Battle of Los Angeles

Picture this: It is February 1942, just months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. People were nervous, young men were shipping off in the dozens, and Americans were on edge, especially in states closer to Japan. It is with this energy that the Battle of Los Angeles took place. Just days before, an enemy submarine fired 13 shells from offshore into an oil plant in Santa Barbara. Then, on the 25th, at 2:00 am, U.S. Army radar reportedly detected an unidentified object (or objects) a little over 100 miles off the coast of LA. Air raid alarms sounded and a full blackout was ordered. But, if you believe any of this at all...this wasn't an earthly enemy. It was aliens.

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I want to acknowledge that there are many terrestrial explanations. Still, in today’s blog (because you’re on the Astonishing Legends blog, after all), we’ll be focusing on the UFOlogy angle and theories. This is in no way removing the possibility of a terrestrial answer, and some will be featured further down.

Okay, now let's hand it back to LA in 1942. Despite the blackout, hundreds of Angelenos headed outside, snapped on lights, and watched the sky for searchlights and activity. Sound like a good way to catch a UFO? I agree.

By 3:00 am, they were reported to be mere miles off the coast of Santa Monica. At 3:07 am, anti-aircraft units confirmed the sighting of enemy aircraft and began firing. The sky was alight with searchlights, orange tracer shells, and activity. Smoke from the shells began to collect in the sky, and civilians, alongside the army, began to report aircraft, falling bombs, and even paratroopers. Drivers, stuck on the road at the time of the attack, panicked and crashed into each other, leading to three fatalities. A cease-fire was eventually ordered about an hour later, but not before shooting over 1,400 rounds of ammunition and causing damage. 

Daybreak came, and with it no disaster followed. No enemies were found, and neither was any trace of them. No people, no aircraft, and not even any damage. Of course, this led to a lot of confusion and embarrassment to those in charge...as well as those who were terrified on the ground. They were left with absolutely no explanation for the harrowing hours of the previous night.

While the secretary of the Navy at the time, Frank Knox, confessed it had all been confusion and apologized. However, Henry Stimson, the Secretary of War, completely disagreed. He said 15 enemy aircraft DID appear and had sightings over L.A. Eventually, Stimson would backtrack on this statement (but not immediately). Of course, the easy answer is that gunners were freaked out after Pearl Harbor, and a false alarm was taken too seriously. Of course, others believed there were aircraft...just not from Earth.

There is documentation of reports of seeing unexplainable lights in the sky, as well as hundreds of aircraft sightings from civilians on the ground. In fact, there is even a record of radio announcers who were on-air at the time discussing the strange lights in the sky. According to Escondido Times-Advocate, "A radioman first reported the object at 1:44 a.m. The object then reversed itself and flew over Santa Monica and out into the ocean. No U.S. army or navy planes of the 4th Interceptor Command were sent up because it was fearful that this was the first wave of a carrier attack, and the high command wanted to keep them in reserve. The last anti-aircraft shell was fired about 4:14 a.m."

History.com reports the experience of an artilleryman on the scene that night who wrote in a letter, "I could barely see the planes, but they were up there all right. I could see six planes, and shells were bursting all around them. Naturally, all of us fellows were anxious to get our two cents’ worth in, and when the command came, everybody cheered like a son of a gun.”

The Japanese government would later confirm that they had never flown any aircraft over Santa Barbara, LA, or Santa Monica. 

Thanks to Winnie for this blogstonishing suggestion!

The header image depicts Page B of the February 26, 1942, Los Angeles Times, showing the coverage of the so-called Battle of Los Angeles and its aftermath. This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1929 and 1963, and although there may or may not have been a copyright notice, the copyright was not renewed.