The Battle of Los Angeles

In the early morning hours of February 25, 1942, anti-aircraft batteries across Los Angeles opened fire on an unidentified object in the sky. Over 1,400 rounds were fired. Despite the massive barrage, nothing was shot down, and the target was never officially identified. The incident remains unexplained.

Context

The United States was on edge:

• Pearl Harbor had been attacked less than 3 months earlier
• Japanese attack on the West Coast was feared
• Air raid defenses were on high alert
• Any aerial threat would trigger response

The Night

At approximately 2:25 AM:

• Air raid sirens sounded across Los Angeles
• A total blackout was ordered
• Searchlights began sweeping the sky
• Something was detected overhead

The Barrage

Anti-aircraft batteries opened fire:

• Over 1,400 shells fired
• The barrage lasted hours
• Shrapnel rained on the city
• Multiple civilians were killed by falling debris

What Was Seen

Witnesses reported:

• Searchlights converging on an object
• A large, slow-moving target
• The object apparently unaffected by fire
• Some saw multiple objects

The Famous Photograph

The LA Times published a photo showing:

• Searchlights converging on a point
• Shell bursts around an apparent target
• An object seemingly illuminated
• The image became iconic

Casualties

The incident caused:

• Several civilian deaths from shrapnel
• Heart attacks from stress
• Property damage from falling rounds
• Traffic accidents during blackout

Official Explanation

The military offered explanations:

• War nerves and false alarm
• Weather balloons
• Commercial aircraft
• Japanese planes that couldn’t be found
• None were satisfying

Problems with Explanations

Critics noted:

• Weather balloons don’t withstand 1,400 rounds
• No wreckage was found
• No aircraft were identified
• Multiple searchlight operators converged on same target

Japanese Denial

After the war:

• Japan confirmed no aircraft were over LA that night
• No Japanese submarine-launched planes
• The attackers—if any—weren’t Japanese
• The mystery deepened

The UFO Theory

UFO researchers propose:

• An unknown craft triggered the response
• It survived massive anti-aircraft fire
• It departed without being destroyed
• The military had no explanation

Secretary Knox Statement

Navy Secretary Frank Knox called it:

• “A false alarm”
• Due to “war nerves”
• But this didn’t explain what everyone saw
• Or why guns fired for hours

Significance

The Battle of Los Angeles is significant for:

• Massive military response to unknown target
• Over a million witnesses
• No wreckage despite 1,400 rounds
• Never officially explained
• Occurred before “flying saucer” era

Legacy

The Battle of Los Angeles demonstrates that unexplained aerial phenomena predate the modern UFO era. A million people watched as the military fired at something that couldn’t be identified—and couldn’t be shot down.