The Battle of Los Angeles – UFOs Over Hollywood

War is a terrible thing. It brings the worst traits of humans out and cranks the intensity up to 11. Paranoia and fear can make the most even-keeled of people lash out at imaginary foes.

Less than 3 months after the United States of America was dragged into World War 2 by the Japanese, they would once again face an attack on their home soil. Or so they thought.

Japanese bomber or intergalactic disco?

Pearl Harbor

The Imperial Japanese navy was eager for a scrap. Being allied with Nazi Germany meant that they had no shortage of enemies, but few of those enemies could even access the Japanese forces.

Despite their brutal invasion of mainland China, they still wanted more. They defeated Imperial Russia only a few short decades earlier. Japanese generals craved glory and honor, and they weren't getting it in the invasion of China or Korea.

Their ambitions lead them to the USA. Such a massive industrial power of the West would make the perfect enemy for the island empire of Japan. In the early morning of December 1941, Japanese aircraft conducted a merciless bombing of the U.S. Naval Base on Oahu Island, Hawaii.

When the smoke cleared, the sleeping titan that was the U.S. war machine was fully awake. They would engage the Axis Powers on all fronts within a matter of days. Our world would be shaped by that Titan's war-lust from then on.

War Jitters, Japanese Raid, or UFOs?

There seems to be some *checks notes* 'Swamp Gas' in the sky

24 February 1942 started like any other day in Los Angeles, California. People went about their business and the army kept their eyes on the sky. Everyone was on edge, the trauma of the attack on Pearl Harbor was still fresh, and in their minds the Japanese could strike at any moment.

The day before the event that would become known as The Battle of Los Angeles, a Japanese submarine surfaced off the coast of California. From the deck of the submarine, its crew fired at the Ellwood Oil Field for 20 minutes. Their assault caused minimal damage, but the message was clear: The West Coast was an open target.

The office of Naval Intelligence anticipated an attack on the 24th. They issued a warning which put the whole coast on high alert. Stress levels and trigger fingers were primed for an incident.

That's why, in the wee hours of 25 February, a report of an unknown object in the sky sent the 37th Coast Artillery Brigade into action. California County was plunged into a total blackout as a precaution to potential bombing of civilians. The air raid sirens went off at 2:25 am, and the counterattack erupted 51 minutes later.

Witnesses described the object in a few different ways. Some described it as Bell-shaped, others saw an oblong object, and some claimed to see a disc. Whatever it was, the artillery corps trained their spotlights on it and opened fire.

In the next hour, over 1,400 rounds were fired at the object. When the smoke cleared later that day, the citizens discovered that several buildings had been damaged by shrapnel or shells returning to the ground. Nothing had been attacked by an enemy.

5 people died during the Battle of Los Angeles. 3 perished in car accidents caused by the blackout and subsequent unleashing of artillery fire. Heart-attacks claimed a further 2 people.

The next morning, Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, held a press conference. He reassured the public that there had been no attack. The incident was caused by “War Nerves”.

Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, contradicted Mr. Knox by claiming that at least 15 planes had “Buzzed” the city. Soon enough, he would change his claim to match what Frank Knox said.

No debris was found, and there was no evidence of any aircraft in the sky that night. Artillerymen swore they could see the enemy, and that they actually took some down, but it seems to have been nothing more than smoke and jitters.

After the war, Japanese military command was asked about the incident and claimed that they had never flown any aircraft over Los Angeles. Statements like these make UFO researchers get very excited.