The Battle of Los Angeles: When the US Army Fought a UFO
It was February 25, 1942. The United States had entered World War II just months earlier after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tensions on the West Coast were at an all-time high. Everyone was expecting a Japanese air raid.
At 3:16 AM, air raid sirens wailed across Los Angeles. Searchlights swept the sky. Suddenly, they locked onto something. A large, hovering object appeared in the beams of light. The US Coast Artillery Brigade opened fire.
For the next hour, chaos reigned. Over 1,400 anti-aircraft shells were fired into the sky. Thousands of people watched as the shells exploded against the object. But here is the strange part: The object didn't fall. It didn't shoot back. It just moved slowly and disappeared.
The Phantom Enemy
When the smoke cleared and the sun rose, the military expected to find the wreckage of Japanese bombers. Instead, they found nothing. No enemy planes. No bombs dropped on the city. The only damage was from the falling shrapnel of the US Army's own shells, which damaged cars and homes.
Tragically, five civilians died that night due to car accidents and heart attacks caused by the panic. But what were they shooting at?
The Official Explanation vs. Reality
The Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, held a press conference and declared the entire incident a "false alarm" caused by war nerves. However, the Army contradicted him, stating that unidentified aircraft were present.
Years later, the explanation shifted to a "weather balloon." But witnesses argued that a weather balloon couldn't withstand 1,400 explosive shells and remain in the air for an hour.
The Famous Photograph
The biggest piece of evidence is a photograph published in the Los Angeles Times the next day. It clearly shows searchlights converging on a saucer-shaped object. While skeptics say the photo was retouched (which was common for newspapers back then), UFO enthusiasts believe it is undeniable proof of extraterrestrial visitation.
Japanese Confirmation
After the war, Japanese military records were checked. They confirmed that they had no planes over Los Angeles that night. No submarines launched aircraft. The skies were empty of enemy forces.
So, what hovered over LA that night? Was it a secret US prototype? A mass hallucination shared by thousands of soldiers and civilians? Or was it, as many believe, the first major UFO sighting of the modern era? The Battle of Los Angeles remains one of the few times in history where the military engaged an unknown object in combat—and lost.
