ABSTRACT
The Army was responsible for the operation of all the anti-aircraft guns in Darwin, including those protecting the aerodrome. Their location selected by the brigadier who had commanded the coastal defences in Sydney and there was general agreement that they were in the wrong place as well as being far too few in number. There were no Bofors guns available in Darwin the Bofors was a small-calibre anti-aircraft gun that was larger than the conventional machine gun and the general positioning of the guns was in striking contrast to current thinking by anti-aircraft specialists in other countries. In particular, the scattering of individual gun crews at wide distances apart in the area of the airfield markedly reduced their efficiency. The Japanese aircraft carrier was reported in the Flores Sea on 27 January, Air Commodore Wilson ordered the Wirraways to be sent from Darwin to Daly Waters to prevent them being caught in a surprise attack.
