The Battle of Los Angeles
In February 1942 anti-aircraft guns fired over 1,400 shells at unidentified objects over Los Angeles, though no enemy aircraft were ever confirmed.
- Region
- California
- Country
- USA
- Category
- UFO
- Date
- 25 February 1942
- Continent
- North America
The report
On the night of 24 February 1942, less than three months after the United States entered the Second World War, a radar contact led to air raid sirens and a blackout across Los Angeles. In the early hours of 25 February anti-aircraft batteries fired more than 1,400 shells at lights and objects in the sky, and witnesses described aircraft and even a crash. The Army stated that no bombs were dropped and no planes were shot down, and about five civilians died indirectly, in traffic accidents and from heart attacks. Navy Secretary Frank Knox called it a false alarm caused by war nerves, and a 1983 Air Force history suggested meteorological balloons and confusion triggered the barrage. A widely published photograph has since been used in claims of an extraterrestrial visit, though officials found no evidence of this.
Sources and further reading
Location
34.0522, -118.2437