The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Wheeler Field (158.035W
21.475N) was located in central Oahu.
It was a modern air base with 85 reventments capable of sheltering 109 aircraft,
and runways adequate to permit three fighters
to take off simultaneously.
When war broke out, the field was headquarters of 14 Pursuit Wing, and based 8 P-26s and 20 P-36s of 45 and 46 Fighter Squadrons and 89 P-40s of the 18 Interceptor Group.
The base was flattened during the Pearl Harbor attack. Losses were
40 P-40s, which had been parked in the center of the runway instead of in the revetments as a
security measure against sabotage,
and which were a perfect target for dive bombers and strafing fighters.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009, 2012 by Kent G. Budge. Index
