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Kyle Boatright wrote:
SNIP:
In hindsight, the Japanese would have done far better to send the same
aircraft on a one way to drop a bomb on LA. Imagine the panic and subsequent
reallocation of resources that would have caused. It would have mirrored
Doolittle's raid in that respect.
KB

Bingo! I was a kid in LA when there was a small panic slightly
lampooned in that epic "1942". Searchlights, sirens, some 90mm ack
ack. ASIR the only damage done was a dud 90 shell that targeted a
private garage up by Hollywood, fortunately dud on impact too.
Enlivened an otherwise dull evening for a couple young boys, my brother
and myself. Think but not sure that the alert was triggered by a Jap
sub shelling an oil service pier up by Summerland (N of Santa Barbara).
24 rounds that hit dirt but nothing else.
Walt BJ