Interview with Tom Collins. (When the war came to Australia).

Tom Collins worked in Darwin to set up cameras on reconnaisance aircraft. The results were used for identification and mapping. Collins stated that the aircraft used by the RAAF were not appropriate. He described the difficulties pilots had with the Wirraway, Boomerang and Hudson. The Wirraway was eventually used as training aircraft. The Spitfire was better, but Tom believed its arrival was too late to be of real use. The Zero aircraft used by the Japanese had height, range and manoevarability, and the design may have been copied from Howard Hughes. Collins talks of the emotional impact of the night raids over Darwin by the Japanese. He described how unnerving it was to see the Zeros and then wait for the release of bombs. Tom was not impressed with the training and flying capabilities of the Americans when they arrived in Darwin.