The Mighty Eighth - 26 February 1942

In February 1942, Angelenos woke to air raid sirens and a city blackout. At first, residents thought the city was under attack. For nearly an hour anti-aircraft shells were fired at reported aircraft. However, the next morning, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox told the press it was a false alarm. Just "war nerves," he said. The press and the people didn't buy it and rumors of a coverup ensued. Some even believed the alleged aircraft were really unidentified flying objects. Early on the morning of Feb. 25, a UFO (an unidentified flying object) appeared over the Los Angeles sky. Keep in mind that the nation was at war and this was just months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and less than 24 hours after a Japanese sub had launched an attack against coastal targets near Santa Barbara (remember how on edge we were in the months after 9/11 and you’ll get a sense of what it must have been like back then). So it’s no surprise that the UFO set off sirens and sent the city into blackout mode in anticipation of an enemy attack. Anti-aircraft artillery was unsuccessfully fired at the object (over 1,400 rounds). Six people died—three from the anti-aircraft fire and three from related heart attacks—before the citywide state of emergency was lifted later that morning. Hours after the air raid, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox declared that the whole incident was a false alarm caused by “war nerves” and, in 1983, Air Force officials officially concluded the UFO was simply a weather balloon. However, many people don’t buy this explanation, pointing to the fact that 1,400 rounds of ammunition should’ve been enough to take out a common weather balloon. Whatever really happened, it’s a great story and a part of Los Angeles lore. You will have to decide for yourself what really happened over the skies of L.A. on that night so many years ago.