"The Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942" Recreated at Fort MacArthur

From the March 1, 1942, LA Times by Sebastien Basset.

The event took place Feb. 20 at Fort MacArthur Museum in San Pedro where the annual event and fundraiser was held.

Back on the night of Feb. 24-25, 1942, unidentified flying object(s) were spotted around Los Angeles, setting off a panic because of paranoia of a Japanese attack on the mainland so soon after Pearl Harbor. The Los Angeles area contained many vital military factories.

Fort MacArthur was the site of a former coastal defense artillery battery.

The event featured Big Band music, singers, dancers and, as darkness fell, air raid sirens blared, a wartime blackout followed, searchlights lit the sky and then a fireworks show recreated that night.  Military re-enactors scrambled to their posts and there was the sound of machine gun and artillery fire coming from a vintage tank on the property.

Hope They raised Som,e Needed Funds.  It Sounded Like a Real Good Time.  --GreGen