Wheeler Field was home to the Army’s 14th Pursuit Wing in 1941.
The airfield, located in central Oahu, was an important U.S. Army Air Forces fighter base before the Pearl Harbor attack. Japanese aircraft attacked Wheeler because its fighters could have challenged the incoming raid or counterattacked the Japanese carriers. Many American aircraft were parked in tight formations at Hawaiian airfields, a precaution against sabotage that made them easier targets from the air.
Wheeler was not the same installation as Hickam Field. Hickam was a major Army bomber and headquarters base near Pearl Harbor, while Wheeler focused heavily on pursuit and fighter operations. Ford Island was a naval air station in the harbor itself. The distinction among these airfields matters because Japanese attacks struck several locations across Oahu simultaneously, not just the ships at Pearl Harbor.