'Darwin Spitfires: The Real Battle for Australia' (2011) by Anthony Cooper.

This book tells the story of the 1st Fighter Wing of the Royal Australian Air-Force deployed to provide the air defense of Darwin and the surrounding regions in Australia's north in 1943. Although Australia's military history has received much attention and interest, especially in recent decades, the story of the air defense of the northern coast has been surprisingly overlooked. Few Australians know that the RAAF fought a year-long aerial campaign against repeated Japanese air attacks against Darwin throughout 1943.

Firstly the background to the story. The Japanese had first bombed the port of Darwin and its nearby main airfield in February 1942, employing over 240 carrier & land-based aircraft. The results had been devastating, sending most of the town's population fleeing southwards. The only air defense had been a single squadron of US army air-force P-40Bs, half of which was destroyed on the ground and the remainder had heroically engaged the much larger enemy force before being wiped out. With no RAAF fighter units available (or yet even existing) for air defense of the region, for much of 1942, the defense of Darwin fell to P-40s and P-39s of the USAAF. In late 1942 and early 1943, the region was manned by P-40 Kittyhawks of the RAAF fighter squadrons No 76 & No 77. In November 1942- January 1943, incursions by enemy aircraft in that area were relatively few and the RAAF P-40s achieved only one success- a G4M bomber shot down on the night of 24th November.

The book concerns itself with the story of the specially-formed 1st Fighter Wing of the RAAF, comprising two Australian squadrons- Nos 452 and 457, and one British- No 54, all three equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Vc 'Trops'. Arriving in Darwin in February 1943, they provided the main fighter defense of the area until the end of the year, supported by Bristol Beaufighters of No 31 Squadron RAAF.

Cooper, a schoolteacher and historian, is determined to tell the real story of the campaign, free of melodrama and hyperbole. And tell it he does, in exhaustive detail! Cooper clearly has a passion for the subject and has researched the records of both sides with a fine tooth comb. He details and examines each of the major aerial engagements with forensic care. Cooper avoids sentiment and does not indulge in the idealization of the Australian fighting man as some other historians have tended to do. He sticks to the 'hard' facts and avoids hyperbole.

As Cooper points out, the RAAF pilots, despite their undoubted bravery and determination, were highly in-experienced, insufficiently trained in gunnery and tactics and, at times, were poorly led. Against their more skilled, better disciplined and better-coordinated Japanese counterparts, the Australians were often out-matched. In the first three major engagements over the Darwin area between March and early May 1943, the 1st Wing lost nine Spitfires shot down in exchange for one Zero destroyed (and no bombers). The Japanese Zero pilots were able to keep the Spitfires away from the G4M bombers while the Spitfires employed poorer tactics, often unable to make efficient interceptions due to being at the wrong height or position and when they made firing passes at the bombers, they either displayed poor accuracy or suffered weapon jams. Even the wartime Australian media, normally firmly on the side of the 'home team', voiced strident criticisms of the performance of the 1st Wing during this period.

Another serious handicap was the Spitfire itself. Despite the famous fighter's stellar reputation, the Mark Vc was one of the poorer versions, possessing little more power than the older Mk 1s of 1940 but weighed down with more equipment including Hispano cannon and the tropical chin filters. The cannons were chronically unreliable in the hot, humid and dusty conditions, frequently jamming in combat. And the CSUs (Constant Speed Units), designed to control the aircraft's speed & pitch, couldn't be trusted either- eight Spitfires of the 1st Wing were lost or written off in crashes due to CSU failure and another 11 had to force-land during combats for the same reason.

The arrival mid-year of new commander, Australian ace Clive Caldwell, has been popularly thought to be the chief factor in the improvement of the 1st Wing's combat performance. But, as Cooper points out, Caldwell, although the top-scoring Australian ace of WW2, was a rogue individualist at heart and was never entirely comfortable with the responsibilities and strictures of command. The author argues that the tactical performance of the 1st Wing improved only marginally under Caldwell's leadership and many of the deficiencies remained.

Despite the criticisms, Cooper makes clear that he has nothing but admiration for the pilots of the 1st Wing. Operating from dusty aerodromes in very hot, humid weather, the Australian and British pilots never flinched from engaging the enemy, even when they were outnumbered and facing enemy pilots more skilled and experienced than they were. The harsh conditions can be borne out by the photographs of the aircrew at their bases- the officers seldom bothered to enforce any standards of dress, the typical 'attire' was a slouch hat, boots and khaki shorts for both pilots and ground-crew. The overall balance sheet for 1943 came out even- the 1st Wing shot down 28 Japanese aircraft in exchange for 28 Spitfires destroyed by enemy action. Despite their losses, the Spitfire pilots did manage to at least annoy and disrupt most of the enemy bomber formations even if they never managed to break up or drive them off. The numerous Japanese raids on the airfields produced poor results, only six aircraft (two Beaufighters & four B-24s) were destroyed on the ground at Darwin in 1943. And, as Cooper points out, RAF units operating against the Luftwaffe over Occupied Europe in 1941-1943 achieved quite similar kill/loss ratios.

Cooper also has considerable praise for the Japanese aircrew, both Navy & Army. He quotes reports from ground observers who admired the discipline and tight formations maintained by the low-flying Japanese G4M and Ki-49 bombers. And Cooper highlights the impressive skills and team-work of the Imperial Navy Zero pilots and, on one raid on 20th June, Nakajima Ki43 'Oscar' fighter pilots of the JAAF. As Cooper correctly points out, of the 28 successes achieved by the 1st Wing, nine of those were over un-escorted reconnaissance aircraft. By contrast, of the 28 Spitfires downed by the Japanese, 22 (possibly 23) were scored by Zeroes and three more by Oscars, leaving two credited to gunners on the bombers and one whose demise was unknown.

The book is impressive in the depth of its detail and research. However it is suitable for aviation enthusiasts only, casual readers will find the exhaustive descriptions of aerial battles simply too long and repetitive. The book could have benefited from some additional quotes from the pilots themselves such as found in diaries or letters as Cooper's approach can be a little too dry and clinical at times. However I found this book a genuine achievement and a vital addition to a forgotten part of Australia's WW2 history.