Mitchell, Billy

Mitchell, Billy

 orig. William Mitchell

(born Dec. 29, 1879, Nice, France—died Feb. 19, 1936, New York, N.Y., U.S.) French-born U.S. aviator. He enlisted in the army and served in the Spanish-American War. He became the top U.S. air commander in World War I, initiating mass-bombing formations and leading an attack involving 1,500 planes. An outspoken advocate of a separate air force, he foresaw the replacement of the battleship by the bomber. When a navy dirigible was lost in a storm (1925), he accused the U.S. war and navy departments of incompetence; charged with insubordination, he was court-martialed and suspended from duty. He resigned in 1926 but continued to champion air power and to warn of advances by foreign air forces. In 1948 he was posthumously honoured by the new U.S. Air Force with a special medal.