Duds

The sirens wailed. An air raid.

Los Angeles citizens crawled out of beds and goggled at the moon. The city had been blacked out. Suddenly, from dozens of Army anti-aircraft posts, searchlights lanced the dark. Orange bursts blossomed in the sky. The city shook with the concussion of ack-ack guns. For almost two hours, except for one 15-minute interval of scary silence, batteries coughed steadily, spewed 1,430 rounds of ammunition into the night.

Los Angelenos had no doubt that they were being attacked. Early morning extras confirmed the fact. Said the Los Angeles Times:...

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