RAIDS ON DARWIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 44, 21 February 1942, Page 7

RAIDS ON DARWIN

HOSPITALS ATTACKED

VESSELS IN HARBOUR

HIT

SYDNEY, February 20. Casualties in yesterday's raids on Darwin, it is announced, are known to have totalled 15 killed and 24 wounded. The Prime Minister's Department corrects an earlier announcement of a third raid on Darwin today,

stating that an alert was sounded

but no raid eventuated,

The main casualties in yesterday's raids were at the post office at Darwin, where nine persons were killed and 11 injured. The injured included the postmaster, Mr. H. C. Bald, his wife and daughter, and three telephonists. They were in a trench shelter which received a direct hit.

Six patients in one hospital were injured and one of them has died.

Several ships in Darwin harbour were hit by bombs and damage was done to wharves and buildings.

The afternoon raid, which was carried out by bombers unsupported by fighters, was directed against Air Force installations. Damage which was done to the aerodrome was not serious, but there were at least four casualties among Service personnel. Some aircraft were damaged on the ground. At least six enemy aircraft were shot down, but whether by fighters or antiaircraft fire is not yet revealed. SERVICES INTERRUPTED. The first raid, which began at 10.35 a.m., Darwin time", yesterday, interrupted telephone and telegraph services, but immediately the raid ended emergency services were established extending to some distance from the town. These services operated for a considerable time and similar arrangements were made still further away.

The Minister of Air, Mr. A. S. Drakeford, states that there is little doubt that some of the enemy aircraft came from an aircraft-carrier. Such a craft was seen on February 8 north of Darwin and led to an alert on that occasion.

The twin-engined bombers, with a range of 1500 miles, obviously came from a land base in the islands recently acquired by the Japanese, the nearest of which is Amboina, 580 miles distant.

Mr. Drakeford estimated that 50 tons of bombs were dropped on Darwin yesterday.