Darwin Spitfires: the Real Battle for Australia

[mars]

In 1943, a small band of inexperienced Australian and British fighter pilots fought an ongoing air battle in defense of north-western Australia, flying against a formidably skilled and proficient opponent. The air raids on Darwin during 1942-43 constituted the only sustained and intensive direct assault on Australian mainland territory in the whole of World War Two and yet, surprisingly, most Australians have no idea that it ever happened. Following the RAAF’s No 1 Fighter Wing, Darwin Spitfires tells this little-known story, and in so doing, recovers this important aspect of Australian history.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1...A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

The only question I have is whether this book also includes the Japanese source

[Jim Oxley]

I've ordered it. I'll let you know.
By the by, for those in Oz and NZ buy the book from here - much cheaper.
http://www.unswpress.com.au/isbn/9781742232270.htm


Two other books that should be read in conjunction with it are:

[Jim Oxley]

The blurb for Darwin's Air War:

DARWIN’S AIR WAR
Officially launched in Darwin on 19 February 2011, the revised edition of Darwin’s Air War provides a much expanded commentary on the air war fought over the Northern Territory, the raids by Allied air forces against the Japanese held Netherlands East Indies and the islands to Australia’s north that made up the North Western Area of Operations (NWA) and eventual victory, whilst dispelling a number of myths that have become conventional wisdom over many years.

This 261 page revised edition of the bestselling1991 book of the same name features a range of previously unpublished photographs including a series of colour images taken by a young USAAF fighter pilot serving at one of the roadside airstrips south of Darwin during 1942. Five appendices provide information on Japanese missions over the Darwin area (many more than the 64 generally acknowledged), major operational units and their aircraft, technical data on major aircraft types, the composition of Japanese air forces and the system of Allied code names for Japanese aircraft.

A comprehensive Notes section provides additional information to that contained within the general text, whilst an insert provides further additional information and a number of corrections.

Darwin’s Air War is available via the Aviation Historical Society of the Northern Territory at PO Box 37621 Winnellie, NT Australia 0821; by phone on 61+8+89472145; or by email at ahsnt@bigpond.com

[Jim Oxley]

And for Japanese Air Forces Over The NWA:
(this book alone will porvide much information on Japanese units in the region)

Japanese Air Forces Over the NWA 1942-1945

By Bob Alford. With illustrations by Darryl Ford

This newly published book details the Japanese Air Forces in the North Western Area of Operations including northern Australia during WWII.
Chapters include a historical background on wartime operations over the NWA, along with those on allied code names, aircraft designations, unit compositions, brief histories of the units that flew missions over northern Australia and were based in the NWA, and a section on colours and markings derived from combat and Intelligence reports and the author’s physical assessment of remaining crash sites in the Northern Territory..
The book is A4 size (210mm x 297mm) and contains 92 pages with black and white and colour photos, maps including two WWII Japanese maps showing the dispositions of a number of units, colour aircraft profiles by Brisbane graphic artist, Darryl Ford, and a host of information on the Japanese air units in the North Western Area of operations (NWA).

The costs for this new release are:
In Australia - AUD22.95 plus postage (Air Mail, Registered) and handling of AUD7.45 - total AUD30.40;

and In the USA - AUD22.95 plus postage (Air Mail, Registered) and handling of AUD8.55 - total AUD31.50.

Payment can be made via Pay Pal, bank cheque (payable to R.N. and S. Alford) or electronic funds transfer (bank details available on request).

Cheques can be posted:
c/- Mr and Mrs A.D. and S Clark
PO Box 2257
PALMERSTON NT 0831
AUSTRALIA

PLEASE E-MAIL ALL INQUIRIES TO BOB ALFORD AT: bo.balford@hotmail.com

EXTRA
As an added bonus an A4 size reproduction of the IJN page of aircraft profiles prepared by Darryl Ford will be included as an insert for purchasers of the book. Darryl will also be releasing his new work, Air Strike South-West PacificSWPA, in the near future.