21 March 1942

First fighter planes arrive to help defend Moresby as RAAF’s 75 Squadron Kittyhawks fly in and, within two hours, they are off on their first combat sortie.

Gen Douglas MacArthur steps off train arriving at Melbourne’s Spencer Streey Station at 9.30am with a flourish “like a grand entry in opera”. Aust PM John Curtin greeted him with a handshake and “Hello Doug!”

The Japanese Navy establishes a base at Phuket in Thailand.