Page "Wheeler Army Airfield" Paragraph 8

Wheeler Army Airfield was a primary target and site of the first attack on 7 December 1941, leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese attacked the airfield to prevent the numerous planes there from getting airborne and engaging them.

Most of the planes were destroyed, but 12 pilots assigned to the 15th Pursuit Group at Wheeler ( predecessor of the 15th Air Base Wing ) succeeded in getting their P-36 Hawk and P-40 Warhawk aircraft off the ground, engaged the enemy in furious dogfights, and scored some of the first American victories of World War II.