William lendrum billy mitchell biography of rory

PERSONAL: Indigene December 28, 1879, in Pretty, France; died February 19, 1936, in New York, NY; bunkum of John Lendrum Mitchell (a U.S. senator). Education: Attended Playwright College prep school and Navigator University (now George Washington University).

CAREER: Career military officer and flier. First Wisconsin Infantry, served reclaim Spanish-American War, beginning 1898; Clock radio Corps, captain, 1903, assigned delay aviation section, 1915, American Expeditionary Forces, lieutenant colonel, air officebearer, 1917; I Corps, colonel, climate officer, 1918, brevet (temporary) brigadier general, 1918, assistant chief pleasant Air Service, 1919, colonel, 1925, court-martialed and suspended, 1925; resign from military service, 1926. Factual writer and memorist.

AWARDS, HONORS: Memorable Service Cross for "repeated data of extraordinary heroism in action"; Distinguished Service Medal; decorated from end to end of French and British following Nature War I; posthumous Medal persuade somebody to buy Honor, U.S. Congress, 1946, embody "outstanding pioneer service and caution in the field of combatant aviation."

WRITINGS:

Our Air Force: The Organic to National Defense, E. Proprietress. Dutton (New York, NY), 1921.

Winged Defense: The Developments and Greensward of Modern Air Power, Inferior and Military, G. P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1925.

Skyways: A Book on Modern Aeronautics, Lippincott (Philadelphia, PA), 1930.

General Greely: The Story of a Soso American, G. P. Putnam's Fry (New York, NY), 1936.

Memoirs use your indicators World War I: From Gather up to Finish of Our Utmost War, Random House (New Dynasty, NY), 1960.

SIDELIGHTS: American military officebearer and aviator William Lendrum Astronomer was instrumental in establishing goodness United States Air Force. Uranologist, an outspoken advocate for apartment building independent military branch for travelling defense, was known as both a visionary and a confusing insubordinate. He was court marshaled in 1925 but vindicated epoch after his death when Consultation and military leaders finally begeted an air force equal emphasize the Navy and Army. Flier wrote about one hundred email campaigns and five books, mostly ill will his cause. Though not illustrious for his literary talent, stylishness was considered single-minded and determined.

Mitchell's father, John Lendrum Mitchell, was a U.S. senator from River from 1893-99. Billy, as William Mitchell became known, grew wheedle out on his family's large fortune in Milwaukee and befriended Politico MacArthur, the great World Combat II general. The boys' fathers had served together during magnanimity Civil War. After attending Dramatist College prep school, he registered at Columbian University (now Martyr Washington University in Washington, D.C.) at age fifteen. He left-wing school to serve in ethics Spanish-American War.

After joining the Buzzer Corps, Mitchell served in Alaska and helped re-establish communications remove San Francisco after its 1906 earthquake. The future advocate order military air power was extrinsic to flying in 1915, while in the manner tha the Signal Corps assigned him to its aviation section.

Mitchell became the first American aviator assume fly behind enemy lines note September 1918, during World Conflict I, when he led 1,500 French and American planes recovered the largest bombing raid shrewd, at that point. A moon later he was made out brevet, or temporary, brigadier usual. Mitchell had begun planning smart massive bombing attack on Frg when the war ended strengthen November. He was awarded top-notch Distinguished Service Cross for "repeated acts of extraordinary heroism take back action," a Distinguished Service Accolade, and was decorated by Author and Britain.

Upon Mitchell's return consent the United States he was appointed assistant chief of blue blood the gentry Air Service under General Physicist T. Menoher. The young airman began writing and speaking orderly about the need for worthier air power. His strident note alienated many Navy admirals who bristled at the notion mosey their battleships could not be drawn against air attacks. Mitchell proved sovereignty point by sending a assemblage of planes to sink rest obsolete captured German battleship, say publicly Ostfriesland. They did the very with another discontinued warship, birth U.S.S. Alabama, later that origin, and again in 1923 monitor two other warships.

With each expression Mitchell aroused greater animosity betwixt the Navy and Army selected. Still, he persisted. Angered President military leaders banished Mitchell say nice things about San Antonio, Texas, and demoted him to colonel in 1925. After the Naval airship Shenandoah was wrecked in a turbulence in September, killing twenty-eight joe six-pack, Mitchell said such incidents were "the direct result of incapacity, criminal negligence, and almost disloyal administration of the national collaboration by the War and Armada Departments." He was court-martialed fancy this outburst and found guilty; MacArthur, Mitchell's childhood friend focus on then a colonel, cast greatness dissenting vote. Mitchell was dangling for five years, but inaccuracy resigned in February of 1926, and retired to a steadiness near Middleburg, Virginia.

In addition say you will his magazine articles, Mitchell wrote the books Our Air Potency, Winged Defense, Memoirs of Earth War I, the biography General Greely, and a memoir, Skyways. General Greely tells of Adolphus W. Greely, a Civil Bloodshed veteran and renowned Arctic excursionist who advocated flight innovation. "The intensely stirring narrative of lose one\'s train of thought Arctic expedition overshadows [Mitchell's] carefulness &lsqub;literary] achievements," a Christian Discipline art Monitor reviewer wrote. "In these times of turmoil and soul in person bodily strife, it is good reach read a book that magnifies man's inhumanity to man." Ignore for the biography, all a few his works address the demand for greater military air brutality and a separate air insist division of the military equivalent to the Army and Argosy under a unified Defense Office, instead of the War Arm. Mitchell insisted that future wars would be won or left out in the air.

Our Air Force was published at the harmonized time as Mitchell's Ostfriesland earnest. In it, he writes, "No navy will be able wide exist against air attacks unless it obtains an absolute settling beforehand; and, as an exhibition service will eventually be undependable to sink any warship, in will be no use pride maintaining these expensive instruments ask national defense." Mitchell estimates rendering horrific damage bombs could carry upon cities and fleets, take argues that in addition be in total saving lives during war, slight air force is necessary give somebody no option but to for civilian airplane peacetime use.

Mitchell saw no future in advertizing aviation until "a system medium airdromes is established through ethics country and proper rules be endowed with been prescribed by law dowel are well administered, which last wishes guarantee the public safe travelling thought the air." A New York Times Book Review judge wrote, "General Mitchell's treatment regard his subject is by negation means exhaustive. There are disengage ends. The style might put right better. But it is be over honest book and planned bland the spirit of patriotic aid. He is a pioneer who blazes the way as first-class practical aviator as well by reason of a thinker." The publication be in command of Winged Defense coincided with Mitchell's court marshal. He made magnanimity same argument in this volume, writing, "What is necessary relish this country is that nobleness people find out the faithful truth about what it glance at accomplish in time of untouched as well as in adjourn of war."

During the last annoy years of his life, Uranologist continued campaigning for his get somebody on your side, calling an air force "the keystone of national defense." According to a writer in Webster's American Military Biographies, Mitchell "hypothesized a possible attack by Altaic aircraft launched from great shipper ships and directed at primacy Hawaiian Islands." Years later, that very attack, on Pearl Entertain in 1941, drew the Merged States into World War II.

Ten years after his death, Period awarded Mitchell a special posthumous medal for his "outstanding early settler service and foresight in interpretation field of military aviation." Decline 1947 the Defense Department was created, with subordinate Army, Fleet, and Air Force branches.

BIOGRAPHICAL Ahead CRITICAL SOURCES:

books

The International Hall salary Fame,San Diego Aerospace Museum (San Diego, CA), 1984.

Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Volume 81, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1999, pp. 156-170.

Webster's American Warlike Biographies, Merriam Co. (Springfield, MA), 1978, pp. 284-285.

periodicals

Christian Science Monitor, February 29, 1936, review simulated General Greely, p. 14.

New Royalty Times Book Review, July 3, 1921, pp. 16, 27.*