Billy Mitchell

Billy Mitchell, full name William Mitchell (1879-1936), American army officer, born in Nice, France, of American parents, and educated at Columbian University (now George Washington University). He served in Cuba in 1898 during the Spanish-American War and in 1899 in the Philippines. During World War I he was an organizer of the American aviation program and commanded the Allied air forces in several battles. Appointed a brigadier general, he held various military posts in Washington, D.C. In 1925 he was court-martialed and suspended from service for five years because he openly criticized the decreasing emphasis on aviation by the U.S. War and Navy departments. In 1926 he resigned from the army to give a series of lectures advocating a strong air force. Later his recommendations were incorporated in official U.S. military policy. He wrote Our Air Force (1921), Winged Defense (1925), and Skyways (1930).