The 4-minute head start that doomed Pearl Harbor

Wheeler Field

Four minutes before Pearl Harbor, Japan struck Wheeler Field first. At 7:48 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Japanese planes swooped down on this main U.S. fighter base.

General Short had bunched most planes together to prevent sabotage, but this made them easy targets. Soon after, 25 dive bombers dropped 35 bombs on hangars and strafed the flight line.

The attack left 33 dead, 75 wounded, and 54 planes destroyed. By hitting Wheeler first, Japan wiped out America’s air defense before moving on to the battleships.

Today, this National Historic Landmark stands as the true opening scene of America’s entry into World War II.

Wheeler Field Became America’s First World War II Target

Wheeler Field was the main Army Air Forces fighter base on Oahu in 1941. It housed P-40 Warhawks and P-36s that defended Hawaiian airspace.

General Short made a bad call by putting most fighter planes at Wheeler to prevent sabotage, unknowingly creating perfect targets.

Japanese planners spotted this weakness and marked Wheeler as the first target to knock out before hitting Pearl Harbor.

By December 1941, Wheeler had 140 fighter planes lined up on its exposed flight line, along with hangars, barracks, a control tower and fuel systems.

Six Japanese Aircraft Carriers Set Course for Hawaii

Japanese naval forces started their secret mission on November 26, 1941, when six aircraft carriers left the Kuril Islands for Hawaii with 408 planes.

On December 7, at 6:00 AM, the first wave of 183 planes took off from carriers 230 miles north of Oahu. The attack force split into three groups, with 51 dive bombers aiming for Ford Island and Wheeler Field.

Another 43 Zero fighters got orders to shoot at planes at Wheeler, Hickam, Ford Island, Barber’s Point and Kaneohe. The Japanese stayed completely silent during their 3,500-mile approach.

Bombs Started Falling Four Minutes Before Pearl Harbor

The Japanese air attack began at 7:48 AM Hawaiian time at Kaneohe and Wheeler Field, four minutes before bombs hit Pearl Harbor. Dive bombers struck American air bases across Oahu all at once.

At Wheeler, 25 Japanese dive bombers came in from 5,000 feet in a follow-the-leader pattern. They dropped about 35 bombs on Wheeler’s hangars and parked planes during the first 15-minute attack.

American radar operators at Opana Point saw the planes coming, but commanders thought they were B-17s arriving from California.

American Planes Made Perfect Targets in Neat Rows

Japanese dive bombers found 140 American fighter planes sitting helpless in tight rows on Wheeler’s flight line. P-40 Warhawks and P-36 fighters parked side by side made easy targets for Japanese bombs.

Direct hits on fuel trucks, ammo dumps and planes caused huge explosions across the airfield. Many hangars fell apart down to their steel frames with twisted metal and blown-out windows.

Japanese pilots followed their bombing with machine gun runs, turning Wheeler’s flight line into a river of fire as fuel and ammo caught fire.

Sunday Morning Calm Shattered for Sleeping Soldiers

Most Army pilots were relaxing in their quarters when the attack started at 7:48 AM. Amos Peterson, a 19-year-old Army cook, got thrown against the cafeteria wall by a blast.

Many pilots watched helplessly as their barracks caught fire from direct hits. Some soldiers thought the Navy was running drills until they saw real bombs exploding around them.

Pilots ran toward their planes as Japanese guns opened fire, but most aircraft were destroyed before anyone could reach them.

A Few Brave Pilots Managed to Get Airborne

Four P-40s and two P-36s took off from Wheeler 35 minutes after the attack started despite the chaos.

Lieutenants George Welch and Kenneth Taylor drove 10 miles to Haleiwa airfield where their P-40s sat unarmed but undamaged. These pilots got in the air during the first wave and shot down several Japanese aircraft.

The 45th Fighter Squadron got orders to fly close to noon with a mix of surviving P-36s and P-40s. Army planes made 81 takeoffs that day despite the massive damage to Wheeler.

The Second Wave Hit Just as Recovery Began

At 8:50 AM, a second wave of 171 Japanese planes hit Wheeler and other Oahu airfields, giving Americans no time to regroup. Japanese aircraft came back to shoot up Wheeler’s flight line but found little left to destroy.

Four P-36s from the 46th Pursuit Squadron left Wheeler to help other attacked airfields around the island. The second wave lasted until about 9:45 AM with little extra damage to Wheeler.

The Japanese successfully took out American air power first before focusing on the ships.

Rows of Bodies Lined the Tarmac After the Attack

The attack killed 33 soldiers and wounded 75 at Wheeler. Bodies of dead American servicemen lined up in rows for survivors to identify.

Cook Amos Peterson had to identify fallen friends, a task that haunted many survivors.

Most deaths happened among pilots and ground crews caught in barracks and on the flight line during the surprise attack.

These casualties included both combat deaths and people trapped in burning buildings who couldn’t escape the flames.

More Than Half of Hawaii’s Air Defense Vanished in Minutes

Wheeler Field lost 54 American aircraft completely destroyed in the attack. Of 233 aircraft in the Hawaiian Air Force, only 83 still worked after the Japanese left.

Wheeler alone lost 42 combat planes with others badly damaged. Bomb holes and shrapnel marks scarred Wheeler’s concrete tarmac for decades.

The destruction wiped out Hawaii’s main fighter defense against a possible Japanese invasion that many military leaders feared would follow the air raid.

Japanese Pilots Achieved Their Primary Mission

The Japanese met their main goal of wiping out American air defenses before attacking Pearl Harbor’s battleships. The Wheeler Field attack stopped fighters from protecting the ships in the harbor below.

Coordinated strikes on all Oahu airfields gave the Japanese complete control of the air throughout the attack. The raid lasted two hours with Japanese forces leaving by 10:00 AM.

The success at Wheeler added to the overall damage: 2,403 Americans killed and the Pacific Fleet crippled in a single morning.

The Airfield Rose From the Ashes to Fight Back

Wheeler Field quickly recovered despite massive damage and resumed critical operations within days. The base played an important role throughout World War II as a staging area for Pacific operations against Japan.

In 1944, the Seventh Air Service Command established headquarters at Wheeler to support B-29 bombers operating from the Marianas Islands.

The field briefly went into caretaker status in 1949 but got reactivated during the Korean War as America again needed its strategic Pacific location.

Today Wheeler Army Airfield remains an active military installation, with its 1941 buildings preserved as a National Historic Landmark District.

Visiting Wheeler Field, Hawaii

Wheeler Field is an active military base, so you can’t just walk in due to security rules. You need a military sponsor and background check to get an Automated Installation Entry Pass.

Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours runs Pearl Harbor Anniversary tours that include Wheeler Army Airfield access.

For easier options, check out Wheeler Field attack artifacts at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Ford Island, or attend December 7 ceremonies at the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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