Lots of suspects in that case
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Dahlia_suspects

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Los_Angeles

wasn't aware of battle of LA.............. thank you

i am aware of rumored stuff much further up the coast. maybe off vancouver island.

were the japanese or germans ever confirmed as being close to the USA?

way way later than OP wants, but robert evans autobio gets amazing reviews.......... hey, he did the phyllis george and catherine oxenburg double play

No problem

It was thought that the Japanese used "balloon bombs" and some reached the US
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb

There was also German attacks on shipping off the US east coast
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Happy_Time

Hi corpus:

Early in the war a German u-boat was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. The PBS show Nova had a show on this about two years ago.

Best wishes,
Mason

I've heard the Zoot Suit Riots termed "The Battle of LA", but I think that was in a song or it was a literary usage of some kind.

Of course, James Ellroy readers know that in his universe there were all sorts of battles taking place in LA during WWII.

I wasn't aware of that thanks for the heads up

Hi corpus:

What was interesting about this was that the captain of the destroyer that sank the u-boat was told by the navy that he did not sink anything and was sent for retraining. Then a few years ago the wreckage of the u-boat was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.

Unfortunately, the destroyer captain was no longer alive to find out that he had, after many years, been vindicated. But his family attended a ceremony that the Navy had where it was announced that he did indeed sink the u-boat.

Best wishes,
Mason

Just discovered this forum (and this thread) thanks to a mention by Mason on the "Thinking Forum" podcast plugging his new book.

One interesting (notorious) LA "scandal" that hasn't been mentioned was the Brenda Allen vice scandal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Allen

The revelations from this scandal led to the resignation of the LAPD Chief-of-Police (Chief Horrall) and his [eventual] replacement by William H. Parker who remained Chief-of-Police until his death in 1966.

LA Confidential (the movie) is in my "Top Five" list of all time favorite movies. I've watched (and re-watched) that movie at least 50 times. (The "Bloody Christmas" incident portrayed in the movie is based on something that actually happened.)