Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell

Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell may be the most famous and controversial figure in American airpower history. Gaining a commission due to the intervention of his father, he joined the Army Signal Corps. He gradually became excited about aviation and, in 1916, at age 38, he took private flying lessons. Recognized as the top American combat airman of World War I (he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and several foreign decorations), Mitchell, nevertheless managed to alienate most of his superiors during his 18 months in France. His relations with superiors continued to sour after he returned from the war, when he criticized the War and Navy departments for lacking farsight about airpower. He was court-martialed, found guilty of insubordination, and suspended from active duty without pay for five years. Mitchell resigned instead, as of Feb. 1, 1926, and spent the next decade writing and speaking about airpower. Mitchell died of a variety of ailments, including a heart condition and influenza, on Feb. 19, 1936.

This week in history - Feb. 19, 1936: Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell died in New York

Published Feb. 20, 2013
By AFNWC Historian
Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center

KIRTLAND AFB, N.M. -- Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell may be the most famous and controversial figure in American airpower history. Gaining a commission due to the intervention of his father, he joined the Army Signal Corps. He gradually became excited about aviation and, in 1916, at age 38, he took private flying lessons. Recognized as the top American combat airman of World War I (he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and several foreign decorations), Mitchell, nevertheless managed to alienate most of his superiors during his 18 months in France. His relations with superiors continued to sour after he returned from the war, when he criticized the War and Navy departments for lacking farsight about airpower. He was court-martialed, found guilty of insubordination, and suspended from active duty without pay for five years. Mitchell resigned instead, as of Feb. 1, 1926, and spent the next decade writing and speaking about airpower. Mitchell died of a variety of ailments, including a heart condition and influenza, on Feb. 19, 1936.