Billy Mitchell: Founder of Our Air Force and Prophet Without Honor (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780359575428)

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.

Author: Lester Cohen, Emile Gauvreau
ISBN-10: 0359575420
ISBN-13: 9780359575428
Publisher: Lulu Press
Language: English
Published: 04/07/2019
Pages: 178
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.44d