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	Destroyed	Damaged	Combat Ready
  B-17 D	12	4	4	4
  B-18 A	33	12	10	11
  A-20 A	12	2	5	5
  P-40 C	12	5	5	2
  P-40 B	87	37	25	25
  P-36 A	39	4	19	16
  P-26	14	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 were not available for scouting. Two squadrons had arrived 23 Nov 41 for training while in transit to outlying islands and new crews were being trained by the few experienced crews.

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

• 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 year-end 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..

• 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.

• 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

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.

2 Dutch PBY-5 Catalina's from the factory to Soerabaya, Java. Numbers Y68 (destroyed) and Y69 (repaired).

Japanese Aircraft

Carrier	A6M   Zero	B5N   Kate	D3A   Val	Total
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)