In Remembrance: The Battle of Los Angeles

In Remembrance: The Battle of Los Angeles
                                                                                                                                                  by Jeff Krause

In the pre-dawn hours of February 25th, 1947, between 3:12 and 4:15 AM, the morning silence was broken by the sound of air raid sirens and artillery fire as the 37th Coast Artillery Brigade in Los Angeles, California, opened fire on an unknown object that was silently floating over the Santa Monica Mountains. By the time the firing stopped, over 1,400 artillery rounds had been fired with seemingly no effect on whatever object was seen in the early morning skies. A now famous photo published the next day in the Los Angeles Times shows the convergence of the air raid searchlights on an apparently disc-shaped object while artillery rounds are exploding around it to no effect. 

There are many different accounts of what was actually seen in the sky that morning ranging from some witnesses that swear they actually could see airplanes, to some witnesses that say they saw something resembling a balloon, to other witnesses who say they actually saw a disc-shaped craft fly directly over their heads. To properly understand the level of anxiety that permeated this event it is perhaps helpful to look at the preceding days that led up to it.

On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States was thrust wholeheartedly into World War 2. The whole country was on heightened alert and still reeling from the massive attack when another event occurred just two months later. Around 7:00 PM on February 23rd, 1942, a Japanese submarine, I-17 Captained by Commander Kozo Nishino, surfaced just offshore opposite the Ellwood Oil Field near Santa Barbara, California. Fifteen minutes later the crew opened fire using the subs deck gun, aiming for the Richfield Oil storage tanks. The shells missed their intended target and only destroyed an oil derrick and a pump house, while the Ellwood Pier and a catwalk only suffered minor damage.

​Japanese postcard depicting the shelling of the Ellwood Refinery.

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After 20 minutes the sub ceased firing and sailed away. Estimates are that it fired between 12-25 explosive shells. Although only causing light damage, Nishino achieved his goal of spreading fear along the American west coast. Sadly, one result of this attack was the internment of Japanese American citizens. The other obvious result is the fact that all residents of Southern California were now on hyper-vigilant alert for any activity out of the normal. Curfews and blackouts were under order at the time when in the early morning hours of February 25th the mysterious craft was spotted.

According to the History.com website it all started "when naval intelligence instructed units on the California coast to steel themselves for a potential Japanese attack. All remained calm for the next few hours, but shortly after 2 a.m. on February 25, military radar picked up what appeared to be an enemy contact some 120 miles west of Los Angeles. Air raid sirens sounded and a citywide blackout was put into effect. Within minutes, troops had manned anti-aircraft guns and begun sweeping the skies with searchlights."

Although over 1,400 artillery shells and thousands of .50 caliber rounds were fired at the object the only known damage was on the ground. As daylight dawned the next day the effects of the barrage became apparent when reports of shrapnel damage came flooding in.

Despite what many would say one fact remains clear; whatever was seen that night was not identified, making it truly a UFO event!