Events
'Battle of Los Angeles' air-raid scare (24–25 Feb 1942)
Smoke, no fire What these labels mean →The night after a Japanese submarine shelled Ellwood near Santa Barbara (23 Feb 1942), LA air defenses fired ~1,400 anti-aircraft shells at reported targets. Five civilians died (accidents and heart attacks) and 'four Japanese aircraft' were falsely reported shot down. Navy Secretary Knox called it a 'false alarm'. The Coast Artillery Association (1949) blamed a weather balloon that 'started all the shooting'; the Office of Air Force History (1983) called it 'war nerves' plus balloon, flares and shell bursts. The famous LA Times photo of searchlights converging on a 'craft' was heavily retouched (white paint defining the searchlight convergence), which ufologists later read as a UFO.
Ties
| To | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington DC UFO flap (1952) | a capital-area defense scramble on unknowns | 1942/1952 | Concept | |
| Suppression pattern | contrast: the contemporary 'cover-up' suspicion was aimed at a hidden enemy raid; the archival record shows confusion, not concealment | 1942 | Concept |
Links
- Wikipedia: Battle of Los Angeles (user-supplied)
Notes
| Claim | Record | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Barrage fired; 5 civilian deaths; false 'shot down' reports | Army/Navy statements; press | barrage |
| Knox: 'false alarm'; 1949 CAA: weather balloon; 1983 USAF history: 'war nerves' | Official histories | official explanation |
| The searchlight photo shows a UFO | Retouched before publication (Harnisch, LA Times) | photo |
| An extraterrestrial craft was the target | No record | ET target |