The Battle of Los Angeles (1942)

<p>The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Los Angeles Incident or Los Angeles Air Raid Alert, is a major military and ufological event that occurred above the city of Los Angeles in California during the night of February 24-25, 1942.</p><h2>Context</h2><p>A few months after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States is on maximum alert against the Japanese threat. The California coast, particularly the Los Angeles region, is considered vulnerable to a possible aerial or amphibious attack. Military authorities maintain a reinforced air defense network and civilians are regularly subjected to blackout and curfew drills.</p><h2>The Facts</h2><p>During the night of February 24-25, 1942, around 3 o'clock in the morning, radar detects an unidentified flying object approaching Los Angeles from the Pacific Ocean. The air raid alert is triggered immediately. The American military's anti-aircraft batteries, stationed around the city, receive orders to open fire. Between 3:16 and 4:14 in the morning, approximately 1,400 shells of 40 mm caliber are fired toward the object.</p>