#OnThisDay 8 June 1942, in the early hours of the morning, Japanaese midget submarines attacked the ports of Sydney and Newcastle. Submarine I-24 fired ten high explosive shells into Sydney’s eastern suburbs for 10 minutes. At the same time, submarine I-21 bombarded Newcastle for 16 minutes. The number of shells fired on Newcastle is not known, however using both official sources and eyewitness accounts, Jones and Carruthers estimate a total of 21 shells, most likely 15 high explosive shells and 6 star shells.
Many of the shells that fell on Sydney and Newcastle failed to explode.
Source: Lynch, E.J. (1945). Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner’s Advocate (NSW: 1876-1954). New facts about Japanese
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This article from the July 1942 issue of "Action" describes the shelling of Sydney on 8 June 1942 from the point of view of the National Emergency Services. In the aftermath of the shelling, the NES achieved their aim of quickly clearing the bomb damage and restoring services to afflicted areas. NRS 19987 [6/16010.4 Vol.1 No. 4, pp.10-14]
