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33 Pursuit Squadron U.S.A.A.F.Print Page 
The collection of aircraft artefacts on display at the Australian Aviation Heritge Centre commemorates the airmen of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron and the four airmen who lost their lives in the Japanese attack on Darwin on the 19th February 1942.
At 9.58 am on Thursday 19 February 1942, 188 Japanese carrier-based aircraft began bombing Darwin. Thirty minutes later more than 240 people had been killed and more than 400 wounded.
They were met by 10 members of the USAAF 33rd Pursuit Squadron. This Squadron had been charged with the delivery of 10 P-40 Kittyhawk fighter aircraft to the East Indies. Outnumbered, the Americans proved no match for the Japanese pilots, veterans of the China war and Pearl Harbour. Despite their gallant resistance against impossible odds 9 of the American aircraft were shot down and 4 pilots killed.
Location
| Address: | 557 Stuart Highway, Australian Aviation Heritage Centre, Winnellie, 0820 |
|---|---|
| State: | NT |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -12.425509 Long: 130.895642 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 19-February -1942 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 19-February-1942 |
Dedication
Plaque:
The 33 Pursuit Squadron (Provisional)....USAAF
At 9.58 am on Thursday 19 February 1942, 188 Japanese carrier-based aircraft began bombing Darwin. Thirty minutes later more than 240 people had been killed and more than 400 wounded.
They were met by 10 members of the USAAF 33rd Pursuit Squadron. This Squadron had been charged with the delivery of 10 P-40 Kittyhawk fighter aircraft to the East Indies. Outnumbered, the Americans proved no match for the Japanese pilots, veterans of the China war and Pearl Harbour. Despite their gallant resistance against impossible odds 9 of the American aircraft were shot down and 4 pilots killed.
Those killed were:
Maj. Floyd Pell Lt. Eldon Perry
Lt. Jack Peres Lt. Charles Hughes
Lt. Robert Oestreicher survived the raid and remained airborne. He managed to shoot down 2 "Val" dive bombers and was credited with the first aerial victory over Australia.
This Allison engine was recovered from Lt. Peres aircraft.
This display is dedicated to the brave airmen of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron and to the memory of those four who paid the final sacrifice in their defence of Darwin.
