Damon Mcknight
Australia has never been successfully invaded, but it has been the target of invasion attempts, most notably during World War II when Japan considered and planned for an invasion. The Japanese Navy proposed invading northern Australia as a stage two war objective after conquering Southeast Asia, but the Japanese Army rejected this proposal as impractical, citing the need to defend Japan's perimeter of conquests and the potential over-extension of their defence lines. Despite the Japanese Army's opposition, the fear of an imminent invasion was widespread in Australia after the fall of Singapore in February 1942, leading to an expansion of the country's military and war economy, as well as closer links with the United States. Although Japan never attempted a full-scale invasion of Australia, Japanese aircraft bombed towns and airfields in northern Australia on 97 occasions during 1942 and 1943, and Japanese submarines operated in Australian waters during this period. The only Japanese force to land in Australia during World War II was a small reconnaissance party that investigated reports of Allied activity in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in January 1944. Prior to World War II, Australia was invaded by Britain in 1788, when Captain Arthur Phillip guided a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, marking the beginning of British settlement in Australia and the gradual dispossession of Indigenous Australians of their land.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country that invaded Australia | Japan (attempted) |
| Date of invasion | 1942-1945 |
| Type of attacks | Air raids, bombings, submarine offensives |
| Impact | Widespread fear, expansion of military and war economy, closer links with the US |
| Invasion plans | Proposed by the Japanese Navy, opposed by the Japanese Army |
| Reasons for opposition | Practicality, resource allocation, extended defence lines |
| Successful invasion locations | New Guinea, Papua |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective | Invasion Day |
| British perspective | Settlement, not invasion |
| Date of British settlement | January 26, 1788 |
| British settlement leader | Captain Arthur Phillip |
| Number of ships | 11 |
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What You'll Learn
The British invasion of Australia in 1788
The British invasion of Australia, which began in 1788, was a colonial endeavour that had severe consequences for the indigenous people of the continent. The British first laid claim to Australia in 1770 when Lieutenant James Cook charted the east coast and claimed it for Great Britain. The First Fleet of British ships arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788 to establish a penal colony, with the colony formally proclaimed by Governor Phillip on 7 February 1788. The territory of New South Wales, which Britain claimed, included more than half of mainland Australia and various islands in the Pacific.
The British invasion of Australia was characterised by coerced labour, dispossession, and genocide. The colonial enterprise resulted in sharp contrasts, with colonists experiencing both coercion and freedom, deprivation and opportunity. The process of colonisation also led to the annihilation of property rights and the disruption of traditional ways of life for the indigenous people. The British government landed approximately 160,000 criminals in Australia's convict colonies, contributing to the dispossession of around one million indigenous people.
The invasion had long-lasting consequences, and Australia's colonial history remains a politically sensitive topic. The British troops played a role in suppressing convict rebellions and Aboriginal resistance. Despite the presence of British soldiers, fighting between settlers and Aboriginal Australians was localised and sporadic, continuing into the 20th century in remote areas. The conflict between Europeans and Aboriginal Australians followed a pattern where the settlers and their livestock gradually took over the land, leading to inevitable friction between the two ways of life.
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World War II Japanese plans to invade Australia
During World War II, the Japanese military considered invading Australia. In December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy proposed invading Northern Australia as one of Japan's "stage two" war objectives after conquering Southeast Asia. This proposal was rejected by the Japanese Army, which believed that a force of at least ten divisions (150,000 to 250,000 men) would be needed to invade Australia, and that such an invasion force would be larger than the entire force used to conquer Southeast Asia. The Army also argued that the invasion of Australia was unnecessary given the likely Allied counter-offensives and the need to maintain troops in China and Manchuria against the Soviet threat.
Despite the Army's opposition, the possibility of invading Australia continued to be discussed by the Japanese military in early 1942. On February 6, 1942, the Navy Ministry formally proposed a plan to invade eastern Australia while simultaneously capturing Fiji, Samoa, and New Caledonia. This plan was again rejected by the Army, which believed that the Navy's proposal to secure enclaves in the north of Australia was unrealistic and that any invasion of Australia would have to involve an attempt to conquer the entire continent, which was beyond Japan's capabilities.
The question of invading Australia was discussed for the last time by Imperial Headquarters on February 27, 1942. During this meeting, the Army stated that it believed Australia was defended by a 600,000-strong military force. On March 4, the Imperial Headquarters formally agreed to relegate the option of invading Australia as a "future option" only if all other plans went well. This decision effectively ended the discussion of invading Australia, and the plan was never implemented due to Japan's defeats in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway in July 1942.
While the Japanese military debated the possibility of invading Australia, the Australian government, military, and people were deeply alarmed by the potential threat. The Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, compared the fall of Singapore in February 1942 to the Battle of Dunkirk, arguing that it marked the start of the "Battle for Australia." The Australian government implemented a massive civil defence program, including the expansion of the military and war economy, as well as closer links with the United States. Despite the fears of an invasion, Japan never attempted to invade mainland Australia during World War II, and the Japanese attacks on Australia during the war were not precursors to invasion, as is sometimes claimed.
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Japanese air raids and bombings in Australia
During World War II, the Japanese conducted air raids and bombings in Australia, attacking at least 111 times between February 1942 and November 1943. The Japanese Navy proposed including an invasion of Northern Australia as one of its "stage two" war objectives after conquering Southeast Asia. This proposal was pushed by Captain Sadatoshi Tomioka, who argued that the United States would likely use Australia as a base to launch a counter-offensive in the South-West Pacific. However, the Japanese Army opposed the idea as impractical, believing that invading Australia would overextend their defence lines.
The first and deadliest of the Japanese attacks on Australia occurred on 19 February 1942, when 262 aircraft hit Darwin, killing at least 235 people and causing immense damage. This attack was part of a larger effort to prevent the Allies from using bases in northern Australia to contest the conquest of the Netherlands East Indies. The town of Darwin was lightly defended relative to the size of the attack, and the Japanese inflicted heavy losses on Allied forces with relatively little cost to themselves. The two Japanese air raids on Darwin were the first and largest of over 100 air raids against Australia during 1942-1943.
Following the initial attack on Darwin, the Allied navies largely abandoned the naval base there, dispersing their forces to Brisbane, Fremantle, and other smaller seaports. In contrast, Allied air commanders launched a buildup in the Darwin area, constructing more airfields and deploying many squadrons. The Japanese raid on Darwin inflicted extensive damage, sinking eight ships and destroying six Hudson light bombers, another Hudson, and a Wirraway aircraft. Two American P-40s and a B-24 Liberator bomber were also destroyed, and six RAAF personnel were killed.
After the raid on Darwin, the Northern Territory and parts of Western Australia's north were bombed approximately 100 times between 4 March 1942 and 12 November 1943. One of the heaviest attacks occurred on 16 June 1942, when a Japanese force set fire to the oil fuel tanks around the harbour, inflicting severe damage on vacant banks, stores, and railway yards. During this period, Japanese aircraft bombed towns and airfields in Northern Australia on 97 occasions.
In addition to the raids on Darwin, the Japanese conducted air raids on other towns in Australia. On 3 March 1942, nine Japanese A6M2 Zero fighters attacked Broome in northern Western Australia, killing at least 88 civilians and military personnel and destroying 24 aircraft. Townsville, an important military base, was raided by Japanese flying boats on three nights in late July 1942. The city of Townsville was attacked without suffering any damage, as the six bombs dropped fell into the sea. A final raid took place on the Australian east coast when a single bomb was dropped near a house in the Mossman district, injuring a child.
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German attacks on Australian waters
On 19 November 1941, the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney encountered the disguised German raider Kormoran, approximately 150 miles southwest of Carnarvon, Western Australia. Sydney's captain brought his ship dangerously close to Kormoran. As a result, when Kormoran was unable to prove her identity and avoid a battle, she was able to use all her weaponry against Sydney. In the resulting battle, Kormoran and Sydney were both crippled, with Sydney sinking with the loss of all her 645 crew and 78 of Kormoran's crew being killed. Kormoran was the only Axis ship to conduct attacks in Australian waters during 1941 and the last Axis surface raider to enter Australian waters.
The German submarine U-862 also carried out attacks in Australian waters in late 1944 and early 1945. U-862 sailed south under Tasmania, then turned north and sailed up the New South Wales coast. Off Montague Island, she sank the Robert J. Walker using six torpedoes in December 1944. U-862 then sailed for New Zealand and entered New Zealand waters at North Cape before exiting past South Cape. She then sailed back across the Tasman and reversed her previous course back to Jakarta. On 6 February 1945, U-862 made its third attack in Australian waters, firing six torpedoes into the motor vessel "Peter Sylvester" about 700 miles southwest of Fremantle, off the Western Australian coast. The ship was ordered to be abandoned at 4:20 pm, and fifteen survivors were picked up the next day.
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The debate over renaming Australia Day 'Invasion Day'
Australia Day, celebrated annually on 26 January, marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and the raising of the Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove. The day is marked by fireworks, parades, and ceremonies. However, the day is also referred to as “Invasion Day” by many Indigenous Australians, who see it as a day of mourning, symbolising the start of colonisation and the pain that followed for Indigenous Australians. This has sparked a debate over whether the day should be renamed or the date changed.
Proponents of changing the date argue that the current date lacks national significance and fails to encompass members of the Indigenous community and others who perceive the day as commemorating the invasion of their land. They suggest that moving the date would be a significant symbolic act and propose alternative dates such as 1 January to mark the Federation of Australia's six British colonies in 1901, or 9 May, the date Australia's parliament was founded in 1901.
On the other hand, opponents of changing the date argue that it is a significant day in Australia's history and should be retained. They suggest that the day can be used to recognise the contributions of Australians to the nation, reflect on past wrongs, including towards Indigenous Australians, and celebrate the diversity and achievements of Australian society. Recent polls show growing support for keeping 26 January as Australia Day, with majorities of men, women, capital city residents, country residents, and respondents in each state favouring "Australia Day".
The debate has led to protests and rallies, with thousands of people participating in protest marches in capital cities on Australia Day. Some businesses have stepped back from recognising the day as a public holiday, allowing employees to substitute it for another date. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has scrapped rules forcing councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on 26 January, with more than 80 councils opting out of marking the day. However, Albanese has maintained his support for the day, stating that he will attend the national Australia Day commemorations.
The discussion surrounding the renaming or changing of the date of Australia Day is a complex and ongoing issue that involves considerations of historical context, national identity, and reconciliation with Indigenous communities. While some Australians celebrate the day with pride, others view it as a reminder of the adverse impacts of British settlement and colonisation on Indigenous peoples.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia has never been successfully invaded, but there have been attempts and close calls. The country faced a serious threat of invasion during World War II, with Japanese aircraft bombing towns and airfields in Northern Australia on 97 occasions between 1942 and 1943.
No, but there were proposals to do so. The Japanese Navy proposed invading Northern Australia as a "stage two" objective after conquering Southeast Asia. However, the Japanese Army rejected this proposal as impractical, preferring to force Australia's submission by cutting its lines of communication with the US.
Yes, German submarines and surface raiders also operated in Australian waters during the war, sinking a small number of merchant ships and the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney.
