WW II Pacific, Dec 7, 1941

Aircraft at Pearl Harbor United States Aircraft

USAAC: Hawaiian Air Force (7th AF) Hickam Air Base 33 Douglas B-18 Bolo 2-engine standard bomber, 1936 12 Boeing B-17D Flying Fortress 4-engine heavy bomber, 1939 13 Douglas A-20A Havoc 2-engine attack/light bomber, 1940 2 Douglas C-33 (DC-2) 2-engine freighter Wheeler Air Base 6 Boeing P-26A Peashooter open cockpit pursuit, 1934 6 Boeing P-26B Peashooter open cockpit pursuit, 1935 39 Curtiss P-36A Mohawk pursuit, 1937 87 Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk pursuit, 1940 11 Curtiss P-40C Kittyhawk pursuit, 1941 3 Martin B-12 2-engine medium bomber, 1934 3 Grumman OAF-9 Goose observation amphibian 2 Douglas BT-2 biplane basic trainer 2 North American AT-6 Texan advanced trainer 1 Seversky AT-12A Guardsman, advance trainer Five Mohawks engaged Zeros, flaming two, with the loss of one P-36. Bellows Air Field 6 North American O-47B observation plane 2 Stinson O-49 Vigilant L-1 observation plane Two P-40's on training at Bellows attempted to take off and were shot down before gaining altitude. Other pilots were killed on the ground.
1 Martin B-12 - Reader's his Dad was there. May have been one of the Wheeler planes.

Haleiwa Air Field 2 Curtiss P-36 Mohawk pursuit 8 Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk pursuit The only unattacked air field launched at least 3 P-40's and 1 P-36 on seven sorties and claimed 7-8 Japanese diver bombers with the loss of the P-36 to anti-aircraft fire. On the 7th of December 1941, there were 223 army aircraft based in Hawaii. Airplane Total B-17 D 12 B-18 A 33 A-20 A 12 P-40 C 12 P-40 B 87 P-36 A 39 P-26 14 Destroyed Damaged Combat Ready 4 4 4 12 10 11 2 5 5 5 5 2 37 25 25 4 19 16 0 0 14

Total

223

64

82

77

Twelve USAAC B-17 bombers arrived during the attack. (B-17C and B-17E) They were unarmed, stripped for the overseas journey to Philippines. One was destroyed, three others badly damaged. One B-24A (prototype Liberator) intended for a secret photo mission is seldom reported; it was destroyed in the attack. Four to nine Curtiss A-12 Shrike single-engine, light bombers (1932) still remained in service in Hawaii : 2- Hickam, 2- Wheeler, others-?. Marine Corp : Ewa Marine Corp Air Station (pronounced e'vee) 11 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighter 8 Vought SB2U-3 Vindicator scout/bomber 20 Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless scout/dive-bomber, 1940 3 Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless scout/dive-bomber, 1941 2 Grumman J2F-4 Duck utility floatplane, amphibian 1 Lockheed JO-2 Electra Junior, six seat transport 1 Sikorsky JRS-1 Twin-engine, 18 passage flying boat 2 Douglas R3D-2 (DC-5) 2-engine paratroop transport 1 North American SNJ-3 Texan advanced trainer Midway NAS 18 Vought SB2U-3 Vindicator scout/bomber Wake NAS 12 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighter, just delivered by Enterprise. U S Navy: Naval Base Defense Air Force Pearl Harbor (Ford Island) Naval Air Station 19 Grumman J2F Duck single engine utility amphibian 9 Sikorsky JRS 18 passenger amphibian flying boat 2 Consolidated PBY-1 Catalina patrol bomber, flying boat, 1936 Puunene (Lahaina Roads) NAS 4 Beech JRB 2-engine utility 4 Northrop BT-1 torpedo bomber (or Douglas basic) trainer 1 Grumman JRF Goose, 2-engine amphibian 1 Grumman J2F Duck, utility floatplane, amphibian Kaneohe NAS 1 Vought OS2U Kingfisher amphibian 36 Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina patrol bomber, flying boat, amphibian, 1939 *

Pearl Harbor (Ford Island) NAS 15 Consolidated PBY-3 Catalina scout bomber, flying boat, 1937 18 Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina scout bomber, flying boat, amphibian, 1939 *
* The apparently large number of Catalina w ere not available for scouting. Tw o squadrons had arrived 23 Nov 41 for training w hile in transit to outlying islands and new crew s w ere being trained by the few experienced crew s.

USN Air Battle Force Pearl Harbor (Ford Island) NAS (spares, repairs, replacement, and training) 8 Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo fighter, 1939 5 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighter, 1940 5 Grumman F4F-3A Wildcat fighter, 1941 3 Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless scout/dive-bomber, 1941 SBD scout bombers from Enterprise arrived during the attack. They had flown ahead of the returning task force that had just reinforced Wake Island. About five were lost to Japanese or ground fire and an equal number damaged. Fleet float planes, normally 2 for a cruiser and 4 per BB, are not shown. These were typically Curtiss SOC Seagull or the newer Vought OS2U Kingfisher. Japanese photos of battleship row show planes aboard CA, OK, WV. There were probably 20-30 floatplanes ashore that are not included in landbase counts. USAAC Aircraft Types Bombers Martin B-12. Twin engine, dual cockpit, medium bomber designed in 1932 and entered service in 1934 as B-10, 117 built for the U.S. and over 200 for export. First US bomber to fight in Pacific was flown by Dutch. B-12 had larger engines with 32 built. Three remained at Wheeler Field. Douglas B-18 Bolo. Twin-engine design was a militarized DC-2 airliner. Evaluated in Aug 1935, ordered into production, Jan 1936 for 133 aircraft with follow up orders in 1937-38 of 217 aircraft. This was the standard Air Corp bomber; 33 were with the 7th AF were at Pearl Harbor. They were phased into reconnaissance work when replaced by B-17 for combat duty. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Four engine heavy bomber designed in 1934, flew July 1935, delivered 13 prototypes started Aug 1937. Delivery started for an order of 39 on June 1939. B-17B order for 38 flew July 1940 with 20 sent to U.K. Twenty-some based at Pearl harbor were ordered to the Philippines. Twelve B-17's remained based at Pearl Harbor for long range sea defense. [story] An estimated 200 were required to adequately protect the approaches to Hawaii. A squadron of twelve unarmed B-17's were staging through Pearl Harbor for the Philippines and landing to refuel during the attack. B-17's were a key element in MacAuthur's defense plans ; however, he did not allow the 35 he had to make an early strike on Formosa and most units were destroyed on the ground by aircraft attacking from Formosa. It was soon discovered that horizontal bombers could seldom hit a moving warship, but provided a long range reconnaissance and attack role through the Pacific War. 13,000 were built, mostly for ETA.

Consolidated B-24 Liberator. This second generation heavy bomber first flew yearend 1939. Several hundred were in British service as LB-30 for long range transport and anti-sub service by Coastal Command in 1941. One prototype, intended for a secret photo mission, was destroyed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. [story] The production model, B-24D entered AAF service in June 1942 in North Africa. 19,000 were built in all variants including the Navy PB4Y and the single tailed PB4Y-2 Privateer where a crewman was the last to die in the war.. Attack Bomber Douglas A-20 Havoc (Boston). This twin engine light bomber was originally designed in 1936 and an upgraded version flew Aug 1939 with 100 ordered by the French for delivery by year-end with 12 attacking German columns when the war began in Europe. A squadron of twelve were at Hickam Air Base and made the first bomber sortie in an attempt to find the Japanese fleet. Over 7,000 were built. Fighters Boeing P-26 Peashooter. Designed in 1932 as the air force's first all metal fighter, open cockpit, fixed landing gear. 126 built. Out of service by 1940. 26 AAC units sold to Philippines in 1941. Seversky P-35 Guardsman. Delivery of 77 started July 1937. 48 were in the Philippines and only 8 remained at the end of the second day. This design lead to the Republic P-43 Lancerr with turbocharger with 272 ordered in 1940. Curtiss P-36 Mohawk. First modern design for the USAAC fighter; all metal, closed cockpit, retractable landing gear with radial engine. Designed 1935. 210 delivered in 1937. Popular export. Five of 39 in training unit flew at Pearl Harbor, credited with two zeros. Bell P-39 Airacobra (P-400) designed for ground attack, it was a nimble low level fighter and among the first to arrive at Guadalcanal. Became famous as a panzer killer in Russia. Curtiss P-40 Warhawk series developed from the P-36 with a larger, in-line engine. 524 ordered in Aug 1939 with 200 delivered to UK Apr 1940 and US delivery in May. UK ordered 930 more; China ordered 100 of which 90 served with the Flying Tigers. Sept 1940 UK ordered 1,500. Superior to enemy fighters of 1941 except the Zero and Messerschmitt. Pearl Harbor had a hundred. A total of 15,000 were built. See more of AAF fighters Air Force Name Evolution: Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps, 1907 - 1914 Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, 1914 May 20, 1918 Army Air Service, U.S. Army, 1918 to 2 July 1926 Army Air Corps, 1926 - 20 June 1941 AAC then became the combat arm of the AAF till 1947 Army Air Force, 1941 - 18 September 1947 U. S. Air Force, 1947 - today. See Naval Aircraft. Other Aircraft, In Transit : 2 Dutch PBY-5 Catalina's from the factory to Soerabaya, Java. Numbers Y68

(destroyed) and Y69 (repaired).

Japanese Aircraft
Distribution of the attacking planes : A6M B5N D3A Carrier Total Zero Kate Val Akagi 18 27 18 63 Kagai 18 27 27 72 Soryu 18 18 18 54 Hiryu 18 18 18 54 Shokaku 18 27 27 72 Zuikaku 18 27 27 72 Total 108 144 135 387 w/spares (126 162 153 441) Three aircraft of each type on each carrier were carried disassembled as spares, a total of 54 spare aircraft. Combat air patrols were flown over the fleet by 48 Zeros. Six scouting seaplanes from the cruisers flew reconnaissance over Pearl Harbor and the sea surrounding the attacking fleet. Tone and Chikuma were specifically designed as seaplane carrying, heavy cruisers. See Naval Aircraft. Full discussion of planes engaged on both sides : Order of Battle
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