Japanese forces destroyed 188 U.S. military aircraft during the Pearl Harbor attack.
Most American aircraft were parked closely together on airfields around Oahu. This arrangement was intended to reduce the risk of sabotage, but it also made the planes vulnerable to strafing and bombing from the air.
The attack damaged or destroyed aircraft at locations including Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, Bellows Field, Ford Island, and Kaneohe Bay. Many aircraft could not take off before they were hit, while a smaller number of American pilots managed to get airborne.
The total is sometimes confused with the number of aircraft damaged. Japanese losses were far smaller in aircraft terms, although Japan did lose several midget submarines and many airmen during the operation.