Bombing of Darwin survivor Brian Winspear remembers the day WWII came to Australia, 80 years on
https://live-production.wcms.abc-cd...ropW=5000&xPos=0&yPos=69&width=862&height=485
It was a tense day in Darwin in 1942 when Brian Winspear noticed a strange object glistening above the palm trees.
"You could see the sun glinting off the bombs," he said. "It was just like confetti coming down."
At the time, as WWII had escalated with the rise of Nazi Germany, Japan was attacking nearly all of its Asian neighbours.
It wasn't until February 19, 1942, that Australia became its newest target.
Mr Winspear — then a 21-year-old member of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) — said he raced to the bottom of a trench and watched in horror as Japanese aircraft dropped bombs around him.
Today, he will join veterans and the Darwin public for the 80th commemoration of the bombing of Darwin.
Japan's first air raid, on February 19, remains the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australian soil.
Norman Cramp — the director of the Darwin Military Museum — said Imperial Japan was only just getting started.
"Around 230 to 250 people were killed on that first day," Dr Cramp said. "And, over the nearly two years of bombings, around 1,700 people lost their lives."
"They were so close that I could see the pilots' faces in their cockpits," he said, describing the onslaught that rained down from above.
Mr Winspear, now 101 years old, is one of the city's last remaining survivors of World War II.
More here for anyone interested.
Bombing of Darwin survivor Brian Winspear remembers the day WWII came to Australia, 80 years on - ABC News
