Ellwood's psychological aftermath

Ellwood had little military effect but a large psychological impact. No one died in the shelling, yet the next night's Battle of Los Angeles produced three fatal car accidents and two fatal heart attacks even though no enemy force was present. A weather balloon, war nerves, false sightings, and the momentum of air-defense fire created targets in the defenders' imagination. Rumors of Japanese carriers and signals from shore magnified fears already sharpened by Pearl Harbor. That climate contributed to Japanese American internment, which removed people from military service, industry, and civilian life at a time when the wider war effort needed them.