Gunfire. Commandos. Hostages. All components of a January 4th Siege on City Hall, staged by the War Department in 1944. Yes, 79 years ago today, on a Tuesday afternoon, the War Department arranged for 200 troops to storm the Civic Center, firing blanks, and then make their way to City Hall where they would charge up the steps and take the Mayor hostage. It was jarring to see and left many feeling rattled. This was the intention, of course, as the War Department felt that Americans' support for the war was waning and that people needed to be reminded of its seriousness, so they arranged for a three-day "Army-Navy War Show" at the Coliseum where recently-returned veterans would recreate battle conditions at the center of the stadium. When ticket to that event were not selling fast enough, this "Invasion" was scheduled as a "preview," as they knew that sights of civic institutions being desecrated would provoke anger and hammer home our collective need to "stay on the job and finish the job." — 📸Repost credit @forgottenmadness_la Photos via @lapubliclibrary #history #lahistory #dtlahistory #ilovela #dtla #downtownla #waybackwhen #historybuff #historylovers