False Alarm Over California
Two nights after a Japanese submarine shelled the Ellwood oil field, Naval Intelligence warned Los Angeles to expect another attack. Searchlights soon locked onto radar tracks and gunners unleashed more than 1,400 rounds for nearly two hours. Residents reported falling fragments and widespread confusion.
Minute-by-Minute
- ~19:18, 24 Feb – Coastal units receive notice of a possible raid within ten hours.1
- 02:00 – Army radar spots a target 120 miles offshore; a blackout is ordered.2
- 03:06 – A balloon with a red flare drifts over Santa Monica, prompting heavy barrages.3
- ~04:15 – Firing ceases after about 1,430 rounds are expended.4
- Dawn – No wreckage is found; five civilians die from accidents and heart attacks.5
Origin and Story Evolution
The Navy quickly called the incident a false alarm while the War Department briefly considered enemy planes from submarines. Postwar analyses pointed to a weather balloon and jittery crews as the cause. UFO writers later framed the barrage as an early, suppressed encounter.