore & Darwin bombing

Major turning point in war for Australia

• British didn’t defend AUS when Japan entered the war

• → 27th decemeber 1941 - Japanese troups - advance towards Singapore

→ John Curtain declared AUS would look beyond British for its foreign policy

Fortress Singapore falls

• by the end of JAN 1942 - Malay fallen + Singapore = directly threatened

Aus exposed

• Singapore fell → Aus more exposed

• 19th feb - Darwin was hit in two Japanese air raid by 90 bombers with fighter escorts

→ at least 243 ppl were killed

The Singapore strat

• part of Singapore → important to Britain ← was gateway btwn east & west

• Singapore strat = British naval defence policy = Britain planned to move royal naval fleet to Singapore if a war started in the pacific

• Bfr Japanese invasion of Malaysia - Singapore was in jeaprody → British resources = concentrated against German threat

• Large fleet Britain intended to protect Singapore

• → reduced to two fleets

Aus threatened

• Aus most experienced troups - far fighting alongside Brit forces

→ they hoped Brit would defend Aus if Japan entered war

• BUT Britain = fighting for its own survival → lacked resources to protect Aus

Curtains call for America help against Japan

• pm curtain speech - Turning pointt for us foreign policy bcs makes a shift from reliance on Britain

The fall of Singapore

• 15th feb 942 - Singapore surrendered to Japanese

• More than 130,000 allies troups → including 15,000 aussies became Japanese Prisoioner Of War - 8000 died

• British didn’t send more troups to help Singapore → blamed Aus for the loss

• Aus grew closer to USA

Aus exposed - Darwin bombed

• isingapore fell 1942 → Aus = more exposed

• Feb 19th 1942 - Darwin was hit

• At least 243 ppl were killed → widespread panic

• More raids followed 1942-43