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Regarded as the father of the U.S. Air Force, William 'Billy' Mitchell was
born into a world of endless possibilities. Alexander Graham Bell's
telephone was being displayed for the first time, a U.S. Army enlisted men
were paid $13.00 per month and airplanes were merely an aspiration of
gravity-defiers.
Eldest of 10 children, Mitchell, at age 18, enlisted in the U.S. Army during
the Spanish-American War in 1898. He progressed through the junior officer
ranks and held various positons in leadership; youngest general staff
officer, deputy commander of Army Aviation and ultimately an Air Service
pilot.
Air Service is where Mitchell got his first taste of flying, his desire for
flight grew, so much so that he decided to become a pilot. He did not meet
the U.S. Army age requirement for aviation training, so he procured a
civilian flying license. Now licensed to fly, he was exposed to the
limitless possibilities of airpower and its benefits; he served in Cuba, the
Philippines, Alaska and in Europe and studied strategy abroad in France.
"Billy Mitchell is one of the most important pieces of Air Force history, he
was extremely passionate, in a time when no one else was, about airpower,"
said Joshua Lashley, 1st Fighter Wing historian. "So passionate that he
fought for the Air Force since the beginning of aviation."
When the U.S. entered World War I, Mitchell was promoted to Brig. Gen. and
directly responsible for commanding 1,481 American and allied airplanes. It
is then he exercised his vision of air dominance.
"The 1920s and post-World War I was known as the 'Billy Mitchell' era in
aviation. He pushed for stronger air defense and claimed that airplanes
would replace the U.S. Navy fleets as the future of homeland security, and
also strategic, using aircraft to take the fight to the enemy," said
Lashley.
Convinced that aircraft and bombers should take the place of battleships and
there should be a separate command for Air Service, Mitchell educated the
public through press. He was later court-martialed for insubordination for
his outspoken tactics, found guilty and ultimately demoted to colonel.
After death, he was promoted to major general for his outstanding service
and foresight in aviation.
To strengthen his vision, he demonstrated to the world air superiority
during the airpower trials on July 21, 1921, he and the 1st Provisional Air
Brigade from Langley Field, Virginia dropped bombs on and sunk the famous,
unsinkable, Ostfriesland, a captured German battleship, 60 miles off the
Virginia Capes.
July 21, 2016 marks the ninety-fifth anniversary of this historical event.
To commemorate Mitchell's accomplishment Langley Air Force Base, will host a
reenactment of the bombing of Ostfriesland.
"This is a great way to celebrate not only the history of the U.S. Air
Force, but the history of Langley as well," said U.S. Air Force Capt.
Timothy. "The aircraft that sunk the Ostfriesland 95 years ago took off out
of Langley Field".
Seven fighter wings, eight different airframes and 33 aircrews Air
Force-wide will support the two-day event by taking off from now, Langley
AFB, and flying the same path the 1st Provisional Air Brigade flew and drop
eight Mark 83 inert bombs where the sunken, Ostfriesland lies.
Along with the historical reenactment retired U.S. Air Force General T.
Michael Moseley, former 18th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force will
discuss the history behind the anniversary.
"The aircraft that sunk the Ostfriesland 95 years ago took off out of
Langley Field.This is a great way to celebrate not only the history of the
Air Force, but the history of Langley AFB as well," said Timothy.
The U.S. Air Force was created to fly, fight and win. Although Mitchell did
not live to witness what his passion for flight created, his vision did.
Langley will celebrate this day in history in honor of William 'Billy'
Mitchell.
| Date Taken: | 07.19.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2016 21:56 |
| Story ID: | 204661 |
| Location: | VA, US |
| Web Views: | 793 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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