Darwin Spitfires

The Japanese air raids on Darwin on 19 February 1942 are well known to most Australians, but what happened afterwards? For almost two years the airspace over North West Australia was routinely attacked in Japanese air raids, tallying about 70 in total. It constituted the only sustained and intensive direct assault on Australian territory in the whole of World War II and the whole history of post-1788 Australia yet, surprisingly, most Australians have no idea that it ever happened. Telling the story of the RAAF's No 1 Fighter Wing, composed of both Australian and British spitfire pilots, Darwin Spitfires explores the little-known 1943 season of air combat over the top end, recovering this important aspect of Australian history.