Summary

In the early morning hours of February 25, 1942, air raid sirens wailed across Los Angeles as anti-aircraft batteries opened fire on unidentified objects in the sky. The “Battle of Los Angeles” saw 1,400 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition fired at mysterious targets that seemed impervious to the barrage. Despite the intense bombardment lasting several hours, no enemy aircraft were shot down, leading to decades of speculation about what triggered one of America’s most mysterious wartime incidents.

The Incident

Timeline of Events

At 2:25 AM, air raid sirens sounded throughout Los Angeles County. The regional blackout was ordered, and thousands of air raid wardens took their positions. Anti-aircraft batteries went on alert as radar operators tracked unidentified objects approaching from the ocean.

At 3:16 AM, the 37th Coast Artillery Brigade began firing .50 caliber machine guns and 12.8-pound anti-aircraft shells into the air. The barrage continued intermittently until 4:14 AM. Searchlights swept the sky, converging on targets that witnesses described as various shapes and sizes.

Military Response

The Army’s Western Defense Command ordered the firing after radar detected what appeared to be enemy aircraft. However, the objects’ behavior puzzled military observers:

  • Slow movement (some reported hovering)
  • No evasive maneuvers despite heavy fire
  • No return fire or dropped bombs
  • Apparent invulnerability to anti-aircraft shells

Navy Secretary Frank Knox initially called it a “false alarm,” but Army Chief of Staff George Marshall’s memo to President Roosevelt described it as involving unidentified aircraft.

Witness Accounts

Civilian Observations

Thousands of Los Angeles residents witnessed the spectacle. Common descriptions included:

  • Large, pale objects moving slowly across the sky
  • Smaller objects appearing to fly in formation
  • Direct hits on objects with no apparent effect
  • Objects illuminated by converging searchlight beams

Long Beach Police Chief J.H. McClelland reported: “I watched what was described as the second wave of planes from atop the seven-story Long Beach City Hall. An experienced Naval observer with me using powerful Carl Zeiss binoculars said he counted nine planes in the cone of the searchlight. He said they were silver in color.”

Photographic Evidence

Several photographs were taken during the incident, the most famous appearing in the Los Angeles Times on February 26, 1942. The image shows searchlight beams converging on an object in the night sky with anti-aircraft bursts surrounding it. The photograph has been analyzed numerous times, with some claiming to see a classic saucer-shaped craft at the convergence point.

Casualties and Damage

Despite no enemy aircraft being downed, the incident resulted in:

  • 5 civilian deaths (3 from car accidents during blackout, 2 from heart attacks)
  • Property damage from falling shell fragments
  • Widespread panic and confusion

Official Explanations

Immediate Aftermath

The military provided conflicting explanations:

  • Navy: False alarm possibly triggered by “war nerves”
  • Army: Unidentified aircraft, possibly commercial planes used for reconnaissance
  • Some officials suggested weather balloons

Later Analysis

In 1983, the U.S. Office of Air Force History concluded it was likely a case of “war nerves” triggered by a lost weather balloon and exacerbated by stray flares and shell bursts from the antiaircraft batteries.

Alternative Theories

Japanese Submarine Hypothesis

Some historians suggest Japanese submarines may have launched weather balloons or small aircraft to probe American defenses. However, no Japanese records support this theory, and the submarines known to be in the area had no such capability.

Extraterrestrial Hypothesis

UFO researchers point to several anomalous aspects:

  • Objects’ apparent invulnerability to anti-aircraft fire
  • Slow, controlled movement unlike any known aircraft of the era
  • Multiple reliable witnesses including military personnel
  • The famous photograph showing an apparently solid object

Historical Context

The incident occurred just three months after Pearl Harbor, when invasion fears gripped the West Coast. The day before, a Japanese submarine had shelled the Ellwood oil installation near Santa Barbara, heightening tensions.

Modern Analysis

Contemporary researchers note that:

  • Weather balloons of that era couldn’t withstand anti-aircraft fire
  • No aircraft wreckage was ever found despite extensive searching
  • Radar operators maintained they tracked solid objects
  • The duration and intensity of firing suggests military personnel believed they were engaging real targets

Legacy

The Battle of Los Angeles remains one of the most well-documented mass UFO sightings in history. It demonstrated:

  • The military’s willingness to engage unidentified aerial objects
  • The phenomenon of UFOs appearing during wartime
  • The difficulty authorities face in explaining anomalous events
  • The persistence of mystery despite extensive documentation

Whether the objects were misidentified conventional aircraft, secret military experiments, or something more exotic, the Battle of Los Angeles stands as a pivotal event in UFO history, predating the modern UFO era by five years and showing that unidentified aerial phenomena could trigger major military responses with significant consequences.