ATTACKS ON CALIFORNIA

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Californians lived in fear of a Japanese invasion. The Japanese attacked several ships along the coast, and a long-range submarine bombed an oil field near Santa Barbara on Feb. 23, 1942. The next day, rumors of an invasion triggered air-raid sirens and anti-aircraft fire in Los Angeles that became known as The Battle of Los Angeles. U.S. anti-aircraft guns fired about 1,400 rounds over the city. No planes or bombs were discovered, and the incident was later determined to be a false alarm.

There were also unmanned balloon bombs found at Alturas and Hayfork.

The U.S. Army began building bases and expanding installations in the state in 1939. After the Pearl Harbor attack, the California coastline was fortified with hundreds of cannons and anti-aircraft batteries. The harbors in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego were protected with minefields, and military bases in the Golden State became key training areas for the wars in Europe and the Pacific.

Soldiers weren’t the only newcomers to California; thousands of workers flocked here. California accounted for 17% of the nation’s wartime production and received 10 cents of every dollar spent by the Defense Department.

One of the biggest booms for the state’s economy came in agriculture. From 1940 to 1944, the state’s annual crop revenues increased 159% to $1.7 billion.

During World War II, the state had more than 140 military bases and was also a leading manufacturing center.

Less than 20% of the bases in California during WWII remain in use today.