Billy Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 Mitchell, c. 1920s | |
| Birth name | William Lendrum Mitchell |
| Born | December 29, 1879 Nice, France |
| Died | February 19, 1936 (aged 56) New York City, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service | |
| Years of service | 1898–1926 |
| Rank | Colonel (Permanent) Brigadier General (Temporary) |
| Commands | Air Service, Third Army – AEF |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal World War I Victory Medal Congressional Gold Medal (posthumous) |
William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force.[1][2]
Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, commanded all American air combat units in that country. After the war, he was appointed deputy director of the Air Service and began advocating for increased investment in air power, believing that this would prove vital in future wars. He argued particularly for the ability of bombers to sink battleships and organized a series of bombing runs against stationary ships designed to test the idea.
He antagonized many administrative leaders of the Army with his arguments and criticism and in 1925, his temporary appointment as a brigadier general was not renewed, and he reverted to his permanent rank of colonel, due to his insubordination. Later that year, he was court-martialed for insubordination after accusing Army and Navy leaders of an "almost treasonable administration of the national defense"[3] for investing in battleships. He resigned from the service shortly afterwards.
Mitchell received many honors following his death, including a Congressional Gold Medal. He is also the first person for whom an American military aircraft design, the North American B-25 Mitchell, is named. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is also named after Mitchell.
- ^ Ott, William J. (Winter 2006). "Maj Gen William 'Billy' Mitchell: A Pyrrhic Promotion" (PDF). Air & Space Power Journal. 20 (4): 27–34. Gale A158835229.
- ^ "Mitchell, William Lendrum 1879-1936". Encyclopedia.com.
- ^ This comment is quoted as "incompetency, criminal negligence, and almost treasonable administration by the War and Navy departments" from an interview given by General Mitchell in San Antonio, Texas, and published in The New York Times (September 7, 1925, page 4) according to "The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1925)" in Footnotes to American History by Harold S. Sharp, Scarecrow Press, Inc., Metuchen, N.J., 1977, pp. 430–433.