Attached is one of the editorials written by U.S. Army General Billy Mitchell (1879 – 1936) which only served to irk the U.S. Army General staff and their civilian overlords in Washington.
Published in a 1921 issue of The American Legion Weekly (a U.S. veteran’s magazine) General Mitchell clearly stated his case for the creation of a unique branch of the military confined entirely to air power that would be distinct and independent of any other branch:
“England recognized what her problem was very early in the last war, and in 1917 she concentrated her whole aviation into an arm co-equal with the army and the navy under a Ministry of Air. She recognized clearly the difference between what an air force is and what an air service is… We must remember that the man power of our country is its greatest defense. We must also remember that air power is one of the greatest potential auxiliaries, if not the greatest, which man power can have. We must not neglect the lessons of the Great War and of what the other powers are doing.”
Billy Mitchell had a protege named General “Hap” Arnold and you can read about him here.
Click here to read about a much admired American aviator who was attracted to the fascist way of thinking…
