For some strange reason most people in the west don't realize that Australia was under costal attack in World War II. Some things in war time seem to slip past history. For example the Japanese invaded Mongolia and were about to attack Russia in 1939 but the great Russian general Zukov, saw the Japanese buildup and attacked them first, destroying their invading army and killing 20,000 of their 75,000 troops. This is the reason the Japanese wouldn't invade Russia with their Nazi allies. But back to the Australians.

The following is a media release by the Australian Government:

STORIES OF THE DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA – 1942

In 1942 the people of Australia were called upon, for the first time, to defend their own shores. Throughout that year, supported by their allies, Australians fought to turn the initial defeats of 1942 into the beginnings of victory in the Pacific. This series, issued by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Danna Vale, to mark the 60 th anniversary of the defence of Australia, highlights some of the key events of those 12 momentous months.

JUNE 1942 – MIDGET SUBMARINE ATTACK AND COASTAL DEFENCE

Japanese Midget Submarine
Photo Source: US Navy

The midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour on the night of 31 May-1 June 1942 brought home the threat to Australia’s extensive coastline, harbours and sea lanes. From the outbreak of the war in September 1939, coastal fortresses manned by Army gunners had stood ready to fire on enemy warships, while the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force conducted extensive sea and air patrols.

In 1940-41, German raiders operated off Australia’s east, south and west coasts, laying mines and sinking merchant ships. Australia’s greatest wartime naval loss, the sinking of HMAS Sydney in November 1941, followed an engagement with the German raider Kormoran. Japan’s entry into the war increased the threat and on 20 January 1942 the corvette HMAS Deloraine sank a Japanese submarine off Darwin.

In May 1942, five large Japanese submarines took up position off Sydney Heads. Early on 30 May one of these “mother” submarines launched a seaplane to observe the harbour. Next day, three midget submarines were released. The first entered the harbour at about 8pm but was caught in an anti-submarine net and depth-charged by a patrol boat. The two Japanese crewmen blew up their submarine, killing themselves.

The second midget submarine entered the harbour at about 10pm. It evaded anti-submarine vessels and at about 12.29am on 1 June fired two torpedoes at the American heavy cruiser USS Chicago. Both missed their target but one exploded beneath the depot ship HMAS Kuttabul, a former Sydney ferry, killing 19 Australian sailors and two British sailors and injuring another 10 sailors. Bandsman J Cummins was the hero of the night. He repeatedly dived into the wreckage and rescued trapped and injured men.

The heavy cruiser USS Chicago
Photo Source: US Navy

Shortly before 3am, a third midget submarine entered the harbour but was attacked by patrol boats. With their vessel badly damaged, the crew committed suicide.

The Japanese had failed in their plan to sink one or more of the large warships in Sydney Harbour. The midget sub that sank Kuttabul escaped, but the other two vessels were recovered. Parts from both were used to reconstruct the submarine now displayed at the Australian War Memorial. The 21 men killed on Kuttabul were buried with full military honours, while the ashes of four Japanese midget submariners were returned to Japan.

On 8 June, one of the “mother” submarines bombarded Sydney, with shells landing in Rose Bay, Woollahra and Bellevue Hill, but nobody was hurt. Another shelled part of Newcastle and sank a merchant ship. For the rest of the war, RAAF and RAN anti-submarine patrols, convoy escorts and minesweeping operations limited the extent of Japanese attacks – however, another 18 merchant ships and a hospital ship were sunk off Australia.