Figure 1.--This Australian school boy in his blazer carries a camoflage net that he and his school mates have made to assist in the defense of the country. the photograph is undated, but was probably taken in 1942.

Australians were shocked by first Pearl Harbor and then the amazing Japanese successes in the Pacific, especially Singapore where some of their troops were sent. The fall of Singapore meant that Australia itself was largely defenseless, Its army was either in the Western Desert or captured along with the Singapore garrison. With the fall of the Dutch East Indies and much of New Guinea, Australia was within range of Japanese bombers. Only Port Moresby in southern New Guinea remained in Japanese hands. People looking at the map realized that Australia was next. The situation was dire. Not only was most of the Australian Army in the Western Desert, but there was no substantial Royal Navy force to opose the seemingly invinvible Imperial Fleet. The Japanese launched the largest air raid since Pearl Harbor. They targeted the norther Australian city of Darwin (February 19). Australians saw this as the prelude to an invasion. Presiden Roosevelt ordered General MacArthur to escape from Corregidor in the Philippines to organize the defense of Australia. He escaped by PT boats (March 11, 1942). They managed to elude Japanese patrols and reached Mindanao. There a B-17 Flying Fortress. took him, his famuily, MacArthur arranges for himself and his family, and a handful of selecred military aides. MacArthur arrived in Australia expecting to find a combat-ready force force waiting for him to launch an offensive against the Japanese to relieve the Philippines. He found that American troops and equipment have not yet arrived in force and that the Australian Army was in the Western Desert. He announced to the public about the Philippines, "I shall return." Typical for MacArthur, it was "I' not "we". President Roosevelt appointed MacArthur appointed commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater (March 18). While MacArthur brought no military forces with him, his appointment and assignment was critical for Australia. It meant that Australia would not face the Japanese alone, but would be supported by United States of America. At first it was only symbolic. The Japanese at this point of the War were indecisive. They had not anticipated the full extent of the success that they achieved. Their primary goals were Borneo, Burma, the Dutch East Indies, Malaya, the Philippines, and Singapore. The key was Borneo and the DEI because of the oil. A cursory look at the map leads to the obvious observation that the newly-won territories were not secure with Australia still in Allied hands. That was obvious to the Japanese who debated not whether, but the timing of invading Australia. The problem for the Japanese was that first most of their army was in China and secondly the Japanese merchant marine (maru) fleet was hard pressed to supply the Japanese forces now spread all over the western Pacific and Southeast Asia. This meant that launching another major offensive was very difficult in 1942. The Japanese did begin to bomb Port Moresby in New Guinea anf Darwin in northern Australia. The Japanese inability to launch an immediate invasion when Australian and American forces were still weak prived critical. It gave the Americans and Australians badly needed time. The first U.S. troops arrived in Australia (April 6). They were followed by a steady stream of troop and cargo vessels which rapifly built up a military creditable force. Until this time Australia had always looked at Britain. The first forces to make that commitment meaningful were two carriers of the American Pacific fleet.

Japanese Offensive (December 1941-May 1942)

The imobilization of the U.S. Ps\acific Fleet after Pear Harbor permitted a massive Japanese offensive in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Australians were shocked by first Pearl Harbor and then the amazing Japanese successes in the Pacific. The Japanese invaded British Borneo (December 16). The Japanese invaded Hong Kong (December 18). The Japanese launched invasion of Luzon in the Philippines (December 22). After an initiak repulse, the Japanese took Wake Island (December 22). The British surrendered Hong Kong (December 25). The Philipino Government declared Manila an open city (December 26), but the Japanese bomb it (December 27). The Japanese take the American naval base at Cavite and enter Manila (January 2, 1942). The Japanese launched their offensive against the American and Filipino forces that had withdrawn to Bataan in the Philippines (January 7). The Japanese invades the Dutch East Indies and Dutch Borneo (January 11). The Japanese began an advance into Burma through Thailand from Indochina (January 16).

Military Situation

The fall of Singapore meant that Australia itself was largely defenseless, Its army was either in the Western Desert or captured along with the Singapore garrison. With the fall of the Dutch East Indies and much of New Guinea, Australia was within range of Japanese bombers. Only Port Moresby in southern New Guinea protected by the Own-Stanley Mountains remained in Australian hands. People looking at the map realized that Australia was next. The situation was dire. Not only was most of the Australian Army in the Western Desert, but there was no substantial Royal Navy force to opose the seemingly invinvible Imperial Fleet. Australia from the beginning had looked on Britain as the mother country and the Royal Navy as its primary defense and lifeline.

General MacArthur

Presiden Roosevelt ordered General MacArthur to escape from Corregidor in the Philippines to organize the defense of Australia. He escaped by PT boats (March 11, 1942). They managed to elude Japanese patrols and reached Mindanao. There a B-17 Flying Fortress. took him, his famuily, MacArthur arranges for himself and his family, and a handful of selecred military aides. MacArthur arrived in Australia expecting to find a combat-ready force force waiting for him to launch an offensive against the Japanese to relieve the Philippines. He found that American troops and equipment have not yet arrived in force and that the Australian Army was in the Western Desert. He announced to the public about the Philippines, "I shall return." Typical for MacArthur, it was "I' not "we". President Roosevelt appointed MacArthur commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater (March 18). While MacArthur brought no military forces with him, his appointment and assignment was critical for Australia. It meant that Australia would not face the Japanese alone, but would be supported by United States of America. At first it was only symbolic.

Japanese Plans

The Japanese launched the largest air raid since Pearl Harbor. They targeted the northern Australian city of Darwin (February 19). Australians saw this as the prelude to an invasion. The Japanese at this point of the War were indecisive. They had not anticipated the full extent of the success that they achieved. Their primary goals were Borneo, Burma, the Dutch East Indies, Malaya, the Philippines, and Singapore. The key was Borneo and the DEI because of the oil. A cursory look at the map leads to the obvious observation that the newly-won territories were not secure with Australia still in Allied hands. That was obvious to the Japanese who debated not whether, but the timing of invading Australia. The problem for the Japanese was that first most of their army was in China and secondly the Japanese merchant marine (maru) fleet was hard pressed to supply the Japanese forces now spread all over the western Pacific and Southeast Asia. This meant that launching another major offensive was very difficult in 1942. The Japanese did begin to bomb Port Moresby in New Guinea anf Darwin in northern Australia.

American Build Up

The Japanese inability to launch an immediate invasion when Australian and American forces were still weak prived critical. It gave the Americans and Australians badly needed time. The first U.S. troops arrived in Australia (April 6). They were followed by a steady stream of troop and cargo vessels which rapidly built up a military creditable force. Until this time Australia had always looked at Britain for its security. The first force to make that commitment meaningful in World War II were two American carriers in the Coral Sea (May 1942).

Coral Sea (May 7-8, 1942)

The Japanese next targeted Port Moresby to complete their conquest of New Guinea in preparation for an eventual invasion of Australia. The country was vulnerable because the Australian Army was largely in North Africa fighting the Afrika Korps. The Australians had also been weakened by the surrender in Singapore. At the time the only meaningful force between Australia abd the Japanese were two American carriers Yorktown and Lexington. These carrers alerted by American code breakers and intercepted the Japanese in the Coral Sea (May 7-8, 1942) Although Lexington was sunk and Yorktown badly damaged, the Japanese invasion force turned back. The Japanese only lost a small carrier, but the damage was much more severe. One of their front-line carries was badly damaged and the air crew of a second was mauled. This meant that two of Japan's major carriers were not available for the Midway Operation or to interdict the American men and supplies streaming into Australia in quantities that the Japanese never perceived.

Operation FS

Operation FS was the Japanese plant to sever the sealanes between Ameica and Australia to prevent an American build-up in Australia which would make an invasion more difficult or impossible. The Japanesehad their eyes pn New Caledonia both because of the mines and the strategic location. The islands could play a very important role in severing the sea lanes between Australia and the United States. The Japanese wee also interested in Fiji and the Samoa Islands. Cut off from America and with its Army in North Africa, the Japanese believed that Australia would be forced to surrender. The unexpected American intervention in the Coral Sea (May 1942) had convinved the Imoperal Navy to delay furher operations directed agaunst Australia and push forward plans to deal with the American Pacific Fleet once and for all. The result was the Battle of Midway and the loss of four of their six main-line carriers (June 1942). The Japanese after Midway had to reassess their stategy. They no longer had the overwealingly dominant naval force. They knew that American forces were flowing into Australia by sea. They decided to build an air strip on a southern island in the Solomons--Guadacanal. Interestingly the Japanese never deployed their powerful submarine fleet in numbers to interdict the American convoys in a meaningful way. They were much more focused on naval warships. Allied inteligence soon detected the construction of an airbase on Guadalcanal. This was a step of considerable importance because an airbase on Guadacanal would assist the Japanese in cutting off American troops and supplies from reaching Australia. This could no longer be easily done with carriers because of the Midway losses. Guadacanal could, however, serve as an unsinkable carrier. The Japanese were having trouble supplying thge islands they had already taken, but were still focused on seizing more islands. They had not changed their objectives, only their strategy for achieving those objectives. Unlike the Americans, Japanese construction methods were slow. And the Japanese did not believe that the Americans were yet capable of an offensive stroke and did not expect an American offensive until mid-1942. They were partially correct--the Marines were not. The Imperial Navy had not, however, fully informed the Army about the extent of the Midway disaster.

Created: 1:16 AM 12/9/2011
Last updated: 3:15 AM 12/9/2011