- [Narrator] You may not know about the infamous battle
of Los Angeles, and yet,
it remains one of the most bizarre incidents
on US soil during all of World War II.
What exactly is the Battle of Los Angeles?
Let's find out on today's episode of Colossal Mysteries.
On December 7th, 1941,
the Japanese bombed the American fleet in Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, officially bringing the United States
into World War II.
As you might imagine, tensions were high all
across the country and fear of another surprise attack
had people predictably paranoid.
Just two days after Pearl Harbor,
false reports of enemy aircraft near New York City
sent the Big Apple into a big panic.
And over the following days and weeks,
everything from logs to whales were confused
for approaching war ships or submarines.
By February 1942, the sunny city of Los Angeles
was fully afraid of invasion and tensions simmered.
They finally bubbled over on the evening of the 23rd,
when a Japanese submarine surfaced just
off the coast of Santa Barbara, California,
and opened fire on an oil field.
The damage was minimal and no one was hurt
in the surprise attack,
but it caused the entire west coast to go
into an outright panic about the potential of an invasion.
What happened the next night has become known
as the Battle of Los Angeles.
It started with the Navy brass telling their units
all along the west coast to prepare for
a possible overnight attack.
The sailors manned their stations and waited.
Somewhere around 2:00 a.m., early the next morning,
radar picked up signals that looked like enemy ships
about 120 miles from LA and closing in fast.
By 2:25, air raid sirens sounded across the city
and a total black out was ordered.
Soldiers manned anti-aircraft weapons and several spotlights
searched the skies for enemies.
By 3:00 a.m., there were reports of unidentified objects
and some soldiers finally lost their nerve, opening fire.
This started a chain reaction, and before long,
units up and down the coast were unleashing
a wild barrage of orange bullets into the sky.
During the chaotic scene,
now know as the Battle of Los Angeles,
or the Great Los Angeles Air Raid,
many citizens reportedly saw enemy planes flying around,
firing bullets and dropping bombs amid the chaos.
But as the dust settled the next morning,
one creepy and mysterious truth became clear.
There had been no attack at all.
Despite the radar signals and eyewitness sightings
of enemy planes, there appeared to be not a single shred
of evidence that any invasion had taken place.
So, what happened?
Could there be some sort of paranormal explanation
for this strange night in Los Angeles or can it
all be chucked up to a collective case of frayed nerves?
Conspiracy theorists have concocted all sorts
of strange stories to explain the night's events,
such as government cover-up, alien encounter,
or even ghost ships of crashed fighter pilots.
But most experts agree that the Battle of Los Angeles
was likely nothing more than nervous Navy sailors
reacting to old faulty radar equipment,
causing a bit of chaos overnight.
Once the first shots were fired,
the combustible combo of spotlight smoke,
friendly fire and shear terror took over.
Before long, soldiers and civilians alike believed
that they were seeing things in the sky
that simply weren't there.
So it turns out it's true what they say about Hollywood.
What you think you see is usually nothing more
than an expensive illusion.
(lively music)