The Battle of Los Angeles

Just weeks after Pearl Harbor, the skies over Los Angeles erupted in anti-aircraft fire aimed at unknown objects. A million people witnessed what remains unexplained.

The Context

America was on edge in February 1942:

• Pearl Harbor had occurred less than three months prior
• Japanese submarine had shelled Santa Barbara the day before
• Fear of invasion was high
• Military was on high alert

The Night of February 24-25

At 2:25 AM, coastal defenses detected an unknown target:

• Air raid sirens blared across Los Angeles
• A total blackout was ordered
• 37th Coast Artillery Brigade opened fire

The Barrage

• 1,400+ anti-aircraft rounds fired
• Searchlights converged on targets
• Firing continued for over an hour
• Shrapnel rained on the city
• 5 civilians died (heart attacks, car accidents in blackout)
• Damage to buildings from falling shells

What Did They See?

Witnesses reported:

• One or more objects in searchlight beams
• Moving slowly across the sky
• Impervious to anti-aircraft fire
• Some described formation of objects
• Speeds estimated at 200 mph

The Famous Photo

The Los Angeles Times published an image:

• Searchlights converging on a point
• What appears to be an object in the beams
• Shell bursts around it
• Remains debated to this day

Official Explanations

Secretary of the Navy

Frank Knox called it a “false alarm” due to war nerves.

Secretary of War

Henry Stimson confirmed 15 enemy aircraft, possibly launched from Japanese submarines.

These contradicted each other.

Later Analysis

The 1983 Air Force Report

Attributed the incident to:

• War nerves
• Stray weather balloons
• No enemy aircraft

Problems

• Weather balloons wouldn’t cause massive radar returns
• Would not survive 1,400 rounds
• Multiple trained observers disagreed

Theories

• Japanese aircraft (no evidence found)
• Weather balloons (official explanation)
• Extraterrestrial craft (UFO theorists)
• Psychological panic (mass hysteria)
• Secret US aircraft (classified programs)

Legacy

The Battle of Los Angeles:

• Remains officially unexplained
• Predates the modern UFO era by five years
• Involved over a million witnesses
• Featured trained military observers
• Left photographic evidence

---

Whatever flew over Los Angeles that night, it survived a barrage that should have destroyed any conventional aircraft.