Editing Wheeler Army Airfield (section)

==History==
On 6 February 1922, a detachment of 20 enlisted men from [[Luke Field (Hawaii)|Luke Field]], proceeded to [[Schofield Barracks]], under Lieutenant William T. Agee, to clear the flying field on the grounds of the former [[17th Cavalry Regiment]] drill grounds and construct housing for the divisional air service. Two canvas hangars were erected and the field cleared of weeds, guava and [[Prosopis|algaroba]] trees. Thus Wheeler Field got its modest start. It was named '''Wheeler Field''' on 11 November 1922 in honor of Major Sheldon H. Wheeler, former commander of Luke Field on [[Ford Island]], killed in the crash of [[Airco DH-4|DH-4B]], ''AAS Ser. No. 63525'' on 13 July 1921.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sB4/1921.htm |title=1921 US Army Air Service Accident Reports |publisher=Aviationarchaeology.com |access-date=24 January 2012 |archive-date=29 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929232016/http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sB4/1921.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In June 1923, 13 months after the designation of the new flying field, shop hangars, airplane hangars, and oil storage tanks were erected. In 1927, one of the wooden shop hangars was remodeled to provide space for a barracks and a mess hall incident to the formation of a pursuit group. It was not until 1930 that any permanent construction was started. Many different units were originally stationed at Wheeler Field. The first units of the Schofield Barracks divisional airdrome were the [[4th Observation Squadron]], Photo Section No. 11 and Branch Intelligence Office No. 11.

In October 1922, the photo section and intelligence units were returned to Luke Field. The following May, the 17th Composite Group was organized at Wheeler. It consisted of a Headquarters Squadron, the [[19th Pursuit Squadron]] and the 4th Observation Squadron. These units operated from the field until January 1924, when the 17th Group was rendered inactive. Three years later, the foundation for the present [[18th Pursuit Group]] was laid and the [[6th Pursuit Squadron|6th]] and 19th Pursuit Squadrons were transferred from Luke Field. More squadrons were eventually added to the 18th Pursuit Group and [[Bellows Field]] was opened as an aerial gunnery camp for the use of tactical organizations. The [[15th Pursuit Group]] was formed next and was made a permanent part of the airdrome. Hand in hand with this move came the formation of the [[14th Pursuit Wing]].

Wheeler Field was the site of several major historic aviation events prior to the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on 7 December 1941, including the [[Bird of Paradise (aircraft)|first transpacific flight from California]] in 1927; the great [[Dole Air Race]] from California to Hawaii; the first transpacific flight from the U.S. to Australia in 1928, and the first Hawaii-to-Mainland solo flight in 1935 by [[Amelia Earhart]]. Ms. Earhart visited Wheeler Field in 1935 in her [[Lockheed Vega]] and in 1937 in her [[Lockheed Model 10 Electra]]. [[Charles Kingsford Smith|Kingsford Smith]], in his plane, the ''[[Southern Cross (aircraft)|Southern Cross]]'', also used the airfield on his historic flights across the Pacific.

By 1940, Wheeler Field had evolved into a primary base for [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] pursuit (i.e., "fighter") aircraft such as the [[P-40 Warhawk]], responsible for air defense of the Hawaiian Islands Territory.

===World War II===
[[File:Wheeler Field (7 Dec. 41).jpg|thumb|[[Curtiss P-40]]s burning at Wheeler, 7 December 1941|left]]
Wheeler Army Airfield was a primary target and site of the first attack on 7 December 1941, leading up to the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]].<ref name="nhlsum" /> The Japanese attacked the airfield to prevent the numerous planes there from getting airborne and engaging them. Most of the planes were destroyed, but 12 pilots assigned to the 15th Pursuit Group at Wheeler (predecessor of the present day [[15th Wing]]) succeeded in getting their [[P-36 Hawk]] and [[P-40 Warhawk]] aircraft off the ground, engaged the Japanese in furious dogfights, and scored some of the first American victories of World War II.

2nd Lieutenant [[Phil Rasmussen]] found an old, unscathed Curtiss P-36 Hawk and taxied it to a revetment where he had it loaded with ammunition. During a lull in the bombing, he took off with three other pilots. Lieutenant Rasmussen managed to shoot down a [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] and the American pilots subsequently engaged 11 Japanese aircraft.

The installation has a [[National Historic Landmark District]] in association with the attack on 7 December 1941. The 1941 Flightline, hangars and barracks survive today.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceID=2002&resourceType=District |title=NHL Details |access-date=3 July 2008 |archive-date=13 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113234810/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2002&ResourceType=District |url-status=live }}</ref>

Casualties at Wheeler totaled 33 killed and 75 wounded. Of the 233 aircraft assigned to the Hawaiian Air Force, 146 were in commission before the attack; afterward, only 83 were in commission (including 27 P-40s) and 76 had been totally destroyed. During World War II as part of the [[US Army Air Forces]] and until 1949 as part of the newly established [[United States Air Force]], Wheeler was assigned to the [[Seventh Air Force]] (former Hawaiian Air Force) and successor commands.

===World War II USAAF units assigned===
* [[7th Air Division|7th Fighter Wing]], 18 November 1946 – 1 May 1948
* [[15th Fighter Group]], 1 February – 15 October 1946
* [[30th Bombardment Group]], 1 March – 29 September 1945; 1 February – 25 January 1946
* [[41st Bombardment Group]], 14 October 1944 – 7 June 1945
* [[81st Fighter Group]], 15 October 1946 – 21 May 1949

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* [[6th Pursuit Squadron]], 11 January 1927 – 30 August 1942; 2 October 1945 – 31 May 1946
* 19th Pursuit Squadron, 1 May 1923 – 15 January 1924; 11 January 1927 – 20 February 1942
* [[26th Space Aggressor Squadron|26th Attack (later Bombardment) Squadron]], 1 September 1930 – 1 February 1940; 20 December 1941 – 19 July 1942; 11 May – 11 November 1943
* [[27th Bombardment Squadron]], 23 May – 25 September 1945
* [[38th Bombardment Squadron]], 17 March – 21 September 1945
* [[86th Observation Squadron]], 1 February 1940 – 15 March 1941; 17 August 1942 – 28 June 1944
: Re-designated: 43d Reconnaissance Squadron, 22–28 February 1946
* [[44th Fighter Squadron|44th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron]], 12–27 December 1941; 25 January – 23 June 1942
* [[44th Troop Carrier Squadron]], 29 September 1945 – 25 March 1946
* [[45th Troop Carrier Squadron]], 29 September – 20 December 1945
* [[46th Tactical Fighter Squadron|46th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron]], 1 December 1940 – 6 February 1942; 17 February – 13 October 1944
* [[47th Bombardment Squadron]], 5 November 1944 – 7 June 1945
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* [[47th Fighter Squadron]], 9 February – 16 October 1946
* [[48th Bombardment Squadron]], 14 October 1944 – 20 May 1945
* [[72d Fighter Squadron]], 21 October – 18 December 1943
* [[78th Reconnaissance Squadron|78th Pursuit (Later Fighter) Squadron]], 1 February 1940 – 9 December 1941; 9 February – 15 October 1946
* [[91st Fighter Squadron]], 15 October 1946 – 21 May 1949
* [[92d Fighter Squadron]], 15 October 1946 – 21 May 1949
* [[93d Fighter Squadron]], 15 October 1946 – 21 May 1949
* [[321st Bombardment Squadron]], 12 September – 4 November 1942
* [[371st Bombardment Squadron]], 2 November 1942 – 13 June 1943
* [[392d Bombardment Squadron]], 23 May – 29 September 1945
* [[396th Bombardment Squadron]], 14 October 9144-20 May 19 May 1945
* [[58th Bombardment Squadron]], 1 January – 18 March 1941; 19 December 1941 – 18 June 1943
* [[819th Bombardment Squadron]], 12 November 1943 – 9 July 1944; 17 March – 26 September 1945
* [[820th Bombardment Squadron]], 14 October 1944 – 20 May 1945
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===Cold War===
With the establishment of the [[U.S. Air Force]] as a separate service in 1947, Wheeler Army Air Base was re-designated '''Wheeler Air Force Base''' under the operational control of [[Pacific Air Forces]] ([[PACAF]]). The following year, the installation was placed on minimum caretaker status; however, with expansion of the Air Force during the [[Korean War]], Wheeler AFB was restored to fully operational status in 1952.

On 24 February 1952, the 1508th Support Squadron was organized to provide administrative and logistical support to activities at Wheeler AFB. The unit was redesignated the 6487th Support Squadron on 1 April 1955, then inactivated on 1 November 1971, concurrent with activation of the 15th Air Base Squadron.

A subordinate unit of the [[15th Air Base Wing]], the 15 ABS served as the host organization at Wheeler AFB, which consisted of approximately 1,389 acres of land and facilities valued at over $37 million. Responsibilities of the 15 ABS included providing munitions service and support to all Air Force activities within the Hawaiian area, in addition to operating a small arms firing range where personnel of the Air Force, U.S. Customs and local law enforcement agencies were certified. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the installation hosted a number of Army and Air Force activities, including Army rotary-wing and fixed-wing aviation units and USAF fixed-wing air support / forward air control units flying the [[O-2 Skymaster]] and [[OV-10 Bronco]].

In August 1987, the Secretary of the Interior designated Wheeler AFB as a [[National Historic Landmark]], recognizing it as a site of national significance in the history of the United States and, in particular, World War II in the Pacific.

The 15th Air Base Squadron inactivated at Wheeler on 31 October 1991, one day before the U.S. Army assumed operational control of the installation in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed by the Commander in Chief, [[Pacific Air Forces]], and the Commander, US Army Western Command.

===Return to Army control===
On 1 November 1991, the Army held a simple ceremony to signify their takeover of the base, then changed the sign at the main gate to Wheeler Army Airfield. The installation, however, remained on the real property records of the 15th Air Base Wing until 15 March 1993 when an Action Memorandum signed by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Environment, Safety and Occupational Health) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Housing) authorized the exchange of Wheeler AFB for [[Fort Kamehameha|Fort Kamehameha Military Reservation]].