Which U.S. Army airfield was attacked at Pearl Harbor and named for aviator Wheeler?

The U.S. Army airfield named for aviator Sheldon Wheeler and attacked during Pearl Harbor was Wheeler Field.

Wheeler Field was an Army Air Corps installation in central Oahu, near present-day Wahiawa. It was a major fighter base and housed many pursuit aircraft before the Japanese attack. Japanese planes struck the field early on December 7, 1941, damaging runways, buildings, and parked aircraft.

The base was named after Major Sheldon Wheeler, an Army aviator who died in a 1921 aircraft accident in Hawaii. Wheeler Field’s location made it important for defending Oahu, but the attack caught its aircraft and personnel before an effective organized response could form.

Wheeler Field is often confused with Hickam Field because both were attacked that morning. Hickam was an Army air base beside Pearl Harbor and was especially associated with bombers and headquarters functions, while Wheeler was a major fighter field farther inland. Both installations are part of the wider Pearl Harbor attack story.