The Great Los Angeles Air Raid, also known as the Battle of Los Angeles, was an event that occurred on the night of February 24-25, 1942, during World War II. It involved the mistaken identification of an aircraft or aircrafts by the United States military as enemy planes, which prompted an anti-aircraft artillery barrage over Los Angeles.
3 Great Sources
- The Official Military Report
- The Los Angeles Times Article
- Book by by William H. Breuer
The Offical Military Report
The official military report on the incident was prepared by the Army Air Forces and released in 1943, which can be found in the National Archives. This report provides an overview of the event and includes a detailed account of the military’s response to the perceived air raid. Other records in the National archive include correspondence, orders, reports, and other documents related to the military’s response to the perceived air raid, and may provide additional information about the event.
The Los Angeles Times Article
The Los Angeles Times article about the Great Los Angeles Air Raid was published on February 25, 1942.
According to the article, the incident began at around 2:25 a.m. when military authorities received reports of unidentified aircraft in the vicinity of Los Angeles. Anti-aircraft batteries were mobilized and began firing on the planes, and the incident quickly escalated as more and more batteries joined in the firing. The article reported that a “barrage of shells” was directed at the planes and that the “sound of exploding shells was plainly heard in many parts of the city.”
The article also stated that the planes were “apparently moving at a high rate of speed,” and that they were “believed to be enemy planes.” However, no planes were actually shot down or confirmed to be enemy planes, and it was later determined that the incident was a false alarm caused by a combination of factors including weather conditions and “war nerves.”
The Book
“The Great Los Angeles Air Raid” by William H. Breuer, provides a detailed account of the event based on government and military documents and interviews with participants. The book is based on extensive research, including a review of government and military documents and interviews with participants in the incident.