The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Santa Monica (118.493W
34.013N) is a city on the Pacific coast twelve miles (19 km) west of Los Angeles. It was the location of a Douglas aircraft plant.
Douglas-Santa Monica. The production schedule of this aircraft plant was as follows:
| Aircraft Type | Average Airframes Per Month | Starting Month | Ending Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-20 Havoc
|
136 |
<12-1941 |
1944-12 |
| C-47 Skytrain |
21 |
<12-1941 |
1943-9 |
| C-54 Skymaster |
14 |
1942-11 |
1945-8 |
The city featured prominently in the "Battle of Los Angeles", 24-25 February 1942, when numerous spurious aircraft sightings led to three hours of antiaircraft fire at nonexistent targets. The gunners were at a heightened state of alert due to a mistaken Navy intelligence indicating a possible raid that night and the submarine bombardment of the Ellwood oil field the previous night. Based on the available evidence, a plausible hypothesis is that the gunners first opened fire at a real but harmless weather balloon over Santa Monica.
References
Craven and Cate (1947; accessed 2011-4-23)
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