Billy Mitchell: Founder of Our Air Force and Prophet Without Honor

Billy Mitchell: Founder of Our Air Force and Prophet Without Honor
ISBN-10
0359575420
ISBN-13
9780359575428
Series
Billy Mitchell
Category
History
Pages
178
Language
English
Published
2019-04-07
Publisher
Lulu.com
Authors
Emile Gauvreau, Lester Cohen

Description

As early as 1920, US Army General Billy Mitchell began sounding alarm bells about an inevitable Japanese invasion from sea-based aircraft. Through the press and in person he lobbied naval brass about America's woefully unprepared defensive air power but his talk of dogfights over the Pacific with superior planes was laughed at and dismissed by all. Mitchell's vision of a US 'Air Arm' would have meant massive, costly upgrades to the nation's dated flying machines owned by private firms holding patents on aircraft machinery. Old guard soldiers, like John J. Pershing, dismissed as delusional ravings Mitchell's belief that a battleship could be destroyed by a bomber. Mitchell's outspoken press conferences about an airplane trust supported by corrupt government officials led to his court-martial for insubordination in 1925. He died in 1936, a man ahead of his times - and hated for it.

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