209:, both P-40 pilots, were at Wheeler when the attack began. They had previously flown their P-40B fighters over to the small airfield at Haleiwa as part of a plan to disperse the squadron's planes away from Wheeler. Not waiting for instructions the pilots called ahead to Haleiwa and had both their fighters fueled, armed and warmed up. Both men raced in their cars to Haleiwa Field completing the 16-mile trip in about 15 minutes. With their P-40s, now warmed up and ready, they jumped into their cockpits. The crew chiefs informed them that they should disperse their planes. "The hell with that", said Welch. Ignoring the usual pre-takeoff checklists the aircraft took off down the narrow airstrip.
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replenish their ammunition. While there, another wave of dive bombers appeared and Lt. Taylor raced back into the air. His P-40's cockpit was damaged as a
Japanese plane chased him. Lt. Welch was able to down the plane following him and they both returned to Wheeler. Lt. Welch was credited with a total of four Japanese planes shot down and Lt. Taylor downed two. Just as suddenly as it began, the sky was empty of Japanese aircraft. Taylor and Welch were both awarded the
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tarmac is severely compromised by weed growth. The area is used as a motion picture location for various TV shows and movies. Homeless squatters have occupied camps in the heavily overgrown areas. At the north end of the runway still stands the foundation of the control tower and concrete slabs from building foundations.
229:
A total of nine
Japanese aircraft were shot down by pilots from the Haleiwa field during the Pearl Harbor attack, four by 2nd Lt. Welch and two by 2nd Lt. Taylor, who flew P-40B Tomahawks equipped with twin .50 caliber machine guns. Flying P-36A gunnery trainers stripped of their .50 caliber
253:
After the war
Haleiwa Fighter Strip was reused as a civilian airport. It was apparently abandoned between 1947–1961. Little of Haleiwa Field remains today, although the area is not completely abandoned. The remains of the single runway that was paved during World War II can still be seen but the
216:
and Pearl Harbor. Only then did they realize what they were up against. "There were between 200 and 300 Japanese aircraft," said Taylor; "there were just two of us!" The two P-40s engaged the aircraft attacking Ewa
Mooring Mast and shot down five Japanese planes. They then returned to Wheeler to
163:, in 1941 Haleiwa Field had only an unpaved landing strip and very austere conditions. Haleiwa Field was mainly used to simulate real battle conditions for gunnery training. Those on temporary duty there had to bring their own tents and equipment. On 26 January 1945 the
230:
machine gun and equipped only with a single .30 caliber machine gun to be used for target training, 1st
Lieutenant Lewis M. Sanders was credited with shooting down one of the attacking Japanese aircraft, while 2nd Lieutenants
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and few were able to get airborne to fend them off. Haleiwa was an auxiliary field to
Wheeler and contained a collection of aircraft temporarily assigned to the field including aircraft from the
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366:"Turning point: Will a North Shore tourist campground open the development floodgates? The fate of the country-like North Shore could hang in the balance as Council weighs a decision"
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261:. Sometimes called "Police Beach", there was a proposal for development in 2000. It is marked on maps as Puaʻena Beach Park, but not easily accessible. An ancient
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completed the airfield with a paved runway and it became a busy reliever base for fighter aircraft patrolling the islands. A World War II era photo depicted a
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471:"History of Haleiwa from November 41 to June 44", organizational history of the Air Base Detachment, APO 959.
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taxiing past a temporary wooden control tower and another wooden building at
Haleiwa. Two of the B-17s of the
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area around the point, for experts, is accessed from
Haleiwa Beach Park off of Kamehameha Highway,
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were each being credited with shooting down the remaining two attacking aircraft.
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402:. Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library, University of Hawaii. Archived from
221:. Welch and Taylor's dramatic ride and takeoff were depicted in the 1970 film
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This obscure former military strip became famous during the
December 7, 1941
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Once in the air they spotted a large number of aircraft in the direction of
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Mohawk pursuit planes were at the field on the morning of
December 7.
175:(41-2429, 41-2430) arriving at Hawaii during the attack landed there.
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The land, called Puaʻena Point, remains undeveloped and is owned by
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U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Puaʻena
456:(reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
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On December 7 the Japanese heavily strafed the aircraft at
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Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Hawaii
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14th NCB, NHHC, Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme, Ca
245:(DFC) for their bravery and valor during the attack.
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Buildings and structures in Honolulu County, Hawaii
159:Originally used as an emergency landing field for
140:. It was used as part of the island's defense in
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450:Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II
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531:Previously: Hawaiian Air Force (1940-1942)
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241:All five pilots were later awarded the
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300:Air Force Historical Research Agency
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364:Gordon Y.K. Pang (July 24, 2000).
279:Hawaii World War II Army Airfields
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165:14th Naval Construction Battalion
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294: This article incorporates
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603:USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
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870:United States Army Air Forces
447:Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) .
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598:USAAF in the Central Pacific
429:Hawaii beach safety web site
325:"Oahu open/accessible sites"
122:United States Army Air Corps
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329:Hawaii Film Office web site
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219:Distinguished Service Cross
132:was a military airfield on
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993:Defunct airports in Hawaii
243:Distinguished Flying Cross
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62:Haleiwa Fighter Strip 1933
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400:on Place Names of Hawai'i
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203:2nd Lt. George S. Welch
988:Attack on Pearl Harbor
371:Honolulu Star-Bulletin
296:public domain material
154:attack on Pearl Harbor
89:21.60444°N 158.10222°W
425:"Haleʻiwa Beach Park"
189:47th Fighter Squadron
130:Haleiwa Fighter Strip
19:Haleiwa Fighter Strip
236:Phillip M. Rasmussen
191:. A total of eight
94:21.60444; -158.10222
849:549th Night Fighter
844:548th Night Fighter
823:316th Troop Carrier
818:311th Troop Carrier
792:41st Reconnaissance
787:28th Reconnaissance
760:419th Troop Carrier
396:"lookup of pua'ena"
394:and Elbert (2004).
179:Pearl Harbor Attack
85: /
797:43d Reconnaissance
259:Kamehameha Schools
118:Controlled by
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839:6th Night Fighter
813:9th Troop Carrier
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708:494th Bombardment
703:307th Bombardment
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519:Seventh Air Force
392:Mary Kawena Pukui
224:Tora! Tora! Tora!
207:Kenneth M. Taylor
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108:Military airfield
33:Seventh Air Force
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698:41st Bombardment
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688:11th Bombardment
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739:318th Fighter
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734:21st Fighter
729:18th Fighter
724:15th Fighter
523:World War II
449:
432:. Retrieved
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408:. Retrieved
404:the original
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375:. Retrieved
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337:. Retrieved
333:the original
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240:
228:
222:
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205:and 2nd Lt.
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197:Curtiss P-36
193:Curtiss P-40
182:
158:
151:
142:World War II
129:
128:
676:Bombardment
660:7th Fighter
644:VII Fighter
249:Postwar use
92: /
68:Coordinates
967:Categories
942:Fourteenth
937:Thirteenth
639:VII Bomber
434:2010-04-24
410:2010-04-24
377:2010-04-24
339:2010-04-24
285:References
77:21°36′16″N
952:Twentieth
947:Fifteenth
806:Transport
773:Squadrons
537:Airfields
169:Bell P-39
80:158°6′8″W
927:Eleventh
632:Commands
577:Ie Shima
273:See also
41:Haleʻiwa
31:Part of
932:Twelfth
907:Seventh
717:Fighter
591:Pacific
570:Okinawa
561:Wheeler
551:Bellows
263:surfing
173:88th RS
148:History
912:Eighth
892:Fourth
882:Second
669:Groups
582:Yontan
556:Hickam
544:Hawaii
460:
138:Hawaii
49:Hawaii
922:Tenth
917:Ninth
902:Sixth
897:Fifth
887:Third
877:First
653:Wings
625:Units
516:USAAF
454:(PDF)
458:ISBN
234:and
134:Oahu
105:Type
45:Oahu
521:in
214:Ewa
969::
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144:.
136:,
47:,
43:,
503:e
496:t
489:v
468:5
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437:.
413:.
380:.
342:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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