The Great Air Raid: A reconstruction of the night the U.S. Army fired on an unidentified object over Los Angeles in February 1942.
In the early morning hours of February 25, 1942, the skies over Southern California became a battlefield. Just months after Pearl Harbor, a massive, glowing object cruised from the Santa Monica Mountains to Orange County, seemingly impervious to a barrage of over 1,400 anti-aircraft shells. This archive documents the firsthand testimony of Scott Littleton, Ph.D., an Emeritus Professor of Anthropology who, as an eight-year-old boy, watched the silent, metallic craft glide directly over his home in Hermosa Beach.
Despite official wartime explanations ranging from “war nerves” to errant weather balloons, Dr. Littleton’s lifelong research concludes that the event was a bona fide UAP encounter. This report examines the technical anomalies of the “attack,” the rumors of a Navy recovery operation off the coast of San Diego, and the enduring mystery of a craft that “dead-silently” defied the combined firepower of the U.S. Army.
Scott Littleton, Ph.D. – MUFON-LA – The Battle of Los Angeles
Scott Littleton, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology from Occidental College, will present a remarkable eyewitness account of a mysterious flying object that “attacked” the L.A. Basin in the early 1940s.
In the early morning hours of February 25,1942, a mysterious object cruised the skies of Southern California from the Santa Monica Mountains to Orange County. Scott Littleton, who was eight years old at the time, witnessed the event and will describe for us how he and his mother stood in front of their Hermosa Beach home watching the glowing object, surrounded by searchlight beams and a profusion of exploding anti-aircraft shells, as it passed almost directly overhead. The object glided slowly and silently along the edge of the ocean at about 8,000 feet, traveling from north to south. It eventually veered inland and disappeared from view over Redondo Beach.
Littleton will discuss a number of theories that have been put forward over the years to explain what the object was: from a lone Japanese observation plane, to an errant barrage balloon, to a flock of wayward sea birds! He will then share his own conclusion with us that it was a bona fide UFO, most likely extraterrestrial in origin. Littleton will also address the rumor he came across in his research that the object had eventually crashed into the Pacific Ocean off of northern San Diego County, only to be retrieved later by the U.S Navy.
Executive Summary
Dr. Littleton presents a synthesis of his personal eyewitness account and decades of anthropological investigation into the 1942 L.A. Basin incident.
Key Technical & Historical Pillars:
The Sightline: At 8,000 feet, a glowing, circular object glided slowly from north to south, illuminated by massive military searchlights.
The Firefight: The 37th Coast Artillery Brigade fired 12.8-pound shells at the object for nearly an hour. Witnesses reported shells exploding directly against the craft with no visible damage.
The Crash Rumor: Littleton addresses high-level military rumors that the object eventually lost power and crashed into the Pacific Ocean near northern San Diego County, where it was allegedly retrieved by the U.S. Navy.
Dismissed Theories: The report deconstructs wartime propaganda, including the “lone Japanese plane” theory (debunked by post-war Japanese records) and the “flock of sea birds” explanation.
The 2026 Grid Connection: This event is highlighted as a precursor to modern UAP incursions, demonstrating a technical immunity to conventional ballistics that remains unexplained.
“It was a bona fide UFO, most likely extraterrestrial in origin… it glided slowly and silently along the edge of the ocean, unaffected by the shells.”
Scott Littleton, Ph.D.
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