Billy Mitchell Essay

Thesis Statement:

The birth of the United States Air Force with air supremacy in World War II and beyond would not have been possible had it not been for William “Billy” Mitchell.

Introduction:

During the early part of World War I a small group of Army leaders believed the use of airplanes in battle, for both reconnaissance and strategic bombing was vital to victory. There were two major players in advocating for a separate branch, each with differing strategies for achieving this goal.

a. Benjamin Foulois was one of America’s first aviators. He had a style of leadership unlike Billy Mitchell

b. William “Billy” Mitchell chose a different and more direct strategy to convince the war department of a need for a separate branch of the military.

Additionally, he felt the current leadership during the first world war was inadequate. He believed, as Foulouis did, that aviators should be at the helm of the air service from the Chief of Air Service to the pilots. Unfortunately, Mitchell used an abrasive and often confrontational approach to accomplishing his dream of an independent Air Force. He used a strategy which mostly by-passed the war department and he played to the American people. He avoided Congress and others above him and spoke directly to the people. This caused anger, which ultimately lead to the court-martial of Mitchell, which was largely a miscalculation on Mitchell’s part. He did not think a public court-martial would result in a conviction, he was ultimately wrong. However, Mitchell’s strategy did cause many to see the value in air power and his prowess in air tactics proved to be valuable in the development of the Air Corps Tactical School. The Air Corp Tactical School laid the ground work for the theory of strategic bombing, which reasoned, the enemy was a network of interconnected webs, which if key components were destroyed, would result in the breakdown of the web. This theory was heavily swayed by the Air Corp in France during World War I and was the direct result of the campaigns fought by the French and American