Battle of Los Angeles
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🛸 Case
Contents 5
| Type | Case |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Great Los Angeles Air Raid |
The Battle of Los Angeles, also called the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, was a false alarm on the night of 24–25 February 1942, less than three months after Pearl Harbor, when U.S. Army anti-aircraft batteries fired more than 1,400 shells into the sky over Los Angeles at reported enemy aircraft that were never found. A retouched newspaper photograph of searchlights converging on the scene later became a popular image in UFO lore.[1][2]
Background
The United States had entered World War II in December 1941, and fears of a Japanese attack on the West Coast were high. On 23 February 1942 the Japanese submarine I-17 shelled the Ellwood oil field near Santa Barbara, causing little damage but great alarm. The Office of Naval Intelligence warned that an attack on mainland California could come within hours.[1][3]
The night of 24–25 February
An alert was called at 7:18 p.m. on 24 February and lifted at 10:23 p.m. At 2:25 a.m. on 25 February air raid sirens sounded across Los Angeles County and a total blackout was ordered. From 3:16 a.m. the 37th Coast Artillery Brigade opened fire with machine guns and anti-aircraft guns at reported targets; more than 1,400 rounds were fired before the guns fell silent at about 4:14 a.m., and the all-clear sounded at 7:21 a.m. No bombs fell and no aircraft were shot down, but falling shell fragments damaged buildings and vehicles, and five civilians died indirectly, three in car accidents and two of heart attacks.[1][4]
Official explanations
Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox told reporters the incident was a false alarm caused by anxiety and "war nerves". The Army, reflecting the view of Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall, suggested that enemy agents might have used commercial aircraft to provoke panic. Some newspapers suspected a cover-up, and a congressman called for an investigation. After the war Japan stated that it had sent no aircraft over Los Angeles.[1][3]
A 1949 account by the Coast Artillery Association said a meteorological balloon had "started all the shooting", and in 1983 the Office of Air Force History concluded that weather balloons released that night set off the alarm and that searchlit shell bursts were then mistaken for enemy planes.[1][2]
The photograph and UFO interpretations
On 26 February 1942 the Los Angeles Times published a photograph of searchlight beams converging on a bright spot in the sky. Decades later, UFO writers presented it as showing a large craft caught in the beams, but the image had been heavily retouched with paint before publication, a common newspaper practice of the time, which created the appearance of a solid object.[1][5] The event inspired Steven Spielberg's 1979 comedy 1941.[1]
References
- Battle of Los Angeles — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- W.F. Craven and J.L. Cate, The Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. 1 (1983) · web.archive.org · archived copy
- "The Great Los Angeles Air Raid Terrified Citizens—Even Though No Bombs Were Dropped", Smithsonian Magazine · smithsonianmag.com · archived copy
- "The Battle of L.A. turns 75", Los Angeles Times (2017) · latimes.com · archived copy
- Larry Harnisch, "Another Good Story Ruined – The Battle of Los Angeles", Los Angeles Times Daily Mirror blog · web.archive.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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