During World War II, volunteers were stationed on the beach to watch out for German U-boats and (more unlikely) enemy aircraft.

One account of a "watcher" incident on Pompano's beach gives an indication of just how vigilant the volunteers could be:

On [an] occasion one of the volunteer plane spotter became highly excited because of a family wash hanging on a line. A family bearing a German name but patriotic American citizens lived near the beach. The good housewife found it necessary to have two wash days one week. Seeing this the sky watcher became convinced that the arrangements of the freshly laundered garments on the line spelled out some kind of code message to a German submarine lurking off shore. He enjoyed his excitement all by himself. No one else bought the story.

(excerpt from Historical Souvenir Program of Pompano Beach's Golden Jubilee, 1958)