SUBMARINE ATTACK ON SYDNEY
In 1942, people in Australia, mainly those living in coastal areas, were very scared about an invasion by the Japanese. At the time, the Japanese had recently invaded Singapore and people were beginning to feel that the Japanese were invincible. People began having bad dreams.
The US had started to send troops to Australia and people thought that the Japanese would try and cut off Australia’s connection with the US because if they did this, Australia would become more isolated.
The greatest threat was from the Sea. Barbed wire was put along beaches, including Bondi and Manly, and searchlights were installed in key locations. Australian day to day life began to change dramatically. The people of Sydney were faced with blackout restrictions, air raid warning drills and rationing of food and materials.
Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne became major bases for US and Australian Troops. Because of the US presence, a sense of relief was felt among the Australian public. They began to feel that they were not alone.
On the 31st of May 1942, three midget Japanese subs attempted to sneak into Sydney Harbour. They aimed to sink allied heavy cruisers stationed there. By sunrise, they had killed 19 Australians and sunk a ship. Residential lights and telecommunications were damaged. All three Japanese subs were sunk.
On the 8th of June 1942, the remainder of the subs briefly bombarded Sydney and Newcastle. The bombshells were landing in streets, in the harbour and on houses. After the attacks, people in Sydney began to move west. Subsequently, house prices in the eastern suburbs dropped, and rose significantly in the Blue Mountains. People were fearful of another invasion.
GOVERNMENT CONTROLS
Arguments for:
The more troops there were, the better protected we would be. We would be able to avoid invasion.
Jobs that needed to be completed more urgently were filled, instead of people doing a job that was not very important.
Everybody got equal amounts of food, as there was a lack of supplies
It was harder for the enemy to find out important details which may have been leaked in letters or on the radio, newspapers etc.
The panic about events wasn’t as extreme because people didn’t know all of the details about events.
Arguments against:
People did not have a choice and they were being made to fight, which raised many issues. For example the immorality of forcing a man to kill.
People had to work in areas that they were not trained in and this may have resulted in a poor quality of work.
It was very difficult to provide a sufficient nutritious diet when crucial supplies were being rationed.
Loved ones didn’t know where their relatives were and they didn’t know about the extent of some events like the bombing of Darwin.
SUBMARINE ATTACK ON SYDNEY
In 1942, people in Australia, mainly those living in coastal areas, were very scared about an invasion by the Japanese. At the time, the Japanese had recently invaded Singapore and people were beginning to feel that the Japanese were invincible. People began having bad dreams.
The US had started to send troops to Australia and people thought that the Japanese would try and cut off Australia’s connection with the US because if they did this, Australia would become more isolated.
The greatest threat was from the Sea. Barbed wire was put along beaches, including Bondi and Manly, and searchlights were installed in key locations. Australian day to day life began to change dramatically. The people of Sydney were faced with blackout restrictions, air raid warning drills and rationing of food and materials.
Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne became major bases for US and Australian Troops. Because of the US presence, a sense of relief was felt among the Australian public. They began to feel that they were not alone.
On the 31st of May 1942, three midget Japanese subs attempted to sneak into Sydney Harbour. They aimed to sink allied heavy cruisers stationed there. By sunrise, they had killed 19 Australians and sunk a ship. Residential lights and telecommunications were damaged. All three Japanese subs were sunk.
On the 8th of June 1942, the remainder of the subs briefly bombarded Sydney and Newcastle. The bombshells were landing in streets, in the harbour and on houses. After the attacks, people in Sydney began to move west. Subsequently, house prices in the eastern suburbs dropped, and rose significantly in the Blue Mountains. People were fearful of another invasion.
GOVERNMENT CONTROLS
Arguments for:
- The more troops there were, the better protected we would be. We would be able to avoid invasion.
- Jobs that needed to be completed more urgently were filled, instead of people doing a job that was not very important.
- Everybody got equal amounts of food, as there was a lack of supplies
- It was harder for the enemy to find out important details which may have been leaked in letters or on the radio, newspapers etc.
- The panic about events wasn’t as extreme because people didn’t know all of the details about events.
Arguments against: