All The Facts About Airpower Theorist William Billy Mitchell

Question

Ask any soldier in the American Airforce about William Billy Mitchell and they will definitely know who he was. He is the founding father of the US Airforce because of his contributions to US Airpower. Read on for all the facts you should know about William Billy Mitchell.

All The Facts About Airpower Theorist William Billy Mitchell
All The Facts About Airpower Theorist William Billy Mitchell

William Billy Mitchell – Biography

Billy Mitchell was born to a wealthy family in 1879. His father was a Wisconsin senator and a first lieutenant in the civil war. On the other hand, his grandfather was famous for establishing the Milwaukee Road Railroad and the Marine Bank of Wisconsin.

Mitchell graduated from George Washington University and enlisted in the army at age 18. As early as 1906 he had already foreseen that future wars would take place in the air. He was one of the people that saw the Wright brothers’ flying demonstrations. He later became the deputy in charge of what became the US air force.

Billy’s personal life was not as successful as his career. He married his first wife in 1903 but they divorced in 1922. His wife claimed that Billy’s heavy drinking made him erratic and violent. He died in 1936 in New York. He was 56 years old when he passed on.  

Military Career

William Mitchell was deployed to France for World War 1. He was such a skilled airman and leader that by the end of the war he was in charge of all the American Air Combat units in France. After the first world war, he was appointed as the deputy director of the Air Service. In his new role, he advocated for the development of US Airpower abilities as he felt this was the best way to win any future wars.

Billy Mitchell constantly got into disagreements with the US military administration due to his zeal for the development of US Airpower. Eventually, things came to a head and he faced trial for insubordination. This led to his resignation from the US military in 1925.

After his death, the US Administration recognized the contributions he made to the military. President Roosevelt awarded him a posthumous commission as Major General. The American military aircraft B-25 Mitchell is also named after him.

All The Facts About Airpower Theorist William Billy Mitchell
All The Facts About Airpower Theorist William Billy Mitchell

Airpower Theories

Due to Mitchell’s conviction that future wars would be fought on air, he was very interested in expanding his flying knowledge. He paid for his own classes at flight school, fees amounting to approximately $33,000. During the first world war, he spent a lot of time with French and English pilots learning everything he could about their aircraft.

Mitchell supported congress bills that pushed for the establishment of an independent US aeronautics unit that would be separate from the Army and the Navy. He also pushed for the development of an airborne bomb that could sink a battleship and proved that it was possible to sink a ship from the air.

Billy strongly believed that the air force rather than the navy should be the first line of defense for the US military.  His passionate theories about the superiority of airpower brought him into conflict with the US Navy and the US Government leadership.

Billy Mitchell is the founding father of the Air Force because he pushed for the advancement of US airpower. He championed numerous aircraft innovations and encouraged army pilots to break records for speed, endurance, and altitude.

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